Who would have thought that nanotechnology started at such an early stage in the history of our human race? What's more is that, who knew that artistry and scientific discovery could go hand in hind? As it turns out, in European churches dating back to the medieval era, stained glass windows were already acting as modern-day air purifiers. Holy stained glass windows, Batman!

There just might be another way for us to harvest solar energy and infrared radiation for us to be able to transform it into viable energy. Yes, as in we can use it for electricity - charge our iPods with it, make our cars run on it. This technology is the nanoantenna and the scientists from the US Department of Energy's Idaho National Laboratory thinks this just might be it.

 A research team at the University of Glasgow have unveiled details regarding a new nanotech process that could dramatically boost the data-carrying capacity your typical computer chip. How much? Try 500,000 GB of data on one square inch of space. More details on this finding are available in the full article.

Apparently, scientists have been able to do something simply astounding with Linden Labs' MMOPRG. They were able to create artificial life in the form of a child-like intelligence in Second Life, named Eddie. Read more on this by heading over to the full article.

It's always a blast to see how progress in science can eerily sound like science fiction. This is one such progress: scientists have been able to control nanobots using a tiny chemical "brain" that was inspired by one of the functions of our own brains. Read the story after following the "read more" link below.

Time to geek out a bit here. In the current research race into nanotechnology, the idea of using DNA structures for nanoscale robots or machines isn't new though precise control over these structures has never been their strongest point. But now researchers from the UK and Germany have discovered a way to create a custom DNA structure that can be controlled remotely, using DNA signals to trigger reconfiguring events. More at the full story.

Lodestone or magnetite may sound like an ancient wonder to you, but scientists at Rice University believe that this compound might have some cutting-edge properties which might have useful applications. Magnetite may actually hold the keys to the future of  nanoscale research as well as computing. See the full version for details.

Medical science is always on the breakthrough to find cures for so many life-threatening illnesses these days. A recent project headed by University of Missouri-Columbia engineers based on nanotechnology aims to develop a small but powerful device capable of effectively delivering drugs to help treat these conditions.

So far, the project is in its testing phase and will be focusing on fighting various diseases on a microscopic level, such as destroying tumors, kidney stones, ulcers as well as hopefully treating cancer and HIV. Through a fusion of microchip-based technology and nanotechnology, the device triggers a reaction resulting in super sonic shock waves which will make infected cells permeable for drug interaction.

The project is headed by Shubhra Gangopadhyay, an electrical and computer engineering professor in the College of Engineering and the head of the University's International Center for Nano/Micro Systems and Nanotechnology.

Other practical uses of the technology include the dispersal of drug-carrying nanoparticles called the nanosponge into the body. This nanosponge will then target specific cells and areas that have been infected with disease. Also, through the delivery of gold nanoparticles, doctors can also track drug movement and the spread of disease throughout the body.

Such nanoparticles contain no harmful components and will be harmless to the body. The device will, however, need as many as three more years of additional testing before it can be made available to pharmaceutical companies. Nems/Mems Works, LLC will market the device and the various nanoparticles associated with the study.

Those who believe in the well-used adage, "bigger is better" haven't seen the new 3-D semiconductor current chips being developed in Japan right now. The high performance chips being drawn up are estimated to be around 10 times faster than the ones being used right now, and also use up less space.

The Japanese Ministry has allotted a budget of 1.5 billion yen (US$ 12.8 million) and are calling in the leading domestic semiconductor giants, such as Toshiba Corp. and Fujitsu Ltd., in this five year project.

Applications being aimed by the projects include developing chips small and sophisticated enough to run devices such as robot caregivers, cars that can avoid crashes or traffic jams, or even cell phones which can be used over a month before the need of charging them arises. Indeed, such devices seem to be a forerunner of all the science fiction stories and movies that have nanotechnology as being the new age of technology. You never know. Maybe in a few years we'll be seeing flying cars or even android servants.

Engineers from Purdue University, with guidance of mathematical theories by UK physicists back in 2006, were able to come up with a theoretical design that uses an array of tiny needles radiating outward from a central spoke. The hairbrush-like device should be able to bend light around the object that's supposed to be cloaked, just like how the "Invisibility" cloak works.

The bending of light should result in the background behind the object being visible, but the object itself no where in sight. However, the design is only limited to one single wavelength at a time, and not the entire visible spectrum. But Vladimir Shalaev, a professor at Purdue, said that it is a design step toward creating an optical cloaking device that might work for all wavelengths of visible light.

As of this moment, the calculations based on the design indicate that the device should be capable of making an object invisible with a wavelength of 632.8 nanometers, which is in the range of the color red. Shalaev is positive, however, that the design is reusable for cloaking objects covering the entire spectrum.

The research findings will be available in detail this month in the Nature Photonics journal. This first week should herald the online availability of the paper, which is based on the research performed at the Birck Nanotechnology Center at Purdue's Discovery Park. You can click the "Read" link provided below to press details of the find.