An international team of nanoscience have been working hard at creating useful working nanomachinery. They are using a machine-molecule called rotoxane, and have discovered that it displays a reversible switching phenomena in response to certain chemical stimuli. The odd bit is that they’re not entirely sure why, as the molecule has nothing in it with which to switch.

Normal nanotubes? Old hat, my friend, last year’s news. Japanese researchers have stumbled across a polygonal spiral shaped varient of the humble ‘tube, and they’re calling them ‘nanocores’. The electron emmission is better, and they’re at least twelve times stronger too.

Having made nanoscale ‘test-tubes’ back in 2004, University of Florida chemistry professor Charles Martin and cohorts have now worked out a way to ‘cork’ nanotubes so they can be used as containers for medicines. This could help focus chemotherapy on the bad cells only, avoiding all the nasty side effects.

LEDs are much better than normal incandescents in many ways. But there’s more improvement to be made, and Organic LEDs are leading the way. They may not be quite as energy efficient yet, but they’re flexible, can be ‘printed’ by an inkjet, are way more ecologically friendly, and switch faster than the vanilla non-organics, which makes for better display technology.

It’s not for the poor, I’m afraid. To be so much as considered for the Mars Citizenship Project, you’ll have to cough up at least $10,000. And there are no wine bars there yet, by the way.