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Saturday, December 31, 2005

Philosophy in Science: Reductionism versus Emergence

Thesis: A clash over nanotechnology among some of the most esteemed scientists in the world underscores the role of philosophy in considering questions yet beyond the reach of empiricism.

As seen in the highly publicized debate between proponents of evolution and intelligent design, the media often provides coverage of impassioned debates between elemental groups and lobbies in the United States, such as the religious and scientific communities. These issues are important and tap society for the discussion and weighing of heartfelt and treasured values. What the media often fails to capture, however, are the debates that occur within these camps, some of them axiomatic in nature. Such debates thrive in the scientific community in which truth and knowledge must be tested and agreed upon through consensus.

Some of my previous posts have discussed artificial intelligence and the tension between designing fully architected systems and self-organizing systems (i.e. emergence-based systems). This theme extends into the whole of science in the form of "reductionism" versus "emergence" and is debated on the highest levels. A post by nanotech blogger Richard Jones (April 15, 2005 Nobel Laureates Against Nanotechnology) , author of Soft Machines, discusses one such debate in the scientific community. Jone's post discusses a book in which two Nobel Laureates, and proponents of studying emergence, argue that the philosophical paradigm on which nanotechnology is based (reductionism) is flawed, i.e. that breaking down matter and controlling every aspect of it is not how science and technology will ultimately achieve its full potential. The trajectory of science has carried human observation deep into the nano-realm revealing the peculiar laws and secrets of quantum mechanics. As science has enabled the study of increasingly smaller particles, questions have been raised as to whether a unified theory, or a "theory of everything," is achievable through continued reduction.

Reductionists believe that complex systems can be understood through its most fundamental elements and processes. In such a quest to explain reality, physics has in recent years superceded the atom and quark and embarked on various mathematical constructs, noteably string theory and m-theory, to link observed forces in exoteric dimensions. Because of its theoretical nature, string theory is largely untestable which conflicts with a key tenet of science, begging the question, will we ever find grand meaning in the small?

Emergence holds that the underlying organization of a system is as or more important than constituent elements and their properties. One need only look to the human body, the most sophisticated system on earth and the product of billions of years of biological "computing power," to see the value of emergence. Although we might catalogue and every gene and record the movement of every protein in the human body, such a databank would hardly capture the fundamental automata that underly the emergence of human intelligence from a pinpoint of genetic information. A proponent of emergence would argue that the seemingly immeasurable complexities of the human body can be surmised in certain, more general organizational principles represented in the system.

The battle over the virtues of "open source" code long waged between figureheads Microsoft and Sun Microsystems provides another example. When a program is compiled from language-based code (understandable to a programmer) into machine code it is impossible to reverse engineer and unlock the original "program" for development or manipulation. Microsoft only releases their code in a compiled format so that it remains proprietary. From the perspective of a third party, the machine code is inscrutible, and in fact, a given set of machine code could represent an infinite number of "programs" in any language. Similarly, the developer does not understand their program through its final elements (1's and 0's) and the trillions of operations they can adaptably perform in response to a potentially infinite number of scenarios. The meaning of the program is locked away in the organizational constructs inherent in the programming language and code itself. Like "open source" advocates' frustration with Microsoft, one must wonder if man can ever access the organizational principles fundamental to nature's grandest inventions. And so one must ask, where does meaning lie, and how does our understanding of the universe--be it reductionist or emergent--relate to our ability to eventually fabricate intelligent systems?

There may not be a need to draw a line in the sand between these two paradigms. Yes, they are dichotomous, but one may well be the vehicle for the other. Technology is, by definition, the fabrication of tools useful in the lives of men. Reductionism and the pursuit of nano-scale control will better position man to study and build emergent systems. For instance, the two paradigms might be united in the context of empiricism. Using reductionism, one could develop an understanding of the operations and emergent properties and phenomena of an ant colony. Although individual ants are generally ignorant, their systematic behavior yields an emergent intelligence that can build complex structures such as bridges to achieve collective objectives. One could then model the system and adjust various operations or schemes of operations (i.e. organizational principles) to learn how the emergent phenomena of the collective change. I think a lot of biomimicry will do exactly this--unite these divergent paradigms under empiricism.

Philosophical debates between scientific rock-stars such as these have occurred since the dawn of science, from Aristotle and Plato to Hobbes and Boyle to Einstein and Bhor. As we discover more and more about our world through science, questions are answered and paradigms arise; but then exceptions are found and crisises result until a yet more refined paradigm brings resolution. Philosophers scout and break the dreamy and untestable ground that engineers and scientists--equipped with increasingly sophisticated tools--later venture to conquer. Nanotechnology promises the nexus of engineering and the sciences, but perhaps also the resolution of some of the most triumphant and previously irreconcilable philosophies in man's intellectual history. Indeed, science may finally begin to grasp the most elusive of philosophical inquiry, metaphysics (the study of concepts seemingly beyond the realm of science such as "consciousness"), as we become masters of emergence.

Monday, December 19, 2005

Nanotech Wonders Galore

Thesis: After some grueling finals, I'm back to posting on nanobound. I'd like to catch you up on some of the exciting and recent developments in nanoscience. To give you some idea of the speed with which the science of nanotech is moving, consider that these are selected developments from just the last few weeks.

Electrowetting of Carbon Nanotubes:

Never before had researches been able to cause liquid to enter a carbon nanotube. In fact, a body of research indicated it was impossible. However, researchers at Cal Tech successfully caused mercury to fill carbon nanotubes using techniques to exploit certain electric properties of mercury. The breakthrough could have applications in nanofluidics such as the development of printers with resolution at the nanoscale. Read more here.

Single Molecule Switching

If Moore's Law, which states that the speed of processors will double every year, is to continue, then a new platform technology will eventually be required. Current methods are limited by the resolution that can be achieved using light to burn circuit patterns into silicon, which in turn is limited by the natural wavelength of light. Researchers are testing many different methods of creating smaller circuits in anticipation of this barrier. One development occured recently as researchers announced they have created a reliable single molecule switch. Read more here.

Nano-Lasers

Heading in the opposite direction of Reagan's Star Wars program, scientists have discovered how to make tiny lasers, only 60 nanometers wide. They used a silicon wafer with billions of tiny holes and green light from an Argon Ion laser to create a lasing effect. Though the experiment occured at cryogenic tempetures, they hope that further research will reveal phenomena that can be harnessed for practical application. Read more here.

DNA Pyramids

Researchers in the UK have developed a simple, scalable method for creating tetrahedral pyramids using double helix DNA. The structures self-assemble with 95% reliability. Such pyramid structures, which are used in modern day architecture at the macro level, can withstand significant stress at the nanoscale as well. The researchers believe the pyramids could be used to support nanowires or other structures in the fabrication of nanoelectronic systems. Read more here.

Thursday, December 08, 2005

Patent Land Grab Continues

Thesis: Companies such as Arrowhead Research are attempting to capitalize on the fragmented nanotechnology intellectural property landscape by building a powerful "patent toolbox." Will they strike gold?--only time will tell.

The company Arrowhead Research recently announced that its NanoPolaris subsidiary has assembled a significant portfolio of intellectual property related to carbon nanotubes. See the Dec. 8, 2005 article here: http://www.arrowres.com/news.html

The Company is listed on the Nasdaq [ARWR] and has a market cap of $107 million. Arrowhead is a Cal Tech spinout that is attempting to build a cogent IP portfolio by systematically procuring IP from various universities that may be key for the commercialization of future products. Arrowhead plans to generate revenue by licensing their portfolio.

One might think of Arrowhead as a private version of what the PTO (Patent and Trademark Office) sometimes encourages and endorses known as patent pools. Government-sponsored or privately contracted patent pools provide easy and standard access to the most fundamental sciences and technologies underlying an industry. Such pools are encouraged because they prevent a situation in which every company must engage in complicated contractural arrangements with numerous entities to secure the fundamental IP needed for their technology. Other companies, such as privately owned Nanosys, are engaged in a similar strategy of acquiring a strong patent portfolio in anticipation of later commercial developments.

However, I'm uncertain investing in Arrowhead just yet is wise. Nanotechnology IP is so nacent, fragmented and complicated that there is great uncertainty as to which IP will underly the most lucrative commercial developments of the future. The state of the industry is somewhat reminescent of the land grab that followed the Homestead Act of 1862, in which settlers were able to claim 160 acres of free land. Who would be so lucky to squat on land that was particularly fertile or would later have valuable mineral right to gold or oil? Nobody could know. Arrowhead's strategy could be successful, as proven by Rambus [RMBS], an early mover that is now a $1.6 billion company licensing the critical IP related to computer RAM technology, but it's extremely difficult for an investor in the public markets to evaluate something as nebulous as a patent portfolio when so much uncertainty exists.

Until the road to commercialization becomes clearer, a wait and see approach may be best for companies that have no product pipeline but are nonetheless assembling a powerful intellectual property portfolio. Keep an eye on Arrowhead for now.

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Monday, December 05, 2005

Konarka "Prints" Solar Cells

Thesis: Massachusettes-based Konarka--one of the hottest companies in the nanotech space--is revolutionizing solar energy technology.

Under the leadership of a Nobel Prize winning chemist, Konarka has developed polymer-based photovoltaic cells as thin as photographic film. Traditional solar panels are on a glass substrate and are, as a result, larger, bulkier, and less pliable. With its lightweight design, Konarka's technology is more suitable for large scale manufacturing and distribution.

Konarka has no shortage of accolades. Among them are the Mass High Tech's 10th Annual All-Star Award, 2005 Popular Mechanics Breakthrough Award, Red Herring 100 Finalist, Red Herring Top 100 Innovators Award, 2004 Silicon East Summit "Company to Watch", Small Times Magazine Best of Small Tech Award, InnovationWorld Top 21 Company, AlwaysOn Top Innovators of 2004, TiECon 2003 Nanotechnology Field Award, and the World Economic Forum Technology Pioneer

The PV market has been growing at a rate of 40% per year for the last five years, and there's no indication of a slowdown. It seems that Konarka may be at the right place at the right time, an not surprisingly, the Company had no problem raising capital during its Series C financing, with a number of top tier VC firms anteing up for the ride. As for the rest of us, we'll have to wait for the IPO.

See a photo of their technology here: 2005 Popular Mechanics Breakthrough Award

Company Website

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Friday, December 02, 2005

Nano-Sponges

One of the most exciting benefits of nanotech is how it might help to clean up the environment or prevent further contamination. The Pacific Northwest National Laboratory recently announced that it has developed applications for self-assembled monolayers in the detoxification and filtration of certain fluids. The material contains holes that are 50 billionts of a meter wide. Sponges work by essentially being empty in volume while having significant internal surface area to trap particles. You may have heard that if you unravelled your DNA it would stretch over six feet long, despite only being 50 trillionths of an inch wide. Similarly, if you were measure the internal surface area of one gram of this nano-sponge material, it would be a whopping 6,400 to 11,000 square feet. These materials could be used to remove mercury from the gas emissions of coal plants, among other applications. Source: United Press International