National Cheng Kung University (NCKU) recently launched a research project to investigate the possible health threats of nanotechnology.
The Integration of Biomedical and Nanotechnology Systems Project will create a molecule simulation to probe any potential negative effects of nanotechnology, the university said.
The results of the project may offer insights for designing medicines and clinical treatment to preven adverse side effects.
Statistics from the Industrial Technology Research Institute showed that the product value of nanotechnology in Taiwan had exceeded NT$300 billion (US$8.8 billion) as of last year, the school said.
However, the safety of nanotechnology has not yet been confirmed, the school said, adding that several research projects had suggested nanotechnology may pose a threat to human health.
“Most of the simulation software currently used for nanotechnology research and its effect on the human body only supports the computation of either inorganic material or organic molecules. NCKU is the first institute to achieve a breakthrough that combines the simulation of organic and inorganic substances,” university president Michael Lai (賴明詔) said during a ceremony to announce the project, with assistance and cooperation from IBM’s Taiwan branch, last Thursday.
The collaboration makes NCKU the fifth university in Taiwan to cooperate with the company.
Lai said he believed the project would “lead to new discoveries in the field of simulated testing on the interaction of nano substances and bio-molecules.”
Kenting National Park service technician Yang Jien-fon (楊政峰) won a silver award in World Grand Prix Photography Awards Spring Season for his photograph of two male rat snakes intertwined in combat. Yang’s colleagues at Kenting National Park said he is a master of nature photography who has been held back by his job in civil service. The awards accept entries in all four seasons across six categories: architectural and urban photography, black-and-white and fine art photography, commercial and fashion photography, documentary and people photography, nature and experimental photography, and mobile photography. Awards are ranked according to scores and divided into platinum, gold and
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