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Nanotechnology
Latest Publications
Date: Jan 14, 2008
Language: English
Organic Pioneer Says No to Nano
Download PDF (135 KB) - about 24 seconds on a 56k modemETC Group
News Release
14 January 2008
www.etcgroup.org
Organic Pioneer Says No to Nano
ETC Group Welcomes World’s First ‘Nano-free’ Standard
Now that you can drive your ‘nano’ car, listening to your iPod ‘nano’ while wearing ‘nano’ sunscreen and ‘nano’ clothing, the UK’s largest organic certifier has just introduced the perfect nano-antidote – a ‘nano-free’ standard for consumer products. The Soil Association – one of the world’s pioneers of organic agriculture – announced today that it is has banned human-made nanomaterials from the organic cosmetics, foods and textiles that it certifies. (1)
According to the U.S.-based Woodrow... Read More
Categories: Biodiversity & Genetic Resources, Biotechnology, Nanotechnology
Date: Jul 31, 2007
Language: English
Press Release: Broad International Coalition Issues Urgent Call for Strong Oversight of Nanotechnology
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Download PDF2 (119 KB) - about 21 seconds on a 56k modemPRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE July 31, 2007
Press Contacts:
George Kimbrell, ICTA (202) 547-9359, gkimbrell@icta.org; Bill Kojola, AFL-CIO, (202)-637-5003, bkojola@aflcio.org; Peter Rossman, IUF, +41 22 793 2233, peter.rossman@iuf.org; Ian Illuminato, Friends of the Earth U.S., (202)- 222-0735, IIlluminato@foe.org; Kathy Jo Wetter, ETC Group, (613) 241-2267 etc@etcgroup.org; Chee Yoke Ling, Third World Network, +6012 3768858,
Categories: Nanotechnology
Date: Jun 07, 2007
Language: English
Patenting Pandora’s Bug: Goodbye, Dolly...Hello, Synthia! J. Craig Venter Institute Seeks Monopoly Patents on the World’s First-Ever Human-Made Life Form
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Download PDF2 (155 KB) - about 28 seconds on a 56k modemPatenting Pandora's Bug
Goodbye, Dolly...Hello, Synthia!
J. Craig Venter Institute Seeks Monopoly Patents on the World's First-Ever Human-Made Life Form
ETC Group Will Challenge Patents on "Synthia" - Original Syn Organism Created in Laboratory
Ten years after Dolly the cloned sheep made her stunning debut, the J. Craig Venter Institute is applying for a patent on a new biological bombshell - the world's first-ever human-made species. The novel bacterium is made entirely with synthetic DNA in the laboratory.
The Venter Institute - named for its founder and CEO, J.... Read More
Categories: BANG/Convergence, Biodiversity & Genetic Resources, Biological Warfare, Biotechnology, Geoengineering, Intellectual Property & Patents, Nanotechnology, Other New Technologies, Synthetic Biology
Date: Apr 12, 2007
Language: English
Civil Society/Labor Coalition Rejects Fundamentally Flawed Dupont-ED Proposed Nanotechnology Framework
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Download (29 KB) - about 5 seconds on a 56k modemCivil Society-Labor Coalition Rejects Fundamentally Flawed DuPont-ED Proposed Framework
Urges All Parties To Reject The Public Relations Campaign
April 12, 2007
To All Interested Parties:
We, the undersigned, submit this open letter to the international nanotechnology community at large. We are a coalition of public interest, non-profit and labor organizations that actively work on nanotechnology issues, including workplace safety, consumer health, environmental welfare, and broader societal impacts.
DuPont Chemical Company (DuPont) and Environmental Defense (ED) jointly have proposed a voluntary “risk... Read More
Categories: Human Rights / Farmers' Rights, Nanotechnology, Other New Technologies, Other
Date: Feb 01, 2007
Language: English
ETC Group Warns that US Government’s Push for Geoengineering is Unacceptable
Download PDF (139 KB) - about 25 seconds on a 56k modemNews Release
February 1, 2007
www.etcgroup.org
Gambling with Gaia
On the Eve of the Release of UN Climate Change Report
ETC Group Warns that US Government’s Push for Geoengineering is Unacceptable
On the day before the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) sounds its loudest alarm yet, ETC Group warns that some OECD states, led by the United States, are betting on a pie-in-the-sky techno-fix to address climate change. “Geoengineering” refers to the intentional, large-scale manipulation of the environment to bring about environmental change. With no hope for Kyoto, little political will to ask industry or... Read More
Categories: Biodiversity & Genetic Resources, FAO, Geoengineering, Nanotechnology, Other New Technologies, Public / Private Relations
Date: Feb 01, 2007
Language: English
Gambling with Gaia
Download PDF (768 KB) - about 137 seconds on a 56k modemETC Communiqué
Issue # 93
January 2007
Gambling with Gaia
With hopes for Kyoto dimming, some governments may conclude that
massive earth restructuring is the only feasible way out
Issue: Kyoto is fading and carbon trading is a farce. Recognizing this, OECD states can either “bite the bullet” and adopt socially-responsible policies to dramatically cut fossil fuel use and useless consumption or, they can hope for a... Read More
Categories: BANG/Convergence, Biodiversity & Genetic Resources, Biological Warfare, Biotechnology, Corporate Concentration, Geoengineering, Human Genomics, Human Rights / Farmers' Rights, Intellectual Property & Patents, Nanotechnology, "New Enclosures", Other New Technologies, Public / Private Relations, Synthetic Biology
Date: Jan 24, 2007
Language: English
Winners of Nano-Hazard Symbol Contest Announced at World Social Forum
Download PDF (219 KB) - about 39 seconds on a 56k modemETC Group
News Release
Wednesday, 24 January 2007
www.etcgroup.org
Winners of Nano-Hazard Symbol Contest Announced at World Social Forum, Nairobi, Kenya
An estimated 30,000 people gathered at the World Social Forum in Nairobi this week where participants had a chance to vote for their favorite Nano-Hazard Symbol – a design that warns of the presence of engineered nanomaterials (1 nanometer = 1 billionth of a meter).
The winners of the international graphic design competition were announced today. The winning designs were submitted by: Dimitris Deligiannis (Greece), Shirley Gibson (Scotland), and Kypros Kyprianou (England).
“Tiny tech is no small matter – there was intense competition to design a nano-hazard symbol, and enormous... Read More
Categories: Nanotechnology
Date: Jan 16, 2007
Language: English
Extreme Genetic Engineering: An Introduction to Synthetic Biology
Download PDF (1,005 KB) - about 179 seconds on a 56k modemNews Release
ETC Group
January 16, 2007
www.etcgroup.org
Extreme Genetic Engineering: ETC Group Releases Report on Synthetic Biology
Findings to be presented at World Social Forum in Nairobi - 20-25 January
A new report by the ETC Group concludes that the social, environmental and bio-weapons threats of synthetic biology surpass the possible dangers and abuses of biotech. The full text of the 70-page report, Extreme Genetic Engineering: An... Read More
Categories: BANG/Convergence, Biodiversity & Genetic Resources, Biological Warfare, Biopiracy, Biotechnology, Intellectual Property & Patents, Nanotechnology, Other New Technologies, Synthetic Biology
Date: Jan 10, 2007
Language: English
First Round of Nano-Hazard Symbol Contest Ends; ETC Group Takes Finalists to the World Social Forum, Nairobi, Kenya, 20-25 January
Download PDF (134 KB) - about 24 seconds on a 56k modemETC Group
News Release
Wednesday, 10 January 2007
www.etcgroup.org
First Round of Nano-Hazard Symbol Contest Ends; ETC Group Takes Finalists to the World Social Forum, Nairobi, Kenya, 20-25 January
Hundreds of people from all over the globe participated in ETC Group's competition to design a Nano-Hazard Symbol that warns of the presence of engineered nanomaterials. The winning design will be submitted to international standard-setting bodies responsible for hazard characterisation and could be used as a label on product-packaging or workroom walls. After three full months of activity, the first round of the contest ended January 8. (More information on the competition, along with the list of judges, can be found here: http://www.etcgroup.org/nanohazard )
"The response to the Nano-Hazard Symbol competition has been overwhelming, and we're grateful for the... Read More
Categories: BANG/Convergence, Nanotechnology
Date: Oct 18, 2006
Language: English
Clean-up -- Clam-up -- Screw-up? EPA's Nanotech Regs: Ironic Parameters
Download PDF (158 KB) - about 28 seconds on a 56k modemNews Release
ETC Group
18 October 2006
www.etcgroup.org
EPA’s Nanotech Regs: Ironic Parameters
Clean-up – Clam-up – Screw-up?
During summer vacation, the lead US environmental regulatory agency acknowledged it has approved at least 15 novel nano-scale chemicals. Earlier this year EPA sanctioned the unproven use of iron nanoparticles to clean up a pesticide dump. Hearings this week.
Hard on the heels of a US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) commitment to consult openly and widely on the development of a regulatory approach to nanotechnology, the government has given the green light to introduce more than 15 novel, nano-formulated chemicals. Additionally, the EPA itself is experimentally testing iron nanoparticles to clean up groundwater in “Superfund” toxic dumps in a number of locations. The composition of the... Read More
Categories: Intellectual Property & Patents, Nanotechnology, Public / Private Relations
Date: Sep 12, 2006
Language: English
Nanotech Rx-Medical applications of Nano-scale technologies: What Impact on Marginalized communities?
Download PDF (1 MB) - about 188 seconds on a 56k modemNanotech Rx
Medical applications of Nano-scale technologies: What Impact on Marginalized communities?Issue: Medical applications of nano-scale technologies have the potential to revolutionize healthcare by delivering powerful tools for diagnosing and treating disease at the molecular level. But the current zeal for nano-enabled
medicines could divert scarce medical R&D funds away from essential health services and direct resources away from non-medical aspects of community health and wellbeing. Although nanomedicine is being touted as a solution to pressing health needs in the global South, it is being driven from the North and is designed primarily for wealthy markets. Using nano-scale... Read More
Categories: BANG/Convergence, Biotechnology, Corporate Concentration, Human Genomics, Intellectual Property & Patents, Nanotechnology, Other New Technologies, Synthetic Biology
Date: May 18, 2006
Language: English
Synthetic Biology - Global Societal Review Urgent!
Download PDF (102 KB) - about 18 seconds on a 56k modem19th May 2006 NEWS RELEASE
Global Coalition Sounds the Alarm on Synthetic Biology,
Demands Oversight and Societal Debate
Today, a coalition of thirty-eight international organizations including scientists, environmentalists, trade unionists, biowarfare experts and social justice advocates called for inclusive public debate, regulation and oversight of the rapidly advancing field of synthetic biology - the construction of unique and novel artificial life forms to perform specific tasks. Synthetic biologists are meeting this weekend in Berkeley, California where they plan to announce a voluntary code of self-regulation for their work (1). The organizations signing the Open Letter are calling on synthetic biologists to abandon their proposals for self-governance and to engage in an inclusive process of global societal debate on the implications of their work (see attached Open Letter).
... Read MoreCategories: Biodiversity & Genetic Resources, Biological Warfare, Biotechnology, Corporate Concentration, Human Genomics, Human Rights / Farmers' Rights, Intellectual Property & Patents, Nanotechnology, "New Enclosures", Public / Private Relations, Synthetic Biology
Date: May 17, 2006
Language: English
Backgrounder: Open Letter on Synthetic Biology
Download PDF (148 KB) - about 26 seconds on a 56k modemBackground Document
Synthetic Biology - Global Societal Review Urgent!
Synthetic biology (the attempt to create artificial living organisms) should be self-regulated say scientists at Berkeley assembly. Civil Society organizations say "No!"
"If biologists are indeed on the threshold of synthesizing new life forms, the scope for abuse or inadvertent disaster could be huge." Nature, October 2004
Scientists working at the interface of engineering and biology - in the new field of "synthetic biology" - worry that public distrust of biotechnology could impede their research or draw attention to regulatory chasms. Synthetic biologists are trying to design and construct artificial living systems to perform specific tasks, such as producing pharmaceutical compounds or energy. In October 2004, the journal... Read More
Categories: Biodiversity & Genetic Resources, Biological Warfare, Biotechnology, Corporate Concentration, Cultural Diversity, Human Genomics, Human Rights / Farmers' Rights, Intellectual Property & Patents, Nanotechnology, "New Enclosures", Synthetic Biology
Date: Apr 06, 2006
Language: English
Nanotech Product Recall Underscores Need for Nanotech Moratorium: Is the Magic Gone?
Download PDF (130 KB) - about 23 seconds on a 56k modemNews Release
ETC Group
April 7, 2006
www.etcgroup.org
Nanotech Product Recall Underscores Need for Nanotech Moratorium: Is the Magic Gone?
ETC Group today renewed its 2003 call for a global moratorium on nanotech lab research and a recall of consumer products containing engineered nanoparticles. There is particular urgency for those products that are ingested, applied to the body or released in the environment. The need for action is underscored following the decision by German authorities to recall a nanotech bathroom cleaner, "Magic Nano" - purportedly a product of nanotechnology. At least 77 people reported respiratory problems in late March after using the product. Six people were hospitalized but later released when their respiratory distress faded.(1) The company marketing "Magic Nano" is Kleinmann GmbH, a German subsidiary of Illinois... Read More
Categories: Nanotechnology
Date: Mar 29, 2006
Language: English
Captain Hook Awards for Biopiracy 2006
Download PDF (176 KB) - about 31 seconds on a 56k modemThe Coalition Against Biopiracy exposed the globe's nastiest biopirates and rewarded the most steadfast resistors at the Captain Hook Awards on 24 March during the meeting of the 8th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity in Curitiba, Brazil. This ETC Group Communique provides a detailed description of the 2006 award winners.
Categories: Biopiracy, CGIAR, Biodiversity & Genetic Resources, Cultural Diversity, Human Rights / Farmers' Rights, Terminator & Traitor, Biotechnology, Human Genomics, Nanotechnology, Corporate Concentration, Intellectual Property & Patents, "New Enclosures", Public / Private Relations