Very sad to read that Richard Smalley has died at the age of 62 from Lukemia. (news article)

He shared the Nobel Prize for the discovery of Buckminsterfullerene, the atomic geodesic sphere that has led to the creation of carbon nanotubes, the stuff that is poised to revolutionize everything from batteries to solar cells to display technology to nanoelectronics.

I'd just recently come across his debate with Eric Drexler (author of 'The Engines of Creation' which kicked off much of the current interest in nanotech). Smalley raised some fundamental problems with the hand-waving being done around the concept of molecular nano-assembly. DNA uses water as a key medium to do it's version of self-assembly, a universal solvent which has some amazing properties that are fundamental to being able to build organic molecular structures, and also presents big problems when trying to build things that include metal in them. Really interesting stuff:Nanotechnology: the case for and against 'molecular assemblers'. Raymond Kurzweil's commentary provides some great background info.

Smalley was also championing the development of solar power to revolutionize the energy industry: article, Stirling Engines,website. He gave a great speech on the topic recently at Columbia University. It's available online at http://smalley.rice.edu/. It was the best, most coherent vision I've seen presented of what we need to do over the next 20 years in order to re-invent the world in a very postive way.

A very remarkable man. He will certainly be missed.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: DIT,

Gone to meet the great grey goo in the sky.