September 28, 2003: Nanotechnology - Douglas Mulhall

Art Bell reports on breaking news including Italy's nationwide blackout blamed on a single fallen tree, the fracturing of the Arctic's Ward Hunt ice shelf, and a remarkable quote from Defense Secretary William Cohen about electromagnetic weapons capable of altering climate and triggering earthquakes remotely. Australia's worsening drought linked to ozone depletion and a shrinking polar vortex also draws attention.

Author Douglas Mulhall joins from the Bahamas to explain how nanotechnology is already transforming everyday life through stain-resistant fabrics, longer-lasting tennis balls, and invisible zinc oxide sunscreens. He describes how carbon nanotubes, with 30 times the tensile strength of steel, have made a space elevator feasible at a fraction of current launch costs. Mulhall reveals that manufactured diamonds indistinguishable from mined stones are now being produced cheaply, promising computing speeds 100 times faster than silicon processors.

The conversation turns to nanomedicine, where gold nanotubes coated with antibodies already perform rapid blood diagnostics. Mulhall discusses the discovery of nanobacteria, a mysterious pathogen smaller than any known bacterium that forms calcium shells and may trigger heart disease, and explains how existing drugs like tetracycline can destroy it.