SAFETY

Amidst worries about the possible health dangers of nanomaterials, researchers at Rice University's Center for Biological and Environmental Nanotechnology have found a way to alter the toxicity of buckyballs, large soccer-ball-shaped carbon molecules that are among nanotech's most promising materials. The researchers report that changes to the surfaces of the buckyballs modify their toxic effects on cells. The executive director of the lab, Kevin Ausman, says the preliminary studies indicate that buckyballs should be "studied in more detail."

RESEARCH