Scientists conducting pre-clinical trials have shown that tiny nanotubes, heated up with radio waves, can destroy cancer cells while leaving healthy cells relatively unharmed. The tests, performed in rabbits, showed that the radio-nanotube technique fries the cancer completely, and without side effects.

The next trick, according to the group, is figuring out how to deliver those nanotubes to the right spot. They need to ensure that they attach to tumor cells, and not the healthy kind. The scientists suggest that clinical trials of the technique, a continuation of work begun by nanotech pioneer Richard Smalley before his 2005 death, are at least three years away.—Gregory Mone

In February, researchers at UCLA announced a clash of the titans, biochemically speaking: They turned one of the great scourges of humankind—HIV—into a hunter of another: cancer. In tests on mice afflicted with metastatic melanoma, a modified strain of HIV invaded cancer cells without infecting the rodents with AIDS.

What effect do telomeres have on the aging process?

Robert Stegall

Jacksonville, Fla.





Researchers have discovered what some consider to be a pathway toward halting the physical decline that occurs as we age. The tantalizing possibility involves telomeres, bits of buffer DNA that don't contain genes, and that play a role in the aging process.