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 The Innovation Law, which aims to create a culture of technological development within the industry and allow its survival in a highly competitive international scenario, has just reached Congress. The bill, which according to federal deputy Nárcio Rodrigues, president of the Chamber's Science and Technology Committee, should only be voted on in 2003, also makes the mobility of researchers linked to public institutions more flexible and encourages the formation of technology-based companies. If approved, the law will reverse a historical distortion: that which gives research institutions the exclusive responsibility for generating technological innovation. Pages 6 and 7
| Technology per billionth of a meter |
Nanotechnology, an area of science dedicated to manipulating matter on a scale equivalent to 1 billionth of a meter, is still new in Brazil, but it already opens up perspectives that would have been unimaginable just a few decades ago. In ten years, physicist Cylon Gonçalves da Silva calculates, a person will be able to take a capsule containing sensors of insignificant size, but which will be capable of carrying out a complete clinical assessment of their body. At Unicamp, a computer-controlled robotic manipulator is already being built for minimally invasive surgeries or those performed remotely. Pages 2 and 3 |
 GEOSCIENCES
The science that was done in the 18th century
A book by Clarete Paranhos da Silva, from the Geosciences Institute, tells the story of a mineralogist who explored Minas Gerais during colonial Brazil. Page 12 |
 SUSTAINABILITY
A clean oil instead of diesel
Nipe researchers transform agro-industrial waste into clean fuel that can replace diesel and can also be used in the food industry. Page 4 |
 The sugar that chicory has in its root
Juliana Leite (photo below) helps in the development of a new technique to extract inulin from chicory, a very low-calorie substance with the properties of sugar.Page 3 |
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