Profile: Naomi Halas
Naomi Halas is a pioneering nanotechnologist bent on seeing practical applications for her work—and soon.
(This video is no longer available for streaming.) Nanotechnologist Naomi Halas of Rice University has invented tiny structures called "gold nanoshells," which may someday help treat tumors. Halas tunes the nanoparticles to absorb a specific wavelength of light that passes harmlessly through the human body. When that light hits the injested nanoshells, they grow hot enough to burn away targeted nearby tissue such as a tumor.