Nanoparticles Can Damage DNA Without Crossing Cellular Barrier. Scientists know that nanoparticles can damage DNA in cells through direct interaction.
Now, though, it appears that nanoparticles can also mess with DNA on the far side of a cellular barrier, by creating signaling molecules -- a never-before-seen phenomenon.
Realization that indirect exposure might matter as much as direct exposure suggests greater caution in deploying nanoparticles within the human body -- especially after the recent report of the first nanotech deaths from environmental exposure in China.
