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Nanocosmetics Used Since Ancient Egypt

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the lead-good-for-the-skin dept.

Roland Piquepaille writes "French researchers have found that Egyptians, Greek and Romans were using nanotechnology to dye their hair several thousands years ago. Nanowerk Spotlight reports they were using lead compounds which generated lead sulfide (PbS) nanocrystals with a diameter of only 5 nanometers. At a moment where many people wonder if the use of nanoparticles is safe, it's good to know that nanotechnology has been widely used for a very long time."

14 of 252 comments (clear)

  1. Using "nanotechnology" to dye your hair... by daveschroeder · · Score: 5, Insightful

    ...is hardly the same as using nanotechnology to repair your brain or otherwise ingest.

    And aside from that, I'd hardly call this "nanotechnology" just because a hair dye process deemed effective by ancient Egyptians coincidentally happened to generate particle small enough to meet the definition of "nanoparticle".

    Additionally, this is yet another questionable Roland Piquepaille submission.

    1. Re:Using "nanotechnology" to dye your hair... by LewsKinslayer · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Agreed. If this is what nanotechnology has come to mean, then we need to abandon the word entirely, and move on to a new one. When I think of nanotechnology I think of molecular manufacturing, and Fullerene nanogears, you know, the sort of nanotechnology that actually moves around and does stuff.

    2. Re:Using "nanotechnology" to dye your hair... by catwh0re · · Score: 3, Insightful
      I'd take point with this line: "At a moment where many people wonder if the use of nanoparticles is safe, it's good to know that nanotechnology has been widely used for a very long time."

      Taking safety cues from an era where we have evidence that the average life span was about 30 years isn't giving me any additional confidence in nanotechnology, and worries me somewhat that someone would even suggest this over modern scientific method. Not to forget that we don't have nearly enough information about the ancients to satisfy any scientific enquiry into nanotechnology. What we know so far about the ancients isn't indicative of life-longevity.

  2. Not exactly a ringing endorsement... by TripMaster+Monkey · · Score: 4, Insightful

    At a moment where many people wonder if the use of nanoparticles is safe, it's good to know that nanotechnology has been widely used for a very long time.


    Well...humans have done other things for a long time that were none too healthy. A few examples:
    • Smoking was thought to be harmless....doctors used to smoke.
    • People used to eat and drink from pewter vessels.
    • People used to use asbestos as insulation.
    • (etc. etc. etc.)


    So just because people used to do something for a long time doesn't necessarily make it harmless.
    --
    ____

    ~ |rip/\/\aster /\/\onkey

    1. Re:Not exactly a ringing endorsement... by drinkypoo · · Score: 3, Insightful

      But smoking isn't actually ALL that bad for you if you don't do it like a chimney, and especially if you're not smoking things that have had carcinogens fucking added to them. Excuse me, no, I don't need any arsenic added to my tobacco. Besides, there's things to smoke other than tobacco :P

      Pewter, okay, bad idea :)

      But asbestos is still used as insulation! Just not in buildings. And it's still used to make brake pads. The idea was not a bad one, but the way it was implemented was terrible.

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
  3. Safety by evanbd · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Huh? I'm pretty sure the Egyptians didn't do a lot of work to decide if it was safe. The lead used would be unsafe regardless of the nanoparticulate nature of the compound. Lead was used in lots of other ways through history, too. That doesn't make it safe.

  4. Good point... by Error27 · · Score: 4, Insightful

    At a moment where many people wonder if the use of nanoparticles is safe, it's good to know that nanotechnology has been widely used for a very long time.

    Rubbing your head with lead sulfide definitely sounds safe enough, I guess that proves that nothing can go wrong with using technology.

  5. Are you kidding? by bshort404 · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Without a doubt, this is the worst post ever.

    The Egyptians used nano-particles? There's a world of difference between a very small mineral grain and a synthesized nano-bot.

    Get a clue.

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    -B
  6. It's a friggin *lead* compound... by comingstorm · · Score: 5, Insightful
    ... plus, it's very finely divided, which makes it much more active than the big chunks of lead that we avoid because they cause brain damage.

    In general, any "nanotechnology" that isn't encapsulated will have this problem; a very large specific surface area can make things hazardous even if the substance is otherwise chemically inert.

    And I'll second parent's assertion that it's not actually nanotechnology; it's friggin' chemistry. When you can program it, or it can reproduce, *then* you can call it genuine nanotech; not before.

  7. Not so... by teutonic_leech · · Score: 3, Insightful

    When do people get this into their thick heads: Correlation does not equal causation. I know this might not be the best application for quoting this, but the fact that nano particles were 'accidentally' used does not make this 'nanotechnology'. Yet another attempt to hype this new term and in the process completely obfuscate and dilute its true meaning. Nanotechnology is the science and technology of building devices, such as electronic circuits, from single atoms and molecules. I'm fairly certain the ancient Egyptians were a few steps behind that technological achievement. I'm even miffed when they call microparticles (e.g. sunscreens, lubricants, etc.) a result of 'nanotechnology' - it's a grayzone yes, but we should keep our definitions in check.

  8. Q and A by rs79 · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Q: "When, exactly, did Slashdot become so retarded?"

    A: During the Bush admistrations war on science, reason, morals and ethics.

    --
    Need Mercedes parts ?
  9. what a crap write up by circletimessquare · · Score: 4, Insightful

    calling what the ancient egyptians were doing with PbS "nanotechnology" is like saying me popping my zits is "ecosystem terraforming"

    "At a moment where many people wonder if the use of nanoparticles is safe, it's good to know that nanotechnology has been widely used for a very long time"

    oh yeah! i just farted! therefore, global warming isn't a threat to mankind!

    that's about the same level of logical deduction there dear author!

    who wrote this crap and who greenlighted it?

    --
    intellectual property law is philosophically incoherent. it is your moral duty to ignore it or sabotage it
  10. Re:Ancient Romans also used lead pipes by Chaffar · · Score: 3, Insightful
    Ancient Romans also used lead pipes
    We know what the Romans would do with lead pipes if they were still around right now - they'd beat the living sh*t out a certain submitter with a history of drawing erroneous conclusions based on distorted facts.
  11. Long history of stupid uses of toxic chemicals by smellsofbikes · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Romans and Greeks used lead paints to make their faces white. After the fall of Rome, people selectively poisoned themselves with arsenic to make themselves look paler. And, given the health impacts of stuff like silicosis and asbestos damage, both of which are related to particle size and shape, I'd say that any small particle had better be eyed pretty warily by anyone with brains, no matter what idiots in the past have done with it.

    --
    Nostalgia's not what it used to be.