The Washington Post reports on the increasing problem facing nano-scale researchers and the nanotechnology "industry" as a whole, a lack of any real scientific or industry taxonomy to describe products. Without an intelligent and consistent taxonomy to describe new materials, products and companies, the nanotechnology industry risks confusing investors and attracting unwanted attention of government regulators.

"Now scientists are tackling the difficult process of creating one. The effort is young; experts are just now organizing a series of conferences to hammer out a system. But the process offers an unusual peek into the arcane world in which chemists decide how to categorize the tangled skeins of new knowledge.

Colvin hopes to receive funding to begin a series of nano nomenclature meetings this August and expects it could take as long as two years to get a solid framework. These meetings will include biologists, environmental scientists and others, reflecting the many potential applications for nanoproducts....In some cases, existing terms may suffice. In others, words may have to be invented, experts said."