It’s about the science that’s moving tech forward; if you know the challenges and opportunities on the scientific side, you know where to put your money on the market side.

Learn what one of the world's top scientist has to say about thin film photovoltaics and what you can expect in coming years.

This is what I continually harp on: Nanotech isn’t just one thing; it’s an enabling technology that has the ability to change the way we do almost everything, from the mundane to the esoteric.

Although most penny stocks are best avoided, there’s one I’ve been following for some time—Industrial Nanotech. I really think it has a unique product and a good business plan.

The major press was all over a study that came out a couple weeks ago observing carbon nanotubes and C60 buckyballs (or fullerenes) to have potential carcinogenic pathologies.

There were two significant stories in nano-land recently that put the “now” and “future” for nanotech into clearer focus.

Six years ago, I gave a keynote speech at the first IBF Nanotechnology Investing Forum (NIF) in Palm Springs, Calif., in which I gave my vision for the future of nanotechnology. My message was simple, “There is not, and there never will be, a nanotechnology industry.”

This is the kind of market that makes it clear why you want to diversify your holdings, even within a sector. Although there’s no doubt that my Big Dogs and Pioneers haven’t escaped without a good tossing about, it’s also a fact that some of them have been strong relative outperformers.

When people talk about “fake goods,” most people’s first thoughts turn to the markets in China, where you can pick up very cheap copies of branded handbags. However, the other side of counterfeiting is much scarier, and the consequences can be much more severe than a fake watch for sale.

The following originally appeared in my complementary e-zine, Nanotech Investor News.