The technological advance in the development of microprocessors for computer and electronic use occurs at an exponential rate, following the so-called Moore’s Law, which states that circuit density doubles roughly every two years. Gordon Moore was the co-founder of Intel. Thus, a single microprocessor or silicon chip which assumes an area the size of a fingernail can now accommodate an enormous number of 2.9 billion transistors! Each of these tiny transistors is capable of switching “on and off” about 300 billion times a second, thus providing a binary code of “zeroes and ones,” the basic language of computers.

But the shrinking of the transistor is believed to be approaching the fundamental physical limits. Thus, electronic engineers and physicists are exploring new ways of further shrinking circuitry — down to the atomic and molecular structure. With the advances in nanotechnology, it is now possible to create nanocircuits with the use of silicon or carbon “nanowires.”

The Bureau of Agricultural Research (BAR) has confirmed the viability of several varieties of peanuts from the India-based International Crop Research Institute for the Semi Arid Tropics (ICRISAT).

BAR said the potential peanut breeding lines were identified through the project “Field Testing of ICRISAT Legume Varieties and Technologies in Selected Regions in the Philippines.”

These legume varieties were found to be capable of adapting to Philippine climatic conditions and could be developed and propagated commercially.

The five peanut germplasms and breeding lines or selections confirmed to be suitable under local conditions were UPLB Pn 10, NSIC Pn 11 and Pn 14 or the Namnamas, NSIC Pn 12 or Ilocos Pink and recently the Asha peanut or NSIC Pn 15.