Nanotechnology
Nanotechnology may become the most influential force in the world since the emergence of the World Wide Web. It may end world hunger, increase the speed of memory chips, modify the human body or become a devastating weapon. This guide explores what nanotechnology is, how researchers are hoping to use it and what the critics are saying about the consequences of using this potentially world-changing technology.
Expand All Guide SectionsWhat Is Nanotechnology?
The most concise and consistent definition of nanotechnology is “the development of atomic, molecular, or microscopic technology under 100 nanometers.” Bearing in mind that a nano is 1 billionth, or 10−9, you just know we’re talking teensy.
Dulcinea's Insight
- If you’re not exactly sure what nanotechnology is, you’re not alone. The definition varies depending on who is talking, their discipline, their goals or the scientific establishment they represent.
- At the nanometer scale, everyday materials start to act in unimaginable ways. It has been described as if the periodic table projected into a new dimension. By changing the size of each element, we can thereby change their behavior.
- Nano comes from the Latin nanus, meaning dwarf.
Dulcinea's Picks
Google Definition Search
turns up more than 25 definitions for nanotechnology, a number of which actually contradict each other. These definitions come from universities, medical institutes, governmental offices and technology companies. Usually the discrepancies involve whether we’re talking exclusively about single atoms, or including molecules or sub-atomic particles.
BBC News
has prepared a captioned slideshow, “Building the future from the bottom up,” that provides an illustrated overview of nanotechnology in nine easy clicks.
KQED’s
“Quest” science education series presents “Nanotechnology Takes Off,” a 10-minute video that introduces a positive view of this emerging science’s promises.
The Uses of Nanotechnology
For something so small, the implications and breadth of the uses of nanotechnology are vast, ... read more »
Nanotechnology Ethics
Whenever a new technology comes along, people tend to align themselves into a strictly polarized ... read more »
Speculations about Nanotechnology in Fact and Fiction
Not long ago, technology on a very, very tiny scale was merely the province of science fiction. ... read more »
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