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.
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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, ranging from curing cancer to feeding the Earth. It may be thought of as truly harnessing the atom for the better, though some debate that.
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- Nanotechnology has a number of interesting potential applications in areas such as:
- Medicine: Things behave differently at the nanoscale. An excellent example is the fact that gold (which looks yellow at our “normal” scale) actually reflects red light at the nanoscale. This has resulted in the design of experimental systems that kill cancerous cells with normal visible light, but leave normal cells unharmed. Also, body tissue can be reproduced or repaired using nanotechnology, which could eventually develop into treatments to replace or repair organs.
- Energy: Nanotechnology could be harnessed to consume extremely low amounts of energy, making it a vital alternative to current methods of supplying power.
- Textiles: Nanotech is already at use in consumer products ranging from stain-resistant and anti-wrinkle textiles in clothing, to cosmetics. If keeping clothes clean isn’t enough, ‘smart clothing’ could monitor your heart rate and other vital signs.
- Filtration: The relationship between the volume and surface area of some particles can change at nanoscales in such a manner that they can end up with more ‘outside’ than ‘inside’. (If you’re a “Dr. Who” fan, think of it as the opposite of a TARDIS.) The advantage is that the more surface you have, the more reactions you can have on that surface. This can allow new kinds of filtering, such as water for drinking or light for solar energy.
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ConsumerReports.org
weighs the benefits and risks of nanotechnology in products that you’re likely to encounter or use within the next few years.
HowStuffWorks
provides a simple overview of the pragmatic concepts and uses of nanotech. The article is hardly comprehensive, but is worthwhile for providing an idea of where this science is taking us.
Nanoscale Informal Science Education (NISE) Network
describes itself as a national community of researchers and informal science educators dedicated to fostering public awareness, engagement and understanding of nanoscale science, engineering and technology. While most of their information is intended for educators and researchers, be sure to check out SmallTalk, their series of five podcasts featuring interviews with scientists, artists and writers talking about nanotech, and the Nano Media Finder from Boston’s Museum of Science for links to news, games, film and artistic imagery.
Nanotechnology Ethics
Whenever a new technology comes along, people tend to align themselves into a strictly polarized ‘for’ or ‘against’ attitude. Careful weaving through the Web can help you separate the cheerleaders from the Cassandras, and provide you with a balanced, if not diverse, view of the issues.
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- Nothing is as simple as it seems. When biofuels were seen as a clean alternative to fossil fuels, little attention was initially paid to the ecological hazards of growing huge crops in particular environments.
- In December of 2006, the city of Berkeley, California, amended its hazardous materials law to include nanoparticles. More recently, the EPA has required that all products containing nanotechnology for antibacterial purposes must have applied for registration by March 21, 2008. As the technology develops, expect more debate and legislation on this issue.
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For the ethics of nanotechnology …
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)
is concerned about such issues as a “knowledge divide” between industrial and developing nations, as so often occurs with bleeding edge technologies. This excellent report also raises questions about nanotech’s health and environmental implications, and how to determine which ethical issues have serious ramifications and which are frivolous, such as the “grey goo” scenario.
Ethical Issues in Nanotechnology
from philosopher-ethicist Chris MacDonald provides an excellent directory of links to online articles around the Web. Best of all is a page of summaries and annotations on some available articles.
Center for Responsible Nanotechnology
is an advocacy think tank concerned with the major societal and environmental implications of advanced nanotechnology.
For a blog on the potential consequences of nanotechnology …
Switchboard
is a blog that often deals with the dark side of tiny tech, written by Jennifer Sass, a senior scientist with the activist organization Natural Resources Defense Council. You may also want to hear her on the Leonard Lopate Radio Show in October, 2007 discussing the issues of using nanosilver as an antibacterial substance.
Speculations about Nanotechnology in Fact and Fiction
Not long ago, technology on a very, very tiny scale was merely the province of science fiction. We’ve come a long way since Fantastic Voyage and similar odysseys, and the scientists weaned on those ideas have begun another kind of voyage to bring such concepts into reality: nanotechnology. You won’t have to visit Whoville to find out what’s big in small things—this guide will help you make sense of what’s being put under the microscope.
Dulcinea's Insight
- The concepts behind nanotechnology are not all that new. Colors in the stained glass of old cathedrals are the result of controlled heating and cooling that adjust the size of tiny crystals in the glass.
- No sooner than a technology is conceived are glistening futures and doomsday scenarios concocted to suit various agendas.
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Plenty of Room at the Bottom
is a 1959 lecture by physicist Richard P. Feynman that helped lay the groundwork for the possibility of directly manipulating individual atoms for chemical synthesis, and even the concept of a tiny robot that could be swallowed to perform surgery.
Wired
has an article, “Why the future doesn’t need us,” by computer pioneer Bill Joy that postulates that nanotechnologies, robotics and genetic engineering can make humans an endangered species.
Nanotechnology in Science Fiction
is a directory of science fiction media that uses nanotechnology as a theme or plot element. It’s somewhat incomplete and out-of-date, but a good start nevertheless.
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