Nanotechnology: Myth and Reality
Jennifer Hollingsworth Do you use nanotechnology in your daily life? You might be surprised to learn that there are already almost 600 nanotechnology products on the market, including cosmetics, sunscreens, clothing, electronics, home furnishings, and sports equipment. But, what is nanotechnology? It is simply the ability to measure, see, manipulate, and manufacture things between 1 and 100 nanometers in size, where one nanometer (nm) is 10-9 meters or 1/100,000 the width of a human hair. In other words, the change in scale in going from a nano-sized ball to a softball is equivalent to that in going from the softball to a ball the size of the moon. Some view nanotechnology as the driver of a new industrial revolution that will make use of the unique and important properties that arise as materials are shrunk to the nanoscale. Such proponents of nanotechnology believe that it can be used to solve the energy and biomedical crises that plague 21st century humanity. Others focus on the risks associated with making and using nanoscale materials. One fear – popular in science fiction literature – is that nanotechnology may lead to the “grey goo” revolution in which out-of-control self-replicating nano-robots consume all living matter on Earth. This Café will explore the current reality of nanotechnology that lies somewhere between these two extremes of ultimate promise and ultimate doom.
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