Nanotechnology pluses and minuses
An array of tiny nano-scale metal needles that can draw blood for glucose monitoring or other diagnostic tests with less pain than a conventional needle (shown in foreground for comparison.) (Image courtesy S. P. Davis, M. R. Prausnitz, M. G. Allen, Georgia Institute of Technology, NSF)
Nanotechnology has applications in many different areas critical to 21st century challenges. Think of keeping our water pure, of growing food for Earth’s burgeoning population, of computers, medicine, energy and the protection of the environment. Nanotechnology will impact them all.
And yet, as with all new technologies, there’s a need to understand nanotechnology and control its potential to cause harm. Some nanoparticles might be toxic to the human body and/or the environment. Some people worry about nanotechnology’s potential to lead to a loss of privacy.
Christine Peterson: It is very hard for the average informed person to figure out which of the concerns that you hear about with respect to nanotechnology are real and serious and ones that you’re going to see in our lifetimes, and which ones are so speculative that we don’t really need to think about those.
That’s Christine Peterson, Vice President for Public Policy at the Foresight Nanotech Institute.
Christine Peterson: _ The funny thing is that if you look far enough into where nanotechnology is going, you do end up with things that sound pretty wild. To me, I believe, that stuff is probably true. I think they’re plausible. I think they’re very plausible._
Thanks today to the National Science Foundation.
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