A Random Man in Nano-land

The Ethics of Human Enhancement

2009-09-07T01:41:00.000-07:00

Here is a new report on the ethics of human enhancement called "Ethics of Human Enhancement: 25 Questions & Answers". The report was released by the US National Science Foundation.

This is timely, given that I am soon going to a talk given by Julian Savulescu called "Unfit for Life: Genetically Enhance Humanity or Face Extinction". I will have to get a question ready for him. Stay tuned for the answer.

It starts with a section looking at the definitions and distinctions of enhancement (e.g. natural/artificial; internal/external; or therapy/enhancement distinctions). It then examines different contexts and scenarios; Freedom and Autonomy; Fairness and Equity; Societal Disruptions; Human Dignity and the Good Life; Rights and Obligations; and Policy and Law.

I sounds great, so I will have to have a more thorough read of the report (tonight.) I will write another post on the subject, once I have been to the lecture.

**If you enjoyed this post, please check out:

Overview of Biopolitics

What is nanotechnology?

History of nanotechnology

Nanotechnology - risks and benefits

Nanotechnology and Climate Change

UK and US attitudes to nanotechnology

Nanotechnology - more information

COMMENTS ALWAYS WELCOME !!

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So please, tell us what you think.

Environmental Nanotechnology: Predicting the Interaction of Artificial Nanoparticles with Natural Environments

2009-07-28T01:19:00.000-07:00

CSIRO scientist Dr Amanda Barnard has been awarded the prestigious Mercedes-Benz Environmental Research Award at the 21st annual Banksia Foundation Awards, held on Friday evening, 24 July 2009. Below is some information on her work on nanotechnology.

Dr. Amanda Barnard, CSIRO

Environmental Nanotechnology: Predicting the Interaction of Artificial Nanoparticles with Natural Environments

As we search for solutions to our future energy needs, carbon emissions, global warming, industrial toxins, and disease, it is clear that keeping the balance between technological development and environmental protection has never been harder.

Nanoscale materials, only millionths of a millimetre in size, may offer solutions to our biggest problems. However, care is needed as these new ‘nanoparticles’ are largely untested, are (literally) unique on an atomic scale, and we have little or no historical data to guide assumptions regarding the possible risks.

Using highly accurate supercomputer simulations, Dr Amanda Barnard's research focuses on predicting the environmental stability of nanoparticles, to understand how these tiny artificial pieces of matter interact with natural ecosystems.

Dr Amanda Barnard is an internationally renowned scientist, with many years experience in predicting the properties of dozens of different nanoparticles. Her ground-breaking theoretical models can see a path through the complexity of this problem, and investigate situations that experiments cannot.

As more and more nanoparticles are produced in laboratories, and introduced into everyday products, Dr Barnard’s predictive model will be in great demand, but priority number one is to understand what happens when nanoparticles are exposed to our most precious resources, air and water.

Source

** If you enjoyed this post please also check out:

What is nanotechnology?

History of nanotechnology

Nanotechnology - risks and benefits

Nanotechnology and Climate Change

UK and US attitudes to nanotechnology

Nanotechnology - more information

COMMENTS ALWAYS WELCOME !!

.
So please, tell us what you think.

Overview of Biopolitics

2009-04-15T05:28:00.000-07:00

Check out the link below for a brief overview of Biopolitics from the Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies: Promoting the Ethical Use of Technology to Enhance Human Capabilities or IEET for short.

Find out about 'Libertarian Transhumanists', 'Technoprogressives', 'Left-wing Bioconservatives' and 'Right-wing Bioconservatives' here.

It also has some papers on some interesting toipics:

Postgenderism: Beyond the Gender Binary (IEET White Paper 03) by George Dvorsky, Mar 2008

In Praise of Bio-Happiness (IEET White Paper 02) by Mark Walker, Dec 2006

All Together Now (IEET White Paper 01) by George Dvorsky, Jul 2006

Also it has a link to the Journal of Evolution and Technology (JET).

Which it describes as:

"a scholarly peer-reviewed journal published by the IEET. JET welcomes submissions on subject matters that many mainstream journals shun as too speculative, radical, or interdisciplinary on all issues relating to the future prospects of the human species and its descendants. Since its inception in 1998, JET has had five editors-in-chief: Dr. Nick Bostrom, Dr. Robin Hanson, Dr. Mark Walker, Dr. James Hughes and and (currently) Dr. Russell Blackford."

I have read plenty of Nick Bostrom and Robin Hanson from on the Overcoming Bias site.

I think I will have to check JET out and report back soon.

The other thing that I found on this site was a link to two books that I think I am going to have to track down:

Human Enhancement (2009)
by Edited by Julian Savulescu and Nick Bostrom

Human enhancement is now one of the biggest dilemmas facing modern science
The latest developments in this highly controversial debate
New essays from some of the world’s leading ethicists, including Peter Singer
Truly international perspectives, from North America, Europe, Japan, and Australasia
Discusses such contentious issues as selection of children and use of drugs in sport

Unnatural Selection: The Challenges of Engineering Tomorrow’s People (2008)
by Eds. Peter Healey and Steve Rayner

Based on a conference entitled “Tomorrow’s People: the Challenges of Technologies for Life Extension and Enhancement” which was organized by the James Martin Institute for Science and Civilization at Oxford University’s Saïd Business School and held in Oxford in 2006.

It was a lecture by Steve Raynor that got me interested in switching careers (called "Wicked problems and their clumsy solutions") and it would be a dream to study further at the James Martin Institute for Science and Civilization.

Maybe one day.

**If you enjoyed this post please also check out:

What is nanotechnology?
.
History of Nanotechnology
.
Nanotechnology - risks and benefits

Nanotechnology and Climate Change

COMMENTS ALWAYS WELCOME !!
.
So please, tell us what you think.

Nanophotonics: MIT lecture

2009-01-29T00:18:00.000-08:00

Here is an interesting talk from MIT about nanophotonics. Evelyn Hu meticulously describes designing and building a new generation of optical materials from nano-sized elements. She hopes to harness “the magic of light in nanostructures”. More here

**If you enjoyed this post please also check out:

What is nanotechnology?
.
History of Nanotechnology
.
Nanotechnology - risks and benefits

Nanotechnology and Climate Change

COMMENTS ALWAYS WELCOME !!
.
So please, tell us what you think.

Update on 'Nanotechnology in New South Wales' report

2009-01-05T00:41:00.000-08:00

I have been having a read of the 'Nanotechnology in New South Wales' report, in particular, the brief section on 'The Environment' (pages 45-47) and it is interesting to note that:

3.158 While it had the required regulatory tools DECC advised that they do not have enough information as yet on the likely downstream impacts of nanomaterials that they might encounter (page 46)

Also:

"there are a lot of questions to think about before we know how we can apply the tools we have . . . we do need to know what we are dealing with. As yet I do not think we have got that clearly. We need more information" (page 47)

While it was promising to see that 'the issue of the uncontrolled release of nanomaterials into the environment is their primary concern', what was most interesting was that DECC was "not doing any on the ground research" (page 47) but was "keeping abreast" of developments overseas.

3.159 While the department is not doing any research itself it is keeping abreast of developments.
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The report suggested:

Recommendation 1

That the New South Wales Government recommend that nano-versions of existing chemicals are assessed as new chemicals, during the review of the national regulatory frameworks.

There's Plenty of Room at the Bottom

2008-12-17T01:01:00.000-08:00

The idea of nanotechnology (although he did not call it nanotechnology) started when Richard Feynman (1959) gave a talk at Caltech called “There’s plenty of room at the bottom”.

Feynman suggested the “possibility of maneuvering things atom by atom” and “if we go down far enough, all our devices can be mass produced so that they are perfect copies of one another.”

He also assisted in the development of the atomic bomb, and later went on to become a joint recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1965 for his work in quantum electrodynamics.

**If you enjoyed this post please also check out:

What is nanotechnology?
.
History of Nanotechnology
.
Nanotechnology - risks and benefits

Nanotechnology and Climate Change

COMMENTS ALWAYS WELCOME !!
.
So please, tell us what you think.

Nanotechnology and Climate Change

2008-12-14T03:54:00.000-08:00

Here is a new report (from the United Nations University) called “Innovation in Responding to Climate Change: Nanotechnology, Ocean Energy and Forestry” by Miguel Esteban, Christian Webersik, David Leary and Dexter Thompson-Pomeroy .

This report offers three innovative solutions in responding to climate change, namely nanotechnology, ocean energy and forestry. It goes beyond the technological, biological and procedural aspects of these solutions by critically assessing the opportunities and challenges that each type of innovation presents. This report addresses the question why these innovations - despite their large potential to reduce emissions, ocean energy alone could cover the world's electricity needs - have not yet reached the stage of mass commercialization.
UNU-IAS, November 2008, 46 pages

The section on nanotechnology (pages 10-18) is worth a read.
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It examines:

What is nanotechnology;
The main fields of nanotechnology R&D and commercialisation relevant to climate change mitigation;
Nanotechnology and the hydrogen economy;
Nanotechnology, solar power and photovoltaics,
Nanotechnology and energy storage (the next generation of batteries);
regulatory implications of the use of nanotechnolgy in new climate change mitigation technologies; and
Further research required on the role of nanotechnology in responding to climate change.

**If you enjoyed this post please also check out:

What is nanotechnology?
.
History of Nanotechnology
.
Nanotechnology - risks and benefits

Nanotechnology and Climate Change

COMMENTS ALWAYS WELCOME !!
.
So please, tell us what you think.

Some Australian Nanotechnology Information

2008-12-10T20:13:00.000-08:00

Here is some great information on Australian nanotechnolgy from the Australian Government (Department of Innovation, Industry, Science and Research):

Including a new report on Australian community attitudes on nanotechnology;
Some great links to some background information on nanotechnology; and
Details of how to contact the Gene and Nanotechnology Information Service (for all you nano-needs).

Community Awareness Survey

On 4 August 2008, the Government released the "Australian Community Attitudes Held about Nanotechnology – Trends 2005-2008" report.

This public awareness survey was commissioned to assess the Australian public's knowledge of and views about nanotechnology. This report compares changes of attitudes from 2005 and 2007 to 2008, and demonstrates that since then, the number of respondents who see the benefits of nanotechnology as outweighing the risks has increased from 39% to 53%, among other key findings.
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A summary of the key points in the public attitude study can be downloaded here.

Background nanotechnology information

Nanotechnology - working with the smallest things

Measurement challenges in nanotechnology
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NICNAS Information Sheet on Nanomaterials
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Small Particles, Nanotechnology and Food
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CSIRO Nanoparticles Information Sheet
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Journey into the nano-world

Nanotechnology (Freecall within Australia) Information Service

The Gene and Nanotechnology Information Service provides a freecall information service for any enquiries about nanotechnology, or can be accessed by email. The Service, a partnership with the University of Melbourne, also provides outreach activities, such as expert speakers for schools and community groups and public displays. (Website under development).

1800 631 276 or email gtis-australia@unimelb.edu.au

Media Releases

Also available is a list of the Australian Office of Nanotechnology's Nano related media releases

**If you enjoyed this post please also check out:

What is nanotechnology?
.
History of Nanotechnology
.
Nanotechnology - risks and benefits

Nanotechnology in New South Wales

Public Participation in Environmental Assessment and Decision Making
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COMMENTS ALWAYS WELCOME !!
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So please, tell us what you think.

UK and US attitudes to nanotechnology

2008-12-09T15:19:00.000-08:00

Here is a new study that shows "People In The U.S. And The U.K. Show Strong Similarities In Their Attitudes Toward Nanotechnologies". Interesting that people focus more on the benefits of nanotechnology than the risks. I would have thought that people living in the UK might be more aware of the risks of nanotechnology than people living in the US, because I was living in the UK during BSE and Foot and Mouth disease outbreaks and believe me, the media and the opposition party ensured that the public were well aware of the failings of government to regulate effectively to ensure food was indeed 'safe'. I also noticed that there was also a lot of public debate going on at the time about the safety of GM foods (both in the UK and Europe). Although I am not sure about the levels of debate on the GM food issue in the US.

Anyway, here is a link to the full news article called "People In The U.S. And The U.K. Show Strong Similarities In Their Attitudes Toward Nanotechnologies" from Science Daily. The abstract is here on Nature Nanotechnology (advanced online edition) - although I will have to wait for the normal on-line edition to read the full thing (maybe a week).

The results include the following key findings:

Overall participants in both countries focused on the benefits rather than the risks of nanotechnologies, and also exhibited a high degree of optimism regarding the future contribution of new technologies to society. This pattern was very similar in the workshops in both the United States and Britain.

Some small cross-country differences were present. U.K. participants were generally more aware of recent technological controversies and risk governance failures (examples include genetically modified organisms, bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), and foot and mouth disease), leading some to voice specific concerns about future nanotechnology risks.

The study also found that people were more likely to be positive about nanotechnology used for energy projects, than when it is used for medical purposes. This makes sense to me, because people will tend to be more concerned with risks that seem to relate more directly to themselves and their family and friends - like health concerns - rather than worry about more psychologically distant things like the risks of energy nanotechnology.

**If you enjoyed this post please also check out:

What is nanotechnology?
.
History of Nanotechnology
.
Nanotechnology - risks and benefits

Nanotechnology and Climate Change

COMMENTS ALWAYS WELCOME !!
.
So please, tell us what you think.

Eric Drexler has a blog called Metamodern

2008-12-04T18:21:00.001-08:00

I have recently discovered that Eric Drexler has started a blog called Metamodern - The Trajectory of Technology.

Drexler is the author of Engines of Creation: The Coming Era of Nanotechnology and Nanosystems Molecular Machinery Manufacturing and Computation. He also coined the term 'grey goo' - out of control self-replicating nanotechnology robots.

from Metamodern:

My main focus will be on research progress, largely in nanoscience and technology, and often with a special perspective: how current research is applicable to the development of advanced nanosystems. I’ve found that a system-building perspective can highlight research opportunities that might otherwise be missed. I’ll sometimes suggest specific research objectives that seem practical, valuable, and ready for work.

However, Metamodern isn’t intended to be “a blog about nanotechnology”; its scope includes broader issues involving technologies with world-changing potential. For example, looking well downstream in technology development, I will sketch the requirements for large-scale systems able to restore the atmosphere to its pre-industrial composition.

**It should be worth a read - although some of the early posts do look a bit too complex for 'joe the plumber' or his friend 'joe six-pack' to read.

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p.s. I tried to leave a comment but it seems that "Comments on this entry are closed"
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**If you enjoyed this post please also check out:

What is nanotechnology?
.
History of Nanotechnology
.
Nanotechnology - risks and benefits

Nanotechnology and Climate Change

COMMENTS ALWAYS WELCOME !!
.
So please, tell us what you think.

Nanotechnology in New South Wales

2008-12-04T15:12:00.000-08:00

I was looking for some information on the state of play with regard to nanotechnology in Australia and I found this (although it has no link or date - the nanotechnology enquiry was established in December 2007) .

Nanotechnology Risks and Benefits to Come under Scrutiny by Parliamentary Inquiry in Australia by NSW State Government

As part of its continuing efforts to better understand the potential risks and benefits associated with nanotechnology, the NSW Government has initiated a parliamentary inquiry into this relatively new field of scientific endeavour – becoming the first Australian state or territory to do so.

Nanotechnology is the manipulation of matter at the atomic or molecular level – lengths equivalent to 1/100,000th the diameter of a human hair.

Minister for Science and Medical Research Verity Firth said nanotechnology has the very real potential to transform many sectors of the NSW economy, leading to new products, new businesses, new jobs and even new industries.

“Nanotechnology offers the promise of breakthroughs that will revolutionise the way we detect and treat disease; monitor and protect the environment; and produce and store energy,” said Ms Firth.

“But before the technology’s full potential can be released, safety and ethical concerns need to be assessed by governments.”

Some groups have already raised anxieties about the technology’s possible negative implications for human health and the natural environment.

“That’s why I’ve written to the Legislative Council's Standing Committee for State Development asking it to investigate the potential environmental, health, safety, legal and ethical implications or uncertainties that may arise from the development and use of nano-material and products,” said Ms Firth.

“As the use of man-made nano-materials become more common, we want to make sure they will not have unexpected consequences for people or the environment.

“The inquiry will seek to reassure the community as well as make sure the Government’s regulatory arrangements are both adequate and appropriate.

“Ultimately we want a balanced and informed approach to nanotechnology.”

Source

Anyway, I thought I should see if the final report had been released yet. It has!! Here it is "Nanotechnology in New South Wales". It was released in October 2008. I am going to have a look at it tonight (should be good reading). Hopefully a few posts will follow - I will report back soon.

Also check out:

Some Australian Nanotechnology Information

**If you enjoyed this post please also check out:

What is nanotechnology?
.
History of Nanotechnology
.
Nanotechnology - risks and benefits

Nanotechnology and Climate Change

COMMENTS ALWAYS WELCOME !!
.
So please, tell us what you think.

Worried about the Earth ??

2008-11-30T18:58:00.000-08:00

Check out some mind food below:

1. Nanotechnology - risks and benefits

2. 'Clean Coal' ???

3. Americans and climate change

4. What is nanotechnology?

5. Peak Oil Debate

6. Limits to growth ???

7. History of Nanotechnology.

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More at http://randommanplanetearth.blogspot.com/

Nanotechnology and Society

2008-11-30T17:20:00.001-08:00

I just found this site NanoVic
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Nanotechnology Victoria Pty Ltd which they describe themselves as "the key organization for delivering nanotechnology research outcomes to Victorian industry".
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It contain some good stuff on the risks of nanotechnology, consumer issues, governance and the role of the Australian government in nanotechnology.
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http://www.nanovic.com.au/index.php?a=about_nanovic
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Please check out my environmental blog Random Man on Planet Earth

Nanotechnology - more information

2008-11-26T23:13:00.000-08:00

Here are some more links I found on nanotechnology:
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Spelling IMB with a scanning tunneling microscope
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International Council for Nanotechnology
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Nano-enabled golf club
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Nanologue project result
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Nano-shapes
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Science of Smallness
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Australian Nanotechnology Alliance
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Centre for Advanced Nanotechnology
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BT Futurist
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Nanotechwire
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Memristors
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NASA uses nano
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Nanotech risk
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More to follow soon.
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Any comments ???

Nanotechnology - risks and benefits

2008-11-26T23:08:00.000-08:00

Some of my thoughts on nanotechnology:
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When it comes to nanotechnolgy, there are both possible benefits and risks involved. Those that are pro-science tend to push the benefits and those that are against science tend to push the risks of nanotechnology and nanoproducts.

Benefits: the amazing possibilities of nanotechnology are almost endless (and are already being used in medicine today, for example, fluorescent biological labels, drug and gene delivery, tissue engineering and MRI contrast enhancement) and the hype and marketing surrounding nanotechnology makes it difficult to separate what is technically possible and what may one day be available. There are also many possible environmental beneficial effects.
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Risks: consider the case of the nanosock which has nanosilver particles in them to prevent bacteria and foot odor. Preliminary results from research being conducted by Troy Benn (an Arizona State University doctoral student) were presented at the American Chemical Societies 2008 conference. The research found that nanosilver particles would come out of the sock in the wash and therefore be released into the environment. This raises serious issues, such as what happens when bacteria killing particles are released into the environment? Science cannot yet answer that question adequately so we should remember the precautionary principle and be very careful until we can.
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New nanoproducts should be tested for safety before going onto the market, but currently the risk research lags behind the new products (as we are only beginning to see some of the risks of nanotechnology).
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Molecular nanotechnology may allow the creation of self-replicating machines and the problem of ‘grey goo’.
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Nanoweapons could be created, given almost half of all scientific research is for military purposes, there is a good chance that researchers will look towards nanoweapons that could deliver bioweapons – like a nanobot mosquito with a nasty toxin such as botulism). The development of nanoweapons could lead to a nanotechnology arms race, between nanotechnology superpowers or even smaller rogue states or terrorist group. There could be a large number of states with nanoweapons and because of there size they would be difficult to find and easy to smuggle which means they could be easily transported. There is also the possibility that a black-market for banned nanomachines could occur and because of the size of future nanomachines, it would be difficult to find them.
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Microscopic surveillance devices raise serious privacy concerns because individuals, governments or businesses could misuse them and it would be very difficult to deal with negative antisocial uses of the technology e.g. hidden cameras in private places such as bathrooms; used for industrial or government espionage.
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Nanotechnology could have unintended consequences that could cause serious harm to society or the environment. Technocratic science has ‘blind-spots’ that result from its disciplinary and reductionist nature. These blind-spots could include unanticipated new illnesses, unintended negative environmental effects or major negative social change. These unintended consequences could also cause the public to lose of confidence in nanotechnology and this could effect funding.
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A lack of effective regulations to deal with the unintended consequences of nanotechnology could allow dangerous risks to be placed upon society. I believe a precautionary approach is therefore needed.
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Having said all this - scientists actually working in fields of nanotechnology and nanoscience are increasingly aware of both the possible benefits and the possible problems. The example of genetically modified food has demonstrated to many scientists, some of the possible battles ahead. Good policy needs to stear through the minefield of the different assumptions and views on 'science' itself.
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Will the public trust nanoscience if it is found being used for weapons or polluting the environment? What if it is providing much joy and saving many lives?Many governments (including the US Government, the European Union and the Australian Government) have began to investigate the question of what should society do with nanotechnology.
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Conclusion:
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I believe that there are many different values and worldviews in our society e.g. anthropocentric, ecocentric and ecofeminism. These values and worldviews are often conflicting and there is no one correct way of answering all the difficult ethical and environmental questions raised by rapidly progressing nanotechnology.
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Therefore, there needs to be a dialogue between all the key stakeholders, rather than a narrow group of experts. In order for the public to gain some control over the technology (Habermas question), they need to be involved in the problem definition, problem framing, discussing of options, etc. It must be a bottom-up rather than the typical top-down decision (leave it to the 'experts' i.e. scientists and economists).
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This could be achieved using a citizen’s jury (as they did with the UK nanojury). This is needed because nanotech has the potential to affect almost all aspects of modern society, so all people have a stake in their future and help decide what risks they are prepared to take rather than having them thrust upon them without been consulted.
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by Random Man (2008)

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Comments most welcome, what do you all think about nanotechnology??
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For more see: History of Nanotechnology and What is nanotechnology?

History of Nanotechnology

2008-11-26T23:02:00.000-08:00

The idea of nanotechnology (although he did not call it nanotechnology) started when Richard Feynman (1959) gave a talk at Caltech called “There’s plenty of room at the bottom”. He suggested the “possibility of maneuvering things atom by atom” and “if we go down far enough, all our devices can be mass produced so that they are perfect copies of one another.” The term nanotechnology was first used by Taniquchi in 1974.
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In 1977, Eric Drexler began to discuss the possibilities of molecular nanotechnology. He wrote two books on molecular nanotechnology: one for a general audience Engines of Creation: The Coming Era of Nanotechnology (1986); and one for a technical audience Nanosystems: Molecular Machinery, Manufacturing, and Computation (1992). In these books Drexler argued that improvements in molecular nanotechnology were reliant on progress to be made in other technologies. The invention of the scanning tunneling microscope in 1986 was a major help as it allowed atomic resolution for the first time.
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Early on, there was a debate between two of the giants in the field of nanotechnology: Eric Drexler, who argued that molecular nanotechnology was possible and Richard Smalley, who argued it would not be technically possible because of steric issues (i.e. “fat fingers”) and molecular adherence problems (i.e. “sticky fingers”) (Phoenix, 2003a). The former refers to the clumsiness to discriminate at the level of individual atoms and the later refers to the propensity of molecules to stick together. This debate was quickly solved by the rapid progress made in nanotechnology (e.g. Eigler & Schweizer (1990) published the finding that they could move a single atom). Thus, many of the technical problems of working at the nanolevel could be overcome therefore highlighting the enormous potential of this technology. The technologies of scanning force and atomic force microscopy have increasingly allowed minute manipulations to be made at the nanoscale.
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In 2000, the US Government announced the National Nanotechnology Initiative (NNI) to expand research into nanotechnology and provided funding of US$500 million in the first year (by 2006, this had increased to US$1.4 billion). The ambitious goals of this initiative included shrinking the entire contents of the Library of Congress into a device the size of a sugar cube, assembling new materials from the ‘bottom up’, using gene and drug delivery technologies to detect and target cancer cells, and developing new technologies to remove the smallest water and air pollutants.
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Amongst this early optimism, Bill Joy (2000), who was then Chief Scientist of Sun Microsystems, published an essay in Wired magazine that highlighted the dangers of nanotechnology. In this essay, Joy called for a “relinquishment” of dangerous research pathways such as self-replicating nanomachines that could get out of control and begin destroying the environment. This created much debate. There was concern amongst nanotechnology scientists that public fears could greatly limit the growth of nanotechnology as a result of funding being denied or ‘over-cautious’ regulations.
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The risks of nanotechnology were also discussed in science fiction. For example, Prey by Michael Crichton (2002) highlighted the problem of nanomachines self-replicating out of control to create so-called ‘grey goo’. There was also beginning to be opposition to nanotechnology. For example, the Action group on Erosion, Technology and Concentration (ETC) protested against the funding given to the NNI by the US Government. ETC (2003 and 2004) is against nanotechnology because of its risks and has called for a moratorium on nanotechnology.
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The insurance industry also began to consider the risks involved in nanotechnology. For example, Swiss Re (2004 and 2005) attempted to assess the risks of nanotechnology given the large number of unknowns and its possible large impact on society. Morgan (2005) suggested that the development of a framework for informing the risk analysis and risk management of nanoparticles was needed.

Nanotechnology continues to quickly progress: Rothemund (2006) used nanotechnology to create Nanoshapes or DNA origami and published the complex nanoscience behind his creations in Nature. The Robo Cup 2007 featured a remote controlled Swiss-made nanosized soccer player (see http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lnLGpl1N7Ns)
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In April 2008, scientists from Hewlett-Packard reported in the journal Nature that they had designed a simple circuit element that they believe “will enable tiny, powerful computers that could imitate biological functions”. The device, called a memristor (see figure 3), could “make it possible to build extremely dense computer memory chips” (Tour & Tao, 2008). This revolutionary device could allow many new developments to be quickly made in artificial intelligence. The ability to create machines that have a ‘consciousness’ is becoming a real possibility. What would this mean for humanity (or other life)? It could radically alter our current systems and institutions.
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There are already nanotechnology products widely available for consumers and businesses to purchase, including sunscreens, toothpastes, sanitary ware coatings, car tyres, golf clubs and even food packaging. Although estimates vary, it has been estimated that the current global market for nanotechnology is worth US$40 billion and it has been predicted to be worth up to US$1 trillion by 2015-2020 (Tegart, 2006, p.11). However, there is growing concern that the safety of these nanomaterial products has not been fully tested and many unknowns about the effects of possibly highly dangerous nanomaterials being released into the environment remain. Public trust of nanotechnology is critical. Also current regulations may not be sufficient to cover the risks involved and they may need to be tightened to provide better protection from nanotechnology risks.
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The Woodrow Wilson International Centre for Scholars (WWICS)[1] maintains a list of nanomaterial products on its website currently puts the number at 610 products produced by 322 companies, located in 20 countries. However, the exact number of nanomaterial products is contested. Journalist Howard Lovy (2007) has argued the WWICS derives its list from product claims rather than their own criteria or assessment and in this way contributes to public alarm. There are also many products at the early stages of discovery and development. The extent of investment required to develop these technologies is large and possibly high risk. For example, consider the IT boom and the enormous amounts of money made and then the bust and the huge losses incurred. A number of scholars acknowledge that, as with other technologies, there are both benefits and risks involved in nanotechnology (Treder, 2004; Tucker, 2007). The Royal Society and The Royal Academy of Engineering (2004) together released a report that highlighted both positive and negative impacts of nanotechnology.
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by Random Man (2008)

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For more see: Nanotechnology - risks and benefits and What is nanotechnology?
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Update: see also Electron microscopy enters the picometer scale
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[1] Project on Emerging Nanotechnology
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http://www.nanotechproject.org/inventories/consumer/

What is nanotechnology?

2008-11-26T23:00:00.000-08:00

A nanometer is one billionth of a meter.
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The science, engineering and technology conducted at usually less than 100 nanometers is collectively called nanotechnology. (Phoenix, 2003a). To compare, the thickness of a sheet of paper is approximately 100,000 nm. However, it must be realised that there is no general agreement on a definition. There are many different definitions of nanotechnology because it is comprised of many separate fields (because of the reductionist splitting of science) such as nanomedicine, nanoengineering, nanochemistry, nanophysics, nanobiotechnology, nanomaterials, and nanoelectronics.
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Nanoscience and nanotechnology are often tightly interwoven and in this post the term nanotechnology will be used to describe both areas. Nanotechnologists are increasingly able to manipulate the building blocks of nature (such as atoms, molecules, DNA, proteins, etc).

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Scientists can take advantage of the sometimes very novel properties of materials that operate only at the nano-scale; however these novel properties may also be the cause of new serious problems. Nanotechnology has only recently being included in university studies. Furthermore, there are a number of research scientists employed within private industries ( majority of nano-scientists however work within private companies (e.g. Hewlett-Packard). Historically universities developed in a privileged position and were seen as the gatekeepers of knowledge. However, increasingly business and science is becoming inextricably linked.
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The area of nanotechnology is highly dynamic and new nanofields and applications are starting to appear around the world. Nanotechnology can be divided into near-term nanotechnology (i.e. new science and technology that takes advantage of the properties operating at the nanoscale) and far-term or molecular nanotechnology (i.e. aims to build from the bottom-up with atomic precision). The rapid pace of new discoveries means that we may soon have the ability to build with atomic precision, although how quickly this occurs is unknown; it may be anywhere from 5 to 25 years away.
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The capabilities of nanotechnology are already significant and its power will continue to grow rapidly. Of critical concern is that power can be used for ‘good’ or ‘bad’ purposes, for example, some experts say that existing nanotechnology techniques designed to deliver medicines in a more effective and targeted fashion could also be used to deliver toxic substances into a person's system.

by Random Man (2008)
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**If you enjoyed this post please also check out:

What is nanotechnology?
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History of Nanotechnology
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Nanotechnology - risks and benefits

Nanotechnology and Climate Change

COMMENTS ALWAYS WELCOME !!
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So please, tell us what you think of nanoscience and nanotechnology.

Nanotechnology - information

2008-11-26T22:37:00.000-08:00

Here are some links to some further information on nanoscience and nanotechnology. Some of the sites are better than others, but I have tried to only include those that I feel add to the 'overall picture' of the area.

The area of nanoscience and nanotechnology is rapidly growing and developing and there are already many nanotechnology products on the market. I have tried to include some information from sites that are pro-nano and some from those that are anti-nano to give a better feel of the debate going on at the minute. Also some news-links and papers too.
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Center on Nanotechnology and Science
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Foresight Nanotechnology Institute
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Molecular Nanotechnology: the Next Industrial Revolution
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The Nanoethics Group
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Nanologue (social, ethical and legal impacts)
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Center for Responsible Nanotechnology
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Plenty of Room at the Bottom by Richard Feynman
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Tiny Wonders by Howard Lovy
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Nanotechnology risk put on insurance agenda
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Debate between Drexler and Smalley

Engines of Creation by Drexler

Ethical Issues in Nanotechnology

Principles for the oversight of nanotechnology

Friends of the Earth: Nanotechnology Report
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**If you enjoyed this post please also check out:

What is nanotechnology?
.
History of Nanotechnology
.
Nanotechnology - risks and benefits

Nanotechnology and Climate Change

COMMENTS ALWAYS WELCOME !!
.
So please, tell us what you think.

Welcome to Nano-land !!!

2008-11-26T21:58:00.001-08:00

Hi all,

I decided to start this blog after I received so many hits on my environmental blog (which is called Random Man on Planet Earth) when I posted on nanotechnology.

So this blog will contain some of the interesting stuff that I have written, collected (media or published papers) on nanotechnology and nanoscience.

A good place to begin would be to read these three posts:

What is nanotechnology?

History of Nanotechnology

Nanotechnology - risks and benefits

Anyway, I hope you enjoy it all as much as I do.

Please leave a comment !!!

Yours,

Random Man (in Nano-land)