Tuesday, December 28, 2004

The nano uncertainty principle


Mega fear over something nano
Nanotechnology is happening now, and it has some dangers
(By Gyorgy Scrinis, Globalism Institute, Melbourne)

    If you believe the hype, the nanotechnology revolution will deliver a future of unprecedented material abundance for everyone, limitless energy, ecological sustainability, improved human health and performance, and smarter, cheaper and more efficient materials and products.

    But there is another nanotechnological future that we are beginning to hear more about. This is one of toxic nanoparticle pollution, powerful new military equipment and weapons, ubiquitous surveillance devices, widening global inequities and the further concentration of corporate ownership and control across all industrial sectors.

    ... Given their potentially greater reactivity and toxicity, the release and accumulation of these nanoparticles in the environment also raises concerns for their impacts on other living organisms and ecological processes. The release of nanorobots and nano-engineered organisms in the more distant future may create even more frightful scenarios. I'd suggest we pencil the term "nanopollution" into our ecological lexicons now, and let the full implications of what that means sink in later. More here

NanoBot Backgrounder
Swiss miss the mark
Are nanoparticle studies 'one decade late'?
Nano Nostradamus?

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Those first two paragraphs reminded me of The Diamond Age (2) for some reason.

Howard Lovy said...

Yes, and a nanotech-themed piece of fiction that can run circles around "Prey" when it comes to depth, characters and, of course, cool nano stuff.

Howard