We Are Nanotechnology

All life is composed of nanotechnology. From the original molecular structures that developed the ability to replicate themselves a billion or more years ago to the most sophisticated life forms, we all have resulted from an evolutionary process that started with, and uses at every level, nanotechnology concepts.  Life started at nano-scale, and a huge majority of all life forms, the greatest bio-diversity, still exists at nano-scale.

Wi-Fi Equipped Nanobots Could Revolutionize Medicine

Nano-inspirations often hit first thing in the morning. A concept for nanobot application occurred to me when I awoke this morning that could revolutionize neurology. If nanobots can be built to receive radio signals, then they can also be engineered to detect weak electrical fields such as those that traverse our nervous systems. The proximity of nanobots in the bloodstream to the nerve cells would permit sensitivity to such weak fields, and if the nanobots could transmit weak, narrow-band radio signals to provide measurements of nerve activity, it is possible that much new information could be learned about the nervous system. Of course, the subject would need to be in an electrically quiet environment such as a Faraday cage (no cellphones allowed), and all equipment inside the cage would need to be carefully shielded and bypassed to further eliminate unwanted electrical fields, but the concept seems feasible. Since nano-scale radio receivers have already been demonstrated (link), it doesn’t seem far fetched to have them transmit as well, and, with enough sophistication and computing power, achieve the capability for Wi-Fi-like networking (link).  So how could this capability be applied?

A Trip to the Nanotech Dentist

Will nanobots someday clean my teeth? In the future, will my dentist spray a fine mist of nanobots into my mouth? Then, will he activate the nanobots with a remote control, after which the nanobots will identify where plaque and other undesirable materials bond to the enamel of my teeth and dissolve those bonds? Some of the nanobots would also move into the space between the teeth and gums and break up bacteria and the acid molecules they excrete, and possibly even repair cell damage. Then, ten minutes later, will I just rinse my mouth, have an inspection from the dentist, make my appointment for next time, and leave?

Nanotechnology Products, Like Many Others, Have Risks That Are Being Managed

Many products in current use have risks that must be managed. Many products we use every day have risks, and their dangers are managed systematically, not infrequently by force of government regulation. Gasoline, for example, is a known carcinogen, so regulations govern its handling and the warnings we are consistently given about it. As recent research has shown, carbon nanotubes also have risks that must be managed (link). Science doesn’t move ahead smoothly, however, and one study shows that toxicity of certain carbon nanomaterials could appear to be proven by one test, while other tests would show no toxicity (link).

Material Questions About Nanotechnology

Can a nanobot break a molecule and change the material’s characteristics? If a nanobot deconstructs a molecule, could the pieces, being atoms or smaller molecules, have different characteristics that were not characteristics of the previous form? Could a nanobot destroy a physical object by degrading its substance, converting it into a weaker substance, possibly even a liquid or gas?  I have many more questions.

The Future of the Paper Towel, and Related Nano-Thoughts

I guess I just worry too much, but, lately, every time I take a paper towel from the dispenser at work or toss a bit of plastic wrap in the trash, I can’t help but have thoughts like “Here goes another cup of oil.”,  ”How can we handle 6+ billion people all doing this, every day?”, and ”Where will the energy and material come from to permit this in the future?”.  Then, in lieu of feeling depressed and more worried, I have to spur myself to think creatively about it, and sometimes I run to the computer to write another entry in this blog.  So … how ARE we going to handle 6 billion people who all want to have paper towels, electric lights, houses, cars and other modern conveniences when they actually get them?

More Nano-Thoughts and Nano-Links

Here’s an interesting physicsworld article from 2004 — “Visions of self-replicating nanomachines that could devour the Earth in a “grey goo” are probably wide of the mark …”  link.  The article also points out that, due to physical realities like brownian motion and surface effects (friction or adhesion, for instance), “We should also stop worrying about grey goo, because it is going to be very hard to produce more highly optimized nano-scale organisms than nature has already achieved. “  The author points out that, since nature has optimized so many biological organisms at nano-scale, faster progress in nanotech development may be made in that realm, as opposed to the purely electromechanical.

The Institute for Molecular Manufacturing site at http://www.imm.org/ is also interesting, as is the related Nano-Medicine site at http://www.nanomedicine.com/, which links to a number of scholarly books and other on-line information.

More good info and a flood of links appears to be associated with http://nanularity.com/default.aspx, which I found through http://nanotech.physorg.com/.  There is lots of information there.

I didn’t intend this blog to be only about nanotechnology, so future entries may be on other aspects of the possible future.  Keep thinking, people, and creating — we’ll need a lot more of that in the future.