Living with Nanotechnology
Imagine a future where materials have ten times the strength of steel at a fraction of the weight; where teardrop-sized microprocessors can outperform today’s fastest computers; and where all of the information in the Library of Congress can be stored on a device the size of a sugarcube. These are just a sampling of the potential applications of the emerging field of nanotechnology. Nanotechnology is being touted as the ‘Next Industrial Revolution’ with the potential to transform nearly all aspects of human life. Improved electronics and materials are just the start for this new field of science and technology development. Health care, water purification, energy production, and a host of other applications could benefit through precise molecular manipulation techniques. What does the future ‘nano’ world hold for human societies? How should we propose for this new form of science and technology? Can we learn from past experiences?
Some people differentiate between nanoscience, an interdisciplinary field in the sciences that studies nanoscale phenomena, and nanotechnology, those findings that are actually employed in nanoscale applications. Both nanoscience and nanotechnology address the manipulation of matter at the smallest scale, on the order of atoms and molecules. For example, a scientist may study the characteristics of thin layers of molecules, and then learn how to apply those molecules to a particular surface, resulting in a new technology. Together, nanoscience and nanotechnology comprise a rapidly growing field of study with significant ramifications to all aspects of human societies around the world.
Transformations resulting from previous technologies such as the locomotive, telegraph, telephone, vaccines, or the Internet highlight the dramatic influence of technological development on geography, manufacturing, human relationships, commerce, environmental conditions, and human health. For example, the advent of the steam locomotive in Europe in the nineteenth century allowed citizens to travel much more rapidly and at greater distances than ever before. This led to a rapid increase in urbanization and broad distribution of goods and services. However, European and U.S. towns that were bypassed by the railroads experienced a decrease in both population and economic activity. These were some of the unintended consequences of applying a new technology. Nanotechnology has the potential of similar uneven consequences on human societies.
Some of the most hyped products resulting from nanotechnology relate to our everyday lives, including wrinkle-free clothing and self-cleaning toilets. A self-cleaning toilet? How does it work? According to the scientists in Australia who are applying nanoscience to ease one of life’s more mundane chores, electrons are activated by ultraviolet light to behave in a process similar to oxidation. This process is better at disinfecting than using commercial bleaching chemicals and is the essence of nanoscience—altering the characteristics and properties of certain molecules by changing their physical properties such as electromagnetics, optical structures, or melting points. However, the potential applications of nanoscience go far beyond mundane household chores. This website explores some of the impacts of nanoscience on society.
The definitions of nanotechnology are at present neither consistent nor settled, making it difficult for social scientists and policy-makers to gain a firm footing for assessing impact. Transformations resulting from nanotechnology will require the active engagement of global citizens to ensure that any detrimental impacts can be mitigated, and that efforts are made to ensure that all citizens receive the positive benefits of nanoscience applications.
