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Nanotechnology: Immortality Or Total Annihilation? Technology has evolved from ideals once seen as unbelievable to common everyday instruments. Computers that used
Nanotechnology. Nanotechnology could give the human race eternal life, or it could cause total annihilation. The idea of nanotech was conceived by a man named K.
Submitted by oppapers on May 11, 2000
Category: Technology
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Technology has evolved from ideals once seen as unbelievable to common everyday instruments.
Computers that used to occupy an entire room are now the size of notebooks. The human race has always
pushed for technological advances working at the most efficient level, perhaps, the molecular level. The
developments and progress in artificial intelligence and molecular technology have spawned a new form
of technology; Nanotechnology. Nanotechnology could give the human race eternal life, or it could cause
total annihilation.
The idea of nanotech was conceived by a man named K. Eric Drexler (Stix 94), which he defines
as "Technology based on the manipulation of individual atoms and molecules to build structures to
complex atomic specifications (Drexler, "Engines" 288)." The technology which Drexler speaks of will be
undoubtedly small, in fact, nano- structures will only measure 100 nanometers, or a billionth of a meter
(Stix 94).
Being as small as they are, nanostructures require fine particles that can only be seen with the
STM, or Scanning Tunneling Microscope (Dowie 4). Moreover the STM allows the scientists to not only
see things at the molecular level, but it can pick up and move atoms as well (Port 128). Unfortunately the
one device that is giving nanoscientists something to work with is also one of the many obstacles
restricting the development of nanotech. The STM has been regarded as too big to ever produce nanotech
structures (Port 128). Other scientists have stated that the manipulation of atoms, which nanotech relies
on, ignores atomic reality. Atoms simply don't fit together in ways which nanotech intends to use them
(Garfinkel 105). The problems plaguing the progress of nanotech has raised many questions among the
scientific community concerning it's validity. The moving of atoms, the gathering...
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