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Nanotechnology

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Today we’re going to look at an important
area of science, namely nanotechnology.

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So what is it?

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Nano means tiny, so it’s science and engineering
on the scale of atoms and molecules.

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The idea is that by controlling and rearranging
atoms, you can literally create anything.

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However, as we’ll see, the science of the
small has some big implications affecting

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us in many ways.

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There’s no doubt that nanotechnology promises
so much for civilisation.

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However, all new technologies have their teething
problems.

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And [question1]with nanotechnology, society
often gets the wrong idea about its capabilities.

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Numerous science-fiction books and movies
have raised people's fears about nanotechnology

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- with scenarios such as inserting little
nano-robots into your body that monitor everything

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you do without you realising it, or self-replicating
nano-robots that eventually take over the

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world.

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So how do we safeguard such a potentially
powerful technology?

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[question2]Some scientists recommend that
nano-particles be treated as new chemicals

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with separate safety tests and clear labelling.

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They believe that greater care should also
be taken with nano-particles in laboratories

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and factories.

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Others have called for a withdrawal of new
nano products such as cosmetics and a temporary

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halt to many kinds of nanotech research.

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[question3]But as far as I’m concerned there's
a need to plough ahead with the discoveries

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and applications of nanotechnology.

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I really believe that most scientists would
welcome a way to guard against unethical uses

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of such technology.

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We can’t go around thinking that all innovation
is bad, all advancement is bad.

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As with the debate about any new technology,
it is how you use it that’s important.

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So let’s look at some of its possible uses.

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Thanks to nanotechnology, there could be a
major breakthrough in the field of transportation[question4]with

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the production of more durable metals.

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These could be virtually unbreakable, lighter
and much more pliable leading to planes that

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are 50 times lighter than at present.

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Those same improved capabilities will [question5]dramatically
reduce the cost of travelling into space making

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it more accessible to ordinary people and
opening up a totally new holiday destination.

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In terms of technology, the computer industry
will be able to shrink computer parts down

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to minute sizes.

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We need nanotechnology in order to [question6]create
a new generation of computers that will work

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even faster and will have a million times
more memory but will be about the size of

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a sugar cube.

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Nanotechnology could also revolutionise the
way that we generate power.

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[question7]The cost of solar cells will be
drastically reduced so harnessing this energy

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will be far more economical than at present.

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But nanotechnology has much wider applications
than this and could have an enormous impact

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on our environment.

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For instance, tiny airborne nano-robots could
be programmed to actually rebuild the ozone

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layer, which could lessen the impact of global
warming on our planet.

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That’s a pretty amazing thought, isn’t
it?

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On a more local scale, this new technology
could help with the clean-up of environmental

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disasters [question8]as nanotechnology will
allow us to remove oil and other contaminants

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from the water far more effectively.

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And, if nanotechnology progresses as expected
- as a sort of building block set of about

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90 atoms - then you could build anything you
wanted from the bottom up.

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[question9]In terms of production, this means
that you only use what you need and so there

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wouldn't be any waste.

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The notion that you could create anything
at all has major implications for our health.

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It means that we’ll eventually be able to
replicate anything.

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This would have a phenomenal effect on our
society.

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In time it could even lead to the eradication
of famine through the introduction of machines

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that produce food to feed the hungry.

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But it’s in the area of medicine that nanotechnology
may have its biggest impact.

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How we detect disease will change [question10]as
tiny biosensors are developed to analyse tests

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in minutes rather than days.

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There’s even speculation nano-robots could
be used to slow the ageing process, lengthening

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life expectancy.

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As you can see, I’m very excited by the
implications that could be available to us

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in the next few decades.

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Just how long it’ll take, I honestly don't
know.