Nanotechnology
In this essay I introduce the basic concepts behind nanotechnology, in the sense of molecular and atom-scale manufacturing, and how it has the potential to change the world.
Introduction
In each of our cells there are tiny machines called enzymes that can manipulate molecules and chemical reactions with a precision we don't yet fully understand. For example, we have enzymes that can repair DNA at the molecular level. If evolution created nanomachines of such precision and efficiency, nothing stops us from creating our own nanomachines, tailored to suit our needs. This is what Richard Feynman proposed in 1960 and what is now known as nanotechnology or molecular engineering. Nanotech consists of atomic and/or molecular manipulation in order to obtain devices with atomic precision. Albeit still at an early, most theoretical stage, the consequences of such technology are beyond imagination.
Molecular gears. Source: NASA.
We are still decades away from the capacity our cells possess. Still, already serious efforts are being made to develop nanotechnology. Molecular manipulation can be done to a certain degree in biotechnology, but real nanotech goes one step forward. For instance, scientists have made a moving part out of a few strands of DNA four-ten-thousandths of the width of a human hair, a promising step toward building DNA motors and eventually nanodevices. Synthetic biology is another emerging field. So far most applications involve, say, cell division counters but these can pave the way for the creation of artificial organisms such as "designer bacteria" and other predecessors of nanodevices. Computers play a pivotal part in nanotechnology as they allow us to develop atomic models and foresee the nanodevices we desire. Furthermore, as nanotechnology evolves, new, more powerful computers will emerge, which will lead to breakthroughs in nanotechnology and yet to more powerful computers. Hence we will have a cycle of scientific discovery unprecedented in human history. It will be the singularity.
Consequences
Because of the singularity, it is shortsighted to discuss the applications of nanotech, but here's an attempt: In computer science, we would have nanocomputers that would open the door for androids and artificial intelligences. Nanotech would develop an army of molecular robots and nanodevices that would allow us to completely dominate Nature. We now dominate it at a macroscopic level; we would then dominate it at a microscopic level, too. With molecular medicine we would eliminate many, if not all, diseases with intelligent molecules capable of repairing and changing our cells. Just for curiosity, my first idea towards ending aging, inspired by the legendary TV series Transformers which I used to watch growing up, was to use microscopic devices capable of turning our neurons into metal ones with a far greater strength and therefore impossible to kill.
In synergy with other technologies such as genetic engineering, the changes each of us could pursue would be staggering; from having a skin invulnerable to bullets to augmenting our physical and psychological capacities. Industrial, agricultural, and environmental applications are almost unimaginable at this stage: eradicating hunger, creating molecular superconductors at room temperature, developing nanomachines that eliminate pollution, etc.
Importantly, we would be capable of space conquest and colonization. Each nanomachine would be capable of amazing molecular engineering achievements and even reproducing. Remember that every single adult human being started as a tiny cell containing all the genetic instructions to blossom into an adult being. In a sense, these molecular assemblers are like a human egg. The goal behind nanotech is to create such tiny nanodevices that, if properly coded, can give rise to machines with a high level of complexity. Thus nanodevices would make excellent scouts in space exploration. To give an idea of the inherited power of nanotechnology, just think that a bacterium with a generation time of 20 minutes can in 48 hours, if allowed to grow, reach a population 4000 times the weight of the earth. This means that a nanodevice with enough mass/energy has the potential to create planets, outposts and life throughout the galaxy. Of course this is theory but it shows the dimension of the powers we're dealing with.
There are some dangers inherited to nanotechnology, as I also mention elsewhere. For example, the grey cloud, theorized by Ralph Merkle as a doomsday offspring of nanotechnology. Basically, the grey cloud is a self-replicating airborne nanodevice that catalyzes carbon dioxide into graphite. Should such nanodevice be unleashed and, in as little as a few days, a solid wall would cover the earth, block the sun, and eventually destroy life on earth. Robert Freitas Jr., a world expert on nanotechnology, offers an optimistic but well-documented review of the dangers of nanotech. The dangers of nanotech are another reason for space colonization. Nanotech will forever change humanity.
Sources and Links
Drexler, Eric K.; "Engines of Creation" (1986). It's the most famous book about nanotechnology. A classic that is fortunately available online.
Drexler, Eric K., Chris Peterson et al; "Unbounding the Future: the Nanotechnology Revolution" (1991). Another book about nanotechnology, also available online.
Freitas Jr., Robert A.; "Nanomedicine, Volume 1: Basic Capabilities" (1999). An interesting, but highly technical and speculative overview of using nanotechnology in medicine. Available online.
Center for Nanotechnology at NASA.
Foresight Institute; a think tank and institute on nanotechnology, an excellent resource.
Institute for Molecular Manufacturing
The Molecular Biology of Paradise
Zyvex; the first molecular nanotechnology development company.