The Building Blocks of the Future
Nanotechnology is a field of scientific endeavor that aspires to produce three dimensional structures using chemical reactions and non-biological machinery at an atomic level. The hope is that by controlling the inherent characteristics of atoms and their specified placement, scientists will be able to control the very structure and functioning of matter.
“Nanotechnology’s potential is vast and it is real. The opportunity for nanotechnology ranges from improving Olympic sports equipment to discovering better treatments for Alzheimer’s disease. But our ability to reap the long-term benefits of nanotechnology in areas from energy production to medicine – will depend on how well industry and government manage the safety and performance of this first generation of products." Neal Lane
If this is accomplished, scientists would theoretically be able to reconstitute the structure of, for example, granite molecules and reconfigure them into the molecular design of diamonds, thereby transforming a common stone into a precious jewel. The implications for the human manipulation of all that exists opens wide the horizon of humanity possibly being able to control weather, eliminate pollution by reconstituting soil, air, and water molecules, ameliorate disease by turning malignant cells into healthy ones, and create currently non-extant forms and perhaps even life itself.
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