During the last few years, the US National Nano Initiative has had its yearly budget increased from 400 million to 800 million dollars, and it is expected to keep increasing for several more. How large is a nanometer? If you split a human hair 100,000 times, the cross-section is about one nanometer which is the size of a functional molecule. Nanotechnology enables us to directly manipulate these molecules and can lead toward new bio-tech, electronics and materials industries. These reasons explain the heavy investments in nanotechnologies by major industrial countries.
Our lives and health are dictated by DNA and proteins which are nanometers in size. Bio-nano technology enables us to see, detect, modify and control them at a single molecule level. With these capabilities, a nurse can take a drop of a patient's body fluid when he/she enters the doctor's office. Thirty minutes later, the doctor will have a molecular level diagnostic report in hand while the doctor sees the patient. Nowadays, it usually takes 2-3 days to receive that same report. With the further development of bio-nano technology, we may be able to detect the disease, e.g. cancer, before the symptoms become obvious, greatly reducing mortality rates. One day, we may even be able to significantly increase the average lives of humans or even clone ourselves. Given these dramatic advances in our capability to probe, and explore these previously mysterious realms, should be continue to play with science and push the limits of this scientific wonderland? What breakthroughs, or repercussions await us? |
