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 of information, the restrictions of the STM, all restrict nanotech progress. And until these questions are answered, nanotech is regarded as silly (Stix 98).
But the nanotech optimists are still out there. They contend that the progress made by a team at
IBM who was able to write letters and draw pictures atom by atom actually began the birth of nanotech
(Darling 49). These same people answer the scientific questions by replying that a breakthrough is not needed, rather the science gained must be applied (DuCharme 33). In fact, Drexler argues that the machines exist, trends are simply working on building better ones ("Unbounding" 24). Drexler continues by stating that the machines he spoke about in "Engines of Creation" published in 1986 should be
The small size ranging from 0.1 to 10 micrometres of nanobots make it difficult to be constructed. The process of working atom by atom and molecule by molecule is monotonous work and the miniaturization of synthetic mechanisms to a nanoscale will only be achievable with the advancement of research in metallurgy.
Lovgren, Stefan. Can Art Make Nanotechnology Easier t Understand? 23 December 2003. Web. 3 May 2014. .
...ing fascinating about science, one gets such wholesale returns of conjecture out of such trifling investments of fact."
Many people are inclined to say why would science even wish to peruse this method of research? Lewis Thomas says in his essay "The Hazards of Science" It would seem to me a more unnatural thing and more of an offense against nature for us to come on the same scene endowed... ... middle of paper ... ... J. Michael Bishop states that "The price of science seems large, but to reject science is to deny the future.
... social aspects of life. News reports of scientific breakthroughs rarely make the news because they are not viewed as important as the social or political news. The greatest possible good is achieved with a group of people, seeking a single answer or goal, and not giving up on the question until an answer is discovered. When group of actors meet to develop a single theory or thought the result is always better than with the individual. Even should the individual come to the same answer, the group will likely be able to show the easiest and most efficient methodology. Education and the advancement of knowledge through the use of peers is the best use of acting. Education and the advancement of knowledge are the two most important aspects of action.
It is clear that nanotechnology has the potential to revolutionize health care and even transport
Nanotechnology is the manipulation of structures at nano levels. It uses incredibly small materials, devices, and systems to manipulate matter. These structures are measured in nanometers, or one billionth of a meter, and can be used by themselves or as part of larg...
Atwood takes many of today’s potential scientific developments and illustrates the worst possible outcome of what may happen if we continue the unregulated pursuit of knowledge. In reality, the scientific advances of today will yield a higher standard of living for the majority of the world tomorrow. We will continue to push for the best in everything including science, medicine, and technology; we will not allow any single person to make the sole decision to develop an idea. Scientific progression will save many lives; therefore, it should and will always be there for us.
I elected to do my term paper on the sociological impact of nanotechnology and biotechnology (commonly called “bionics”) because of the vast potential for advances in medicine, space exploration and technology. These are but a few of the areas which will surely be affected by the development of new and never before imagined processes and engineered materials which have the power to change the way every aspect of one’s life is lived. I will generally focus on the Structural-Functional and Social-Conflict approaches for the majority of the paper, but will touch on some of the aspects as seen by the Symbolic-Interaction approach when considering the implications of the subject on society, as well.
Opportunistic scientists, the most hypocritical deviants of the modern age, revolve around the scientific method, or at least they used to. The scientific method once involved formulating a hypothesis from a problem posed, experimenting, and forming a conclusion that best explained the data collected. Yet today, those who are willing to critique the work of their peers are themselves performing the scientific method out of sequence. I propose that scientists, or the "treasure hunters" of that field, are no longer interested in permanent solutions, achieved through proper use of the scientific method, and rather are more interested in solutions that guarantee fame and fortune.
Nanotechnology is defined as “ a technology executed on the scale of less than 100 nanometers, the goal of which is to control individual atoms and molecules, especially to create computer chips and other microscopic devices” (Webster’s Dictionary, 1999). In the early 1970’s an MIT student by the name of K. Eric Drexler came up with the idea of manufacturing things, both biological and non-biological, from the molecular level up. Drexler noticed the amazing talents of natural biology and wondered if humans could mimic biology on a mechanical level,
- Breaks large molecules into small molecules by inserting a molecule of water into the chemical bonding.
Is Scientific Progress Inevitable? The Development Study of Advances in Technology According to the article “is scientific progress inevitable?” we can understand that advances in technology are in the order of nature and advances in technology are regular. This article may expand many ideas about the progress and development of technology. Technology must be progress, but the progress of scientific discovery may not be able to promote social development in a short time.
Nanotechnology is science, technology and engineering that is conducted at the nanoscale. The nanoscale is about 1 to 100 nanometres.