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One day last year in my earth science class, my teacher made a quick
reference to nanotechnology. That day when I went home, there was a special on
the Discovery Channel about this same thing (talk about coincidence!). I only
caught a few moments of the show (the tail-end) but it was enough to get me
interested, so I looked it up on the computer. I don't remember if I found
anything (it was last year...), but I had a saved link that I just found that was about
nanotechnology. I looked at the page, and it inspired me to research it for a
Times article. So now here I am, writing this for you guys.
Well, nanotechnology doesn't exist yet, but when it does, it will revolutionize our
lives -- or not. Nanotechnology (also called molecular nanotechnology) is where
a scientist will build a robot from the atom up. Just like if we could change
the molecules that make up of a lump of coal, it would turn into a diamond,
scientists would directly build these robots atom-by-atom. It would be an
organism so small, that it would be measured on the nanoscale, which is almost
a thousand times smaller than the micro-scale (10-9). About 3 to 6 atoms can fit inside
a nanometer, depending on what they are made of.
What would it do for us? Scientists would engineer the "nanobot" and program it
for its job. Someday, it is planned that nanobots will affect every aspect of
our lives. From cleaning our drinking water and purifying the air, nanobots
will be small enough to go anywhere and do anything. Scientists are trying to
figure out ways that nanobots can be put into the body, to repair damaged
organs, clean arteries, and even build and replace limbs.
Another thing nanobots may do is go to space for (and with) us: It costs
millions of dollars to send heavy and bulky equipment to space, and nanobots
would be a way to avoid that. These microscopic instruments would send us
feedback about space the same way current machines and satellites do.
Nanobots may even be put into astronauts' bodies, to help them adjust to the
harsh "habitat" of space.
Nanotechnology sounds like it will be a promising yet scary aspect of
upcoming technology. How would you feel if you went to the doctor's office, were
diagnosed with a cold, and for it you were treated with antibody nanobots? Or
if when you wanted to whiten your teeth all you had to do was pop in a few nanobots
to clean the stains of your teeth, so you had perfect, pearly whites? These are
just a few uses for this technology that may be coming in the near future. How
do you feel about this?
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