Imagine a world where cars could be put together molecule by molecule, rubbish could be broken down and made into steaks, and robots the size of cells could operate on and treat people. sounds like science fiction? We are getting close to the point where we can create these machines that can manipulate objects at the atomic level thanks to advances like the ability to move individual atoms. This will offer us unprecedented control over matter and enable us to reshape the physical universe as we see fit.

What is nanotechnology?

Nanotechnology, also called molecular manufacturing, is a branch of engineering that deals with the design and manufacture of extremely small mechanical devices built at the molecular level of matter. The goal of nanotechnology is to be able to manipulate materials at the atomic level to build the smallest possible electromechanical devices, given the physical limitations of matter. Much of the mechanical systems we know how to build will be transferred to the molecular level as some atomic analogy. However even though nanotechnology sounds like a dream come true there are some major ethical issues with it. For example, the ability to operate these small but powerful machines may lead to self-replication. Researchers have hypotheses that if this were to happen it would lead to The Grey Goo Scenario. This hypothesis states that if nanobots were left to self-replicate they would consume all biomass on Earth while building more of themselves.

A local science teacher, Kelvin Childress has said ‘I think all technological advancements are great for human kind and the path to “destruction.” Technologies like this have extreme promise in bettering the lives of all humans (and other organisms) and many great applications, but with all technology we need to stop and question worse case scenarios, because it is inevitable that once technologies exist, they will used in negative ways. Ethical questioning is best used in genetics (for most sciences at least) and that this ethical questioning first strategy should be used in nanotechnologies more often. Each small step is well intentioned and typically with good desires, but the collective progress can be damning.’ However, another local teacher has said ‘There is always opposition to new or mainstream wonders. Something like nanotechnology has been something seen as a negative, especially in the media. I believe machines this advanced would not be easily accessible to the public and will never reach a scenario like the Grey Goo Scenario. Explorations into the unknown have benefited society heavily and there are more drastic events happening currently such as global warming After reading these two opinions, it can be hard to decide whether nanotechnology will devastate the planet, as a reader you are entitled to any opinion and to end this article, I will end this article with a question.

Will nanotechnology be humanity’s redeeming feature or the reason for our extinction?