Period 7 Group 2: Nanotechnology Post 3 (Brandon, Kristina, Tristan, Zach)

Nanotechnology:

Nanotechnology is the ability to manipulate atoms and molecules for science, engineering, or technological purposes. Because of its wide array of uses, nanotechonolgy is considered a general purpose technology. It is conducted at the nanoscale, which is the scale of 1-100 nanometers. This scale is incredibly hard to imagine due to its unbelievable small size. Essentially, if an apple were the size of a nanoparticle, then we would be the size of the Earth. One can see how hard it is to build at this prodigiously small scale.

The concept of nanotechnology was started by Richard Feynam in 1959. Later, Professor Norio Taniguchi coined the term nanotechnology. Finally, in 1981, scanning tunneling microscopes and the atomic force microscopes were invented. Both of these allowed us to view actual atoms and kick started modern nanotechnology.

Manufacturing nanoscale materials, structures, devices, and systems is called nanomanufacturing. This field is growing every day. But why should we build anything at the nanoscale? Building things at the nanoscale can make them stronger, lighter weight, and more durable. Imagine a type of steel created at the nanoscale that takes full advantage of the material’s molecular potential. This new steel would be both lighter and stronger. The implications of this enhanced building material would mean taller skyscrapers, longer bridges, and lighter cars. Nanomanufacturing can also lead to much faster computers, more efficient energy sources, and new medical techniques. Some experts believe once nanomanufacturing becomes a viable method of production, it will start a new industrial revolution.

Nanomanufacturing may however prove hazardous to the human race. If nanomaterials were to be released into the environment, it could vastly change and harm local ecosystems and climates. Nanomanufacturing will also almost certainly be used to create more powerful weapons as well. In the wrong hands, this technology is certainly not a good thing.

Because of the many concerns about the effects of nanotechnology, scientists have posed some thought provoking questions. These questions ask who will own the technology, how available will it be, and what social and economic effects will it have. Although nanotechnology is a good 30 years away, these questions need to be answered sooner rather than later. If we are not prepared for this new technology, we could enter another “unstable arms race” (http://crnano.org).

The Process and Our Collaborative Effort:       

        Zach picked the topic of nanotechnology and seemed interested in the subject. The first two posts were done by Tristan, Zach, and Kristina. Because Brandon had contributed nothing to the first two posts, he made sure that he did the third post. We communicated well and worked together in a google doc, but for some reason no one else was willing to post or couldn't post to the blog, so Kristina did all the posting, after finding out that no one posted the other posts...

Works Cited:

Bonsor, Kevin, and Jonathan Strickland. "How Nanotechnology Works."HowStuffWorks. HowStuffWorks, Inc, n.d. Web. 12 Oct. 2013.

"What Is Nanotechnology?" Nano. National Nanotechnology Initiative, n.d. Web. 12 Oct. 2013.

"What Is Nanotechnology?" What Is Nanotechnology? CRN, n.d. Web. 12 Oct. 2013.