Nano: The Emerging Science of Nanotechnology : Remaking the World-Molecule by Molecule

by Ed Regis

It's the ultimate nanotechnology--the attempt to build ordinary objects from the atoms up, molecule by molecule. So named because its building blocks are the smallest pieces of matter, nanotechnology will give us complete control over the structure of matter, allowing us to build any substance or structure permitted by the Laws of Nature. Placing atoms as if they were bricks, nano-machines could turn grass clippings into prime sirloin--directly, without cows. They could turn coal into diamond, & sheets of diamond into rocket engines. Suitably reprogrammed, the tiny machines could repair all of your body's ailing cells. Science fiction? Actually, scientists have already isolated individual atoms and moved them at will, even using them to spell out words on a scale so small that the entire ENCYCLOPEDIA BRITANNICA can be written on the head of a pin. Conceived by Nobel Prize winning physicist Richard Feynmen & pioneered by the remarkable K. Eric Drexler, who earned the first Ph.D. in the field he created at MIT more than a decade ago, nanotechnology is astoundingly near. In NANO, acclaimed science writer Ed Regis introduces us to the visionary engineers & scientists--as well as the critics--of this imminent technological revolution & shows how their work may soon begin changing the world as we know it, with fleets of molecular assemblers churning out essential commodities without human labor, the world economy would be transformed, famine & poverty banished forever. With cell-repair devices coursing through the human body, aging could be postponed, even halted, common diseases eradicated permanently. But would this new world be a return to Eden or a rash step into a dangerous future? Programmed differently, those same molecular machines could become agents more potent than the deadliest viruses. Articulate, intelligent, & entertaining, Regis reports on the wonders and perils of this new technology, & traces its philosophical implications.

Genres: Science, Nonfiction, Singularity

325 pages, Hardcover

Published January 1, 1995

About the author

Ed Regis holds a Ph.D. in philosophy from New York University and taught for many years at Howard University. He is now a full-time science writer, contributing to Scientific American, Harper's Magazine, Wired, Discover, and The New York Times, among other periodicals.

Reviews

[Gary Jones · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book is readable for the non-scientist, although some points are trickier or tedious sometimes. The book seems to repeat itself on many occasions, trying to hammer home the good, the bad and the ugly about nanotechnology and what it means for the future. Overall, the book is half about the history of nanotechnology and half a biography of K. Eric Drexler, the man who seemingly pushed molecular nanotechnology, despite ridicule from his peers.

[Gsmalz · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting book although I have real doubts about the viability of mechanical nanobots.My science is rusty but this seems to violate certain physics precepts. Not to mention that if something is that small how do you prevent it from being "eaten" by bacteria? Nonetheless worth a read although it's a bit outdated.

[Nick Black · Rating 2 out of 5]

Kinda shrill about the technology, but Eric Drexler's vision (as ripped off from Richard Feynman's famous "Plenty of Room at the Bottom" lecture) is becoming a reality.

Gotta love the Marcus Nanotechnology Research Building here at GT!

[Scott Lerch · Rating 4 out of 5]

After reading Eric Drexler's Engines of Creation this gave me a better understanding into how far we've come with nanotechnology. However, the field is moving so fast that this book already seems really outdated.

[Benjamin Spurlock · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fantastic and thought-provoking book about the future of humanity- both the good and the bad. A thorough summary of the science of molecular engineering, from its first inception to the modern era. Anyone interested in nanotechnology needs to read this book.

[Alon Gutman · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was a really nice book, popular introduction to nanotechnology, but its not up to date any more.