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>>NANOTECHNOLOGY AND PEACE >> >>with Christine Peterson, PhD >> >>by Billii Roberti >> >>IMAGINE what it would be like if we could clean up the >>Earth's air and water by manufacturing products from >>the pollutants themselves. >> >>IMAGINE what it would be like if there were limitless >>resources. >> >>IMAGINE what it would be like if there were a way to >>create tremendous wealth, sufficient to cause radical >>change to the political and economic structures of the >>world. >> >>IMAGINE sitting with your family in a garden outside a >>house that built itself, waiting for your >>roast-nanoturkey dinner to be ''assembled'' from a >>nanotech ''feedstock'' derived from the normal waste >>products of your family's life. >> >> >>The ability to do the first three things on the above >>list may be in place in less than a decade. And the >>turkey dinner is only a more sophisticated application >>of the same approach. It's called >>''nanotechnology.''[1] And a world at peace is one of >>the key futurist scenarios set forth by those involved >>in this radical new science. >> >>The Spirit of Ma'at interviewed Christine Peterson, >>PhD, president of the Foresight Institute, a nonprofit >>organization guiding new technologies to improve the >>human condition. Dr. Peterson gave us an expanded >>vision of this possible future. ''Imagine walls,'' she >>said, ''that use some highly advanced screen >>technology, so that one minute it looks like a wall, >>the next it's like a window, the next minute it's a >>video screen. Clothing could have an active component, >>so that it could re-arrange itself. One minute you're >>wearing slacks, it gets hot and you and want shorts, >>so you type something into your pants and they become >>shorts. They re-arrange themselves, basically.'' >> >>According to nanotechnology guru K. Eric Drexler, >>Ph.D., "To have any hope of understanding our future, >>we must understand the consequences of assemblers, >>disassemblers, and nanocomputers. They promise to >>bring changes as profound as the industrial >>revolution, antibiotics, and nuclear weapons all >>rolled up in one massive breakthrough." >> >>Drexler is chairman of the Foresight Institute, and >>also is a research fellow of the Institute for >>Molecular Manufacturing. As such, he was asked to >>testify in 1992 before a Senate subcommittee on >>nanotechnology. In this testimony, Dr. Drexler >>estimated the total development time for >>nanotechnology to be 15 years. By this estimate, we >>may be seeing major scientific benefits as early as >>2007. >> >>According to Drexler, >> >> >>"The idea that new kinds of nanomachinery will bring >>new, useful abilities may seem startling: in all its >>billions of years of evolution, life has never >>abandoned its basic reliance on protein machines. ... >>Any production manager can well appreciate the >>reasons; even more than a factory, life cannot afford >>to shut down to replace its old systems. >> >>"Improved molecular machinery should no more surprise >>us than alloy steel being ten times stronger than >>bone, or copper wires transmitting signals a million >>times faster than nerves. Cars outspeed cheetahs, jets >>outfly falcons, and computers already outcalculate >>head-scratching humans. The future will bring further >>examples of improvements on biological evolution, of >>which second-generation nanomachines will be but >>one."[2] >>Dr. Peterson stressed the zero-pollution aspects of >>nanotechnology. ''Basically,'' she said, ''pollution >>is atoms and molecules that are out of place. They're >>not where they belong, and are causing a problem. And >>in this vision of molecular manufacturing –which is >>another term for advanced nanotechnology –we should be >>able to take those materials and use them as feedstock >>into some other process. The goal is zero chemical >>pollution. Someday, with this technology, we can do >>that economically. >> >>Dr. Drexler also stressed the antipollution aspects >>when he suggested to the Senate subcommittee that some >>of the products of nanotechnology include: >> >> >>Clean, highly productive manufacturing systems >>New molecular instruments for science and medicine >>Extremely compact, energy-efficient computers >>Stronger materials for lighter and more efficient >>vehicles >>Inexpensive solar cells suitable for use in roofing >>and paving[3] >> >> >>Comparing nanotechnology to the technology of green >>plants, Dr. Drexler suggested in his Senate testimony >>that this new science can provide: >> >> >>Low-cost production of solar collectors >>Low-cost production of large structures stronger than >>wood >>Manufacturing that creates no waste products, thus >>eliminating the need for disposal of toxic chemicals >>Absorption of atmospheric carbon dioxide >>Compatibility with the natural world[4] >> >> >>What Is Nanotechnology >> >>Nanotechnology is the science of manufacturing >>products at a whole new level of existence –the level >>of molecules and atoms. "Nano" means one-billionth. >>Nanotechnology works with structures in the size range >>of 1 to 1000 nanometers, or one-billionth to >>one-millionth of a meter. >> >>We may gain some perspective on how small this is by >>comparing a nanometer to a micron, the unit of >>measurement for living cells. Since micron >>measurements are used for gene splicing, we can see >>that nanotechnology involves manufacturing systems >>that are a thousand times smaller than those used by >>genetic research. A nanometer is a thousand times >>smaller than a micron. >> >>Part of the innovation in this new technology is that >>the manufacturing process is self-replicating –just as >>crystals and living cells are. And in a >>self-replicating system, the cost of manufacturing is >>the cost of the materials themselves. Since the waste >>products of civilization actually contain, at the >>molecular level, all of the raw materials we need, >>nanotechnology thus offers the utopian future vision >>of absolute sustainability and abundance for all. >> >>But self-replicating machines may be a ways off, Dr. >>Peterson told us. ''Generally, the self-replicating >>kinds of nanotechnology –the zero-pollution type >>thing, for example –I really don't think we will see >>those for at least a decade, and lots of folks would >>argue two decades or more. Of course, we see it in >>living systems, but not yet in man-made systems. But >>that is where you get the really powerful stuff. >>That's how you get the cost down, when you get these >>systems copying themselves. It doesn't require any >>human labor.'' >> >>How Does Nanotechnology Work >> >>Nanotechnology replicates products in the same way >>that DNA, RNA and even viruses do. If you will recall, >>the DNA molecule is a sequence of chemically-encoded >>instructions. When nutrients are supplied to a cell, >>DNA uses these nutrients to ''assemble'' the life form >>it represents according to these encoded instructions. >> >>In the same way, manufacturing at the nanometer level >>requires an assembler, which is a kind of molecular >>robot, and a manufacturing program that defines the >>product's matrix: how the pieces fit together into a >>complete and coherent system. Using the program, the >>assembler positions the atoms and molecules into the >>matrix. ''The assemblers would look like little >>robots,'' Dr. Peterson said, ''with little assembly >>lines bringing the materials to them, in an organized >>fashion. It's a pretty complex system.'' >> >>There are "wet" (organic), "dry" (inorganic carbon- or >>silicon-based, or metallurgical), and "computational" >>(computer modeling) nanotechnology systems.[5] >> >>Nanotechnology and the Future >> >>The relationship between nanotechnology and future >>peace is on many fronts. The most conspicuous are the >>vistas of abundance and ease that would exist in a >>world where factory labor is a thing of the past, and >>the competition for goods no longer provides a basis >>for war. >> >>On a subtler level, the healing of the earth's air and >>water which nanomanufacturing implies would eliminate >>much of the strife we now experience on a worldwide >>basis. The relationship between crimes of violence and >>pollution levels is well established (see [6]). In >>this, as in many other ways, manufacturing >>technologies that work in harmony with nature can >>transform our world. >> >>It's Not All Turkeys and Roses >> >>Self-replicating systems have unique risks. Ralph >>Merkle, PhD, principle fellow of Zyvex –the first >>molecular nanotechnology company –writes, "Unlike >>ordinary systems, they [self-replicating systems] can >>theoretically inflict an unlimited amount of damage. >>They could theoretically, for example, replicate >>unchecked and destroy the planet."[7] Like Drexler, >>Merkle is an adviser to the Foresight Institute, and >>is involved with others whose concerns have led them >>to look for ways to regulate nanotechnology's >>development. One idea is to create a central >>clearinghouse for coordinating and sharing data and >>ideas, and determining the boundaries of further >>research.[8, 9] >> >>In line with these goals, in the last two years the >>federal government has begun to support a major new >>National Nanotechnology Initiative. President >>Clinton's FY 2001 budget request included $500 million >>in funding for nanotechnology, almost double that for >>FY 2000.[10] >> >>Dr. Peterson, asked how the future of nanotechnology >>relates to future peace, said that her organization, >>the Foresight Institute, ''was founded to look at that >>question and say, gee, at first glance, this >>technology would seem to be able to make really >>powerful weapons. And that was a concern, and still is >>a concern of ours, it's probably our major concern, >>and how to head that off. Now it turns out that this >>technology is also very useful for things like arms >>control surveillance technology, arms control >>verification. And I think that's what is going to have >>to make the difference. ... [and] if people are >>getting their basic needs met and have a really good >>quality of life there's less incentive to have >>resource wars. So this would remove the material >>reasons for war, the resource reasons. >> >>''This is all going to happen,'' Dr. Christine >>Peterson concluded. ''And then we'll see to what >>extent people are discouraged from fighting by >>material prosperity and environmental quality.'' >> >>Whatever it leads to, Nanotechnology has moved beyond >>the realm of science fiction and into science fact. >> >>How We Can Help >> >>What can we, as ordinary citizens, do to help guide >>this brilliant new technology past the many possible >>dangers into a reality of peace and prosperity for >all? >> >>On thing we can do is to visualize that the matrix >>chosen by nanotechnologists will be the same one used >>by Nature: the Flower of Life. Since scientists >>receive inspiration from the group mind, if we seed >>this group mind with structures in the form of >>Platonic solids, these are the morphologies they will >>use.[11] >> >>More generally, we can simply project a future in >>which nanotechnology has been put to the service of an >>abundant and peaceful world. >> >>''You want some nanogravy on that?''
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