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Nanotechnology: Immortality

 

            Nanotechnology: Immortality or total annihilation? .
             Technology has evolved from ideals once seen as unbelievable to common everyday instruments. .
             Computers that used to occupy an entire room are now the size of notebooks. The human race has always .
             pushed for technological advances working at the most efficient level, perhaps, the molecular level. The .
             developments and progress in artificial intelligence and molecular technology have spawned a new form .
             of technology; Nanotechnology. Nanotechnology could give the human race eternal life, or it could cause .
             total annihilation. .
             The idea of nanotech was conceived by a man named K. Eric Drexler (Stix 94), which he defines .
             as "Technology based on the manipulation of individual atoms and molecules to build structures to .
             complex atomic specifications (Drexler, "Engines" 288)." The technology, which Drexler speaks of, will be .
             undoubtedly small; in fact, nano- structures will only measure 100 nanometers, or a billionth of a meter .
             (Stix 94). .
             Being as small as they are, nanostructures require fine particles that can only be seen with the .
             STM, or Scanning Tunneling Microscope (Dowie 4). Moreover the STM allows the scientists to not only .
             see things at the molecular level, but it can pick up and move atoms as well (Port 128). Unfortunately the .
             one device that is giving nanoscientists something to work with is also one of the many obstacles .
             restricting the development of nanotech. The STM has been regarded as too big to ever produce nanotech .
             structures (Port 128). Other scientists have stated that the manipulation of atoms, which nanotech relies .
             on, ignores atomic reality. Atoms simply don't fit together in ways which nanotech intends to use them .
             (Garfinkel 105). The problems plaguing the progress of nanotech has raised many questions among the .
             scientific community concerning it's validity. The moving of atoms, the gathering of information, the .
             restrictions of the STM, all restrict nanotech progress.


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