From: Terry W. Colvin (fortean1@mindspring.com)
Date: Mon Feb 17 2003 - 08:50:50 MST
< http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/2758191.stm >
By Alex Kirby
BBC News Online environment correspondent
A confrontation over nanotechnology could be as bitter as the current debate
over biotechnology, researchers fear.
They say the emerging knowledge has the power to revolutionise society.
But its power to exploit the potential of extremely small-scale systems is
outrunning our capacity to digest its implications.
The researchers say the only hope is rapidly to close the gap between the
science and ethics of nanotechnology.
Go into a British pub and say 'nanotechnology', and nobody knows what
you're talking about
Dr Peter Singer, JCB
The warning comes in a study by the Joint Centre for Bioethics (JCB) at the
University of Toronto, Canada.
The study, Mind the Gap: Science and Ethics in Nanotechnology, is published
in the UK journal Nanotechnology.
The cause of the researchers' concern is the process of building working
devices, systems and materials molecule by molecule, by controlling matter
measured in billionths of a metre.
Small is effective
Perhaps more significantly, nanotechnology is about exploiting the unique
and powerful electrical, physical and chemical properties found at that
scale.
The new science has developed from advances in microscopy, materials
science, molecular-level manipulation, and the relationship between
classical and quantum physics.
It has already seen single-molecule transistors, an enzyme-powered
bio-molecular motor with nickel propellers, and a minute carrier able to
cross from the blood to the brain to deliver chemicals to fight tumours.
I don't want the science to slow down - I want the ethics to catch up
Dr Peter Singer, JCB
Hypothetical advances suggested include cheap, light materials strong enough
to make space transport economical, and the ability to remove greenhouse
gases from the atmosphere.
Some enthusiasts even claim it may be possible to revive people now in
suspended animation, though they have little support.
The JCB researchers say nanotechnology raises unique questions that may
require specific regulations.
Problem areas include:
Equity: who will benefit - just the rich, or the poor as well?
Privacy and security: invisible microphones, cameras and tracking devices
could improve security, and help catch terrorists. What are the military
applications?
Environment: what will the new nano-materials do when they are released?
The study says although research is still in its infancy, with most
applications perhaps years away, "the backlash against the new technology is
already gathering momentum".
Awful warning
Research and development spending on nanotechnology is growing fast - in the
US up from $432 million in 1997 to $604m by 2002, in Japan from $120m to
$750m over the same period.
Cheaper space travel might be possible
The researchers say: "There is a danger of derailing nanotechnology if
serious study of its ethical, environmental, economic, legal and social
implications does not reach the speed of progress in the science."
They say they fear "a showdown of the type we saw with genetically-modified
crops".
One of the authors, Dr Peter Singer, said: "Nanotechnology is going to cause
a major revolution that will have a profound impact on society.
Hope for the poor
"Technology promising such massive changes in our lives will be viewed with
suspicion and perhaps outright fear."
Dr Singer told BBC News Online: "There's a lot of hype around
nanotechnology, but there's also great potential.
"The science is barrelling forward, but the ethics aren't, and there's very
little public engagement.
"Go into a British pub and say 'nanotechnology', and nobody knows what
you're talking about.
"The first step is a fully-informed public - that's the gap we have to
close, so we can optimise the benefits and minimise the risks," he said.
"The key equity issue is how we can use nanotechnology to help development,
to narrow the gap between the rich and the poor worlds.
"I don't want the science to slow down. I want the ethics to catch up," said
Dr Singer.
-- Terry W. Colvin, Sierra Vista, Arizona (USA) < fortean1@mindspring.com > Alternate: < fortean1@msn.com > Home Page: < http://www.geocities.com/Area51/Stargate/8958/index.html > Sites: * Fortean Times * Mystic's Haven * TLCB * U.S. Message Text Formatting (USMTF) Program ------------ Member: Thailand-Laos-Cambodia Brotherhood (TLCB) Mailing List TLCB Web Site: < http://www.tlc-brotherhood.org >[Vietnam veterans, Allies, CIA/NSA, and "steenkeen" contractors are welcome.]
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