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Imagine how the world would change if we
could control matter at the level of the atom. There would
be no end to what we could create: blindingly fast quantum
computers far smaller than human cells; full medical-diagnostic
laboratories on a single microchip; paper-thin skis and
unscratchable kitchen counters; even armour so tough that
nothing could get through it.
It sounds like science fiction, but some
of these innovations are on the drawing board, and one --
the medical laboratory on a microchip -- is on the brink
of mass production. The innovations in computer technology
over the past quarter century are insignificant compared
to the world-shaking changes that nanotechnology will bring
to human civilization.
Nanocosm is more than a tale of fantastic
discovery -- it's also an engrossing, good humoured guide
to a new technology that will profoundly affect every aspect
of our lives. Augmented by interviews with CEOs, engineers,
and scientists all over the world who are making nanotechnology
a reality, author William Illsey Atkinson explains how and
why the very, very small will soon be making a very big
difference in the way we do business and the way we live.
Vancouver-based William Illsey Atkinson
is a critically acclaimed science and technology writer
and a frequent contributor to The Globe and Mail.
As media officer for the National Research Council, Atkinson
brought to light some of Canada's biggest science stories:
the space shuttle's Canadarm, the Varennes fusion reactor,
and the first synthetic human insulin gene. His previous
book, Prototype: How Canadian Innovation Is Shaping
the Future, was shortlisted for the National Business
Book Award.
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