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Flying cars, space travel for everyone,
the elimination of poverty and hunger, and powerful new
tools to combat disease and even fight aging -- these are
some of the amazing predicted developments of nanotechnology,
the emerging science of designing and building machines
at the molecular and atomic levels. Will this new scientific
revolution be for better or worse? Some commentators have
described utopias; others have prophesied disaster. Find
out the likely reality from an expert, Dr. J. Storrs Hall,
in the absorbing insider's guide to the future.
Hall -- a leading researcher on the frontiers
of nanotechnology who has designed for NASA -- describes
nanotechnology in a very accessible way, so that anyone
can understand what it's about, its extraordinary possibilities,
and its obvious limitations. He puts it into historical
context, explaining how previous technological developments
have shaped our lives, how nanotechnology fits into historical
trends for technologies ranging from motors to medicine,
and how the continuation of these trends, with nanotechnology
as a strong determining factor, will profoundly affect life
in the coming years.
In addition to describing his famous invention
Utility Fog, Hall explains how nanotechnology will
make possible many of the science fiction dreams of the
past. But what hurdles -- technological, economic, political,
or social -- stand in the way? What dangers will this powerful
new technology pose? How will it impact the environment?
The true pitfalls are not what you may think and are far
different from the fears of today's alarmists. In a straightforward,
balanced manner, Hall analyzes the benefits as well as the
potential risks.
Together with its sister science of biotechnology,
nanotechnology has the potential to alter the very human
race and change who we are. Can this possibly be good? No
one knows for sure, but the basis for informed thought can
be found in Hall's captivating examination of this exciting
topic, which will open doors to the future.
J. Storrs Hall, Ph.D., the inventory
of Utility Fog, is Chief Scientist of Nanorex, Inc.,
and a fellow of the Molecular Engineering Research Institute.
He served as a computer systems architect at the Laboratory
for Computer Science Research at Rutgers University from
1985 to 1997. He is the author of the "Nanotechnologies"
section for The Macmillan Encyclopedia of Energy,
among many scientific articles, and has been cited in numerous
books.
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