Here is a brief but useful Q and A on nanotechnology:

Q. What is the definition of nanotechnology?

A. The term nano originates from a Greek word meaning dwarf.

Nanotechnology is science and engineering at the scale of atoms and molecules.  It is the manipulation and use of materials and devices so tiny that they can’t be seen by the naked eye.  Materials at the nanoscale are typically between 0.1 and 100 nanometres (nm) in size - 1 nm is one billionth of a metre (10^-9 m).

Most atoms are 0.1 to 0.2 nm wide, strands of DNA are around 2 nm wide, red blood cells are around 7000 nm in diameter, while human hairs are typically 80,000 nm across.

A nanometre is to a centimetre what the length of a human footprint is to the width of the Atlantic Ocean. A nanometre is also about the length human fingernails grow by each second.

Q. Why all the excitement?  What can nanotechnology be used fo?

A. These tiny machines would repair and maintain the human body from the inside out, fighting disease and making fixing problems, making humans virtually immortal.

Most realistically in the short term, nanotechnology could lead to important advances in computing, medicine and technologies to benefit the environment and all types of sciences.

In addition, Environmental scientists are also finding useful applications for nanotech in clearing up toxic waste from groundwater and polluted sites, as well as producing new more efficient solar power and fuel cells.

Q. Is nanotechnology already in use?  Where?

A. US government’s National Nanotechnology Initiative lists the following “in-use”:

• Computer hard drives
• Car parts and catalytic converters
• Scratch- and wear-resistant paints and coatings
• Sunscreens (titanium dioxide nanoparticles are transparent, yet absorb UV light at the same time) and lipsticks
• Longer lasting tennis balls, and hardwearing yet lightweight tennis racquets
• Metal cutting tools
• Antibacterial bandages incorporating silver nanoparticles
• Anti-static packaging for sensitive electronic equipment
• Nanofilm-coated “self-cleaning” windows and
• Stain-resistant fabrics

Q. Are there risks in the use of nanotechnology?  What are they?

A. In 2004 the UK’s Royal Society and Royal Academy of Engineering published a very thourough report and found that nanotechnology will present very few if any risks.