Nanotechnology: Immortality Or Total Annihilation? Essay, Research Paper

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. And until these questions are answered, nanotech

is regarded as silly (Stix 98).

But the nanotech optimists are still

out there. They contend that the progress made by a team at

IBM who was able to write letters and

draw pictures atom by atom actually began the birth of nanotech

(Darling 49). These same people

answer the scientific questions by replying that a breakthrough is not

needed, rather the science gained must

be applied (DuCharme 33). In fact, Drexler argues that the

machines exist, trends are simply working

on building better ones (”Unbounding” 24). Drexler continues

by stating that the machines he spoke

about in “Engines of Creation” published in 1986 should be

developed early in the 21st century (”Unbounding”

116).

However many scientists still argue

that because nanotech has produced absolutely nothing

physical, it should be regarded as science

fiction (Garfinkel 111). Secondly, nano-doubters rely on

scientific fact to condemn nanotech.

For example it is argued that we are very far away from ever seeing

nanotech due to the fact that when atoms

get warm they have a tendency to bounce around. As a result

the bouncing atoms collide with other

materials and mess up the entire structure (Davidson A1). Taken in

hand with the movement of electron charges,

many regard nanotech as impossible (Garfinkel 106). But

this is not the entirety of the obstacles

confining nanotech development. One major set-back is the fact

that the nanostructures are too small

to reflect light in a visible way, making them practically invisible

(Garfinkel 104).

Nevertheless, Nanotech engineers

remain hopeful and argue that; “With adequate funding,

researchers will soon be able to custom

build simple molecules that can store and process information and

manipulate or fabricate other molecules,

including more of themselves. This may occur before the turn of

the century.”(Roland 30) There are

other developments also, that are pushing nanotech in the right

direction for as Lipkin pointed

out recent developments have lead to possibilities of computers thinking

in

3-D (5). Which is a big step towards

the processing of information that nanotech requires. Although

there are still unanswered questions from

some of the scientific community, researchers believe that they

are moving forward and will one day be

able to produce nanomachines.

One such machine is regarded as a

replicator. A replicator, as it’s name implies, will replicate;

much like the way in which genes are able

to replicate themselves (Drexler, “Engines” 23). It is also

believed that once a replicator has made

a copy of itself, it will also be able to arrange atoms to build

entirely new materials and structures

(Dowie 5).

Another perceived nanomachine is

the assembler. The assembler is a small machine that will

take in raw materials, follow a set of

specific instructions, re-arrange the atoms, and result in an

altogether new product (Darling 53).

Hence, one could make diamonds simply by giving some assemblers

a lump of coal. Drexler states that

the assemblers will be the most beneficial nanites for they will build

structures atom by atom (”Engines” 12).

Along with the assemblers comes its opposite, the disassembler.

The disassembler is very similar to the

assemblers, except it works backwards. It is believed that these

nanites will allow scientists to analyze

materials by breaking them down, atom by atom (Drexler,

“Engines” 19). As a result of the

enhanced production effects of assemblers Drexler believes that they will

be able to shrink computers and improve

their operation, giving us nanocomputers. These machines will

be able to do all things that current

computers can do, but at a much more efficient level.

Once these nanomachines are complete

they will be able to grasp molecules, bond them together,

and eventually result in a larger, new

structure (Drexler, “Engines” 13). Through this and similar

processes the possibilities of nanotech

are endless. It is believed that nanites could build robots, shrunken

versions of mills, rocket ships, microscopic

submarines that patrol the bloodstream, and more of

themselves (Stix 94). Hence, their

is no limit to what nanotech can do, it could arrange circuits and build

super-computers, or give eternal life

(Stix 97). Overall Drexler contends; “Advances in the technologies

of medicine, space, computation, and production-and

warfare all depend on our ability to arrange atoms.

With assemblers, we will be able to remake

our world, or destroy it” (”Engines” 14).

In a more specific spectrum, are

the impacts nanotechnology could have on the area of

production. Nanotechnology could

greatly increase our means of production. Nanites have the ability

to

convert bulks of raw materials into manufactured

goods by arranging atoms (DuCharme 58). As a result

of this increased efficiency, DuCharme

believes that this will become the norm in producing goods, that

this whole filed will now be done at the

molecular level (34). Thus, nanotech could eliminate the need for

production conditions that are harmful

or difficult to maintain (Roland 31). Moreover, the impact that

nanotech will have on production could

lead to a never before seen abundance of goods. Costs and labor

will all be significantly cheaper.

Everyone would be able to use nanotech as a tool for increased efficiency

in the area of production (DuCharme 60).

The overall effects of nanotech on producing materials were

best summed up by Dowie, “This new revolution

won’t require crushing, boiling, melting, etc. Goods

would now be built from the atom up by

nanomachines” (4).

Nanotech will also be able to benefit

us in other ways. One great advantage to nanotech will be

the improvements it will lend in the areas

of medicine. With the production of microscopic submarines,

this branch of nanotech could be the most

appealing. These nanites would be able to patrol the

bloodstream sensing friendly chemicals

and converting bad ones into harmless waste (Darling 7). But

nanites will be able to do more than this,

this brand of nanites could also repair damaged DNA and hunt

cancer (Port 128). Thus, nanites

would be able to cure many illnesses and repair DNA. Moreover,

nanites could remove the need to keep

animals for human use, they could simply produce the food inside

your body (Darling 59). As a result

of nanites floating through your body and attacking harmful

substances such as cholesterol, people

could live indefinitely ? perhaps a millennia (Davidson A1).

This idea opens up another door

in the field of nanotech research, dealing with the potential for

immortality. But aside from providing

eternal life through fixing DNA and curing illnesses, nanotech

could be used with cryogenics in providing

never-ending life. The current problem with cryogenics is

after a person is frozen the cells in

their body expand and burst. Nanotech could solve for this problem

for

they could find and replace the

broken cells (DuCharme 152). Also, however, nanites wouldn’t even

require the entire frozen body.

They could simply replicate the DNA in a frozen head and then produce a

whole new person (DuCharme 155).

However, this poses a potential problem,

that being overpopulation, and the environment.

DuCharme contends that this should not

be a concern for a high standard of living will keep the

population from growing (61). However,

if the population were to increase nanotech will have produced

the energy to allow us to live in currently

uninhabitable areas of the earth (DuCharme 63). Nanites will

allow people to not only live on earth,

but on the sea, under the sea, underground, and in space due to

increased flight capabilities (DuCharme

64). Hence, the human race will have a near infinite space for

living. Also, nanites would reduce

the toxins manufactured from cars by producing cheap electric cars,

but also use disassemblers to clean

up waste dumps (DuCharme 68). The benefits of nanotech are

countless, it could be used to do anything

from spying to mowing the lawn (Davidson A1). However, with

the good comes the bad. Nanotech

could also bring some distinct disadvantages.

One scenario which illustrates the

danger of nanotech is referred to as the gray goo problem.

Gray Goo is referred to as when billions

of nanites band together and eat everything they come into

contact with (Davidson A1). However,

Davidson only gets the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the

deadliness of gray goo. Roland better

illustrates this hazards threat; “Nanotechnology could spawn a new

form of life that would overwhelm all

other life on earth, replacing it with a swarm of nanomachines.

This is sometimes called the ‘gray goo’

scenario. It could take the form of a new disease organism, which

might wipe out whole species, including

Homo Sapiens”(32). Simply put the nanites would replicate to

quickly and destroy everything including

the human race (Stix 95). Moreover, the rapid replication rate

that nanotech is capable of could allow

it to out-produce real organisms and turn the biosphere to dust

(Drexler, “Engines” 172). However,

death is only one of the dangers of gray goo. If controlled by the

wrong people, nanites could be used to

alter or destroy those persons enemies (Roland 32). But gray goo

is only of one of the many potential harms

of nanotech.

If so desired, nanotech could be

used as a deadly weapon. Although microscopic robots don’t

sound like a very effective weapon, Drexler

states that they are more potent than Nuclear weapons, and

much easier to obtain (”Engines” 174).

But aside from being used as a weapon, nanites would be able to

produce weapons at a quick and inexpensive

rate. In fact, with the ability to separate isotopes and atoms

one would be able to extract fissionable

Uranium 235 or Plutonium 239. With these elements, a person

has the key ingredients for a nuclear

bomb (Roland 34). As a result of the lethality of nano-weapons the

first to develop nanotech could use it

to destroy his rivals. New methods for domination will exist that

is

greater than Nukes and more dangerous

(Roland 33). This along with simple errors, such as receiving the

wrong instructions points toward nanotech

doing more harm than good (Darling 56).

Moreover, the threats from nanotech

could be a potential cause of extinction (Drexler, “Engines”

174). Drexler continues by saying

that unless precautions are taken nano could lead to complete

annihilation (”Engines” 23).

However, if nanotech does not lead

to extinction, it could be used to increase the power of states

and individuals. Bacon believes

that only the very most elite individuals will receive benefits from

nanotech. Beyond that however, it

is perceived that advanced tech extends the possibilities of torture used

by a state (Drexler, “Engines” 176).

However, states will become more powerful in other ways. With the

increase means of production, nanotech

could remove the need for any if not all people (Drexler,

“Engines” 176). This opens new doors

for totalitarian states. They would no longer require keeping

anyone alive, individuals would not be

enslaved, rather they would be killed (Drexler, “Engines” 176). It

is perceived that all the benefits would

remove all interdependence, and destroy the quality of life itself

(Roland 34).

In the end, nanotech could give a

lifestyle never before imagined. On the other hand, it could

destroy entire species. The effects

and potentials of nanotech are best summed up by it’s inventor,

Drexler, “Nanotechnology and artificial

intelligence could bring the ultimate tools of destruction, but they

are not inherently destructive.

With care, we can use them to build the ultimate tools of peace” (”Engines”

190). The question of how beneficial

nanotech will prove to be, can only be answered by time. Time will

tell whether developments and progress

in artificial intelligence and molecular technology will eventually

produce true nanotechnology. And,

if produced, whether this branch of science will give us immortality

or total annihilation.