Nanotechnology - Here Come the Tiny Things! Quiz

Answer: Richard P. Feynman

Richard P. Feynman made this startling claim at Caltech in 1959.

Answer: Engines of Creation

"Engines of Creation" is divided into broad conceptual chapters, most of which address particular fields and the potential applications of molecular manufacturing within those fields. Drexler also delves into the ethical and sociological implications of developing the technology.

The book is available in print, as well as for free online. It can be linked to by doing a web search on the Foresight Institute, a non-profit group dedicated to molecular nanotechnology research and discussion. Their own site has links that will redirect you to the entire book, or to specific chapters.

Answer: Buckyballs

The more technical term for the Buckyball is Buckministerfullerine. It is both the roundest and most symmetrical molecule known to man as of 2003. The Buckyball was discovered in 1985, and was named after the American architect R. Buckminister Fuller, who designed geodesic domes with the same fundamental symmetry. Buckministerfullerine is the third known stable form of pure carbon, after graphite and diamond.

The Buckyball has shown promise as a lubricant, a superconductor, and a building block for both hard and flexible materials.

Answer: Nanotubes

Carbon nanotubes are another nanotechnology building block. They are hollow pipelike structures of incredible strength, and can be capped at either end by fragments of fullerines. They come in three flavors, based on the relationship of the carbon lattice to the diameter of the tube:armchair, zigzag, and chiral.

Answer: 10^-9

Nano denotes 10 to the -9th power, or "one-billionth", and as regards nanotechnology refers to the nanometer, which is the scale of engineering using single atoms and molecules as building blocks. Milli is the prefix for 10^-3, micro is the prefix for 10^-6, and pico is the prefix for 10^-12.

Answer: Assembler

The term "assembler" was first used by K. Eric Drexler in his 1986 book "Engines of Creation", the work from which the quote in the question above is cited. At its theoretical limit, an assembler would be able to function much like the replicator in the Star Trek universe, using software and raw materials to create any conceivable physical object.

Answer: Gray goo

The term gray goo presumably was inspired by the 1958 horror/science fiction classic "The Blob", starring Steve McQueen. In the film a gooey extraterrestrial creature lands on Earth and begins devouring everything it comes in contact with, growing ever larger the more its amorphous form consumes.

Answer: Blue goo

Blue goo was conceived as a policing response to the insidious, destructive, and out-of-control gray goo. Gray goo could, theoretically, incessantly destroy anything and everything unless checked, its self-assembling molecules breaking down the structure of anything they encountered. Blue goo would be the countermeasure against this, serving as the immune system for the structure of the physical world.

There is much debate in the scientific community as to whether it would be possible to counteract the effects of gray goo quickly enough to prevent tremendous catastrophes, and this debate is known as the blue goo/gray goo argument within the nanotechnology community.

Answer: All of these

Indeed, these three things are among the greatest challenges to overcome on the technical side of molecular manufacturing. Societal factors also may prove to be serious impediments to the field, as fully realized molecular nanotechnology would drastically affect heretofore relatively stable elements of our society that carry deep weight. Distribution of wealth, human life-span, energy distribution, military technology, and philosophical and religious orientation are all factors that could be changed and/or challenged drastically in a matter of decades or less should the new technology become commonplace.

This will undoubtedly cause governments in the know to attempt to stifle or control nanotechnology, and this may prove to be the greatest obstacle of all.

Answer: Japan

As of 2002, Japan leads the nanotechnology pack with an annual research expenditure of $750 million. The United States is a strong second, with an investment of $603 million. Other countries/entities committed to the field include South Korea, Australia, Russia, Ukraine, China, and the EU. Tremendous breakthroughs have already been made, and nanotechnology is already on the verge of becoming a household word. Worldwide, total nanotechnology research investments totalled $2.25 billion in 2002. From 1997 to 2002, worldwide investment in the technology has risen more than 520 percent, from an initial 1997 figure of $432 million. This is a strong indicator that molecular manufacturing is being taken very seriously by the nations of the world.

As of 2003, the United States has budgeted $710 million toward nanotechnology research and development, an increase from 2002 of nearly 18 percent. Figures for other nations were unavailable as of this writing.