Richard Jones has published a (rather lengthy) debate between Philip Moriarty and Chris Phoenix on the possibilities of mechanosynthesis.
Its a welcome first step towards bringing together the rather disparate views of the Drexlerians and the scientific community, however as usually happens when this type of discussion occurs between those who actually work in nanoscience laboratories, and those who live inside computer models, the debate turns acrimonious.
We should perhaps point out that a member of the Cientifica staff did his Ph.D. thesis on molecular manipulation alongside Philip at Nottingham, and hence we are more than aware of the practical difficulties of positioning even a single molecule on a specifically chosen surface, let alone getting this to happen with any speed or parallelism. And dont get us even started on the issue of repoducibilty! The end of an SPM tip is a magical place with a mind and will of its own
Good on Philip for offering up a slice of reality to Chris, however it appears to have resulted in severe indigestion!
If youd like to judge for yourself (and have a spare afternoon) then have a look for yourself.