Its a new year for those using the Gregorian calendar, and this is about the time news organizations roll out their predictions for the coming year. Gerard Voland of Purdue asks what the future may be like in 2010, 2020 and beyond but fails to get beyond the usual stuff such as nanoweapon systems such as smart bullets that can track the motion and location of the target, while Ray Kurzweil plans to use nanotechnology to live forever, no doubt assuring a number of vitamin and food supplement manufacturers of a long term market.
Well, heres our prediction for 2005: nanotechnology and its impact on the environment will be a topic that will become even more heated in the coming year.
Unfortunately, our crystal ball is a bit cloudy on whether this topic will be discussed intelligently, or will continue being a platform for discussions of grey goo. We hope that science rather than emotion will inform the debate and that some worthy studies into the toxicology of nano-scale materials are conducted. Last years Royal Society report was a step in the right direction and we look for more balanced and thoughtful investigations like it in 2005. Already a number of toxicology studies are getting underway around the world, and we will be hearing plenty more on this in due course. We can only hope that pundist take the time to read the reports before either hyping or dismissing them. A recent piece in Technology review gives an indication of how seriously companies such as Mitsubishi are taking the issue.
Perhaps we will even see a scenario where the general public is neither uncritical boosters nor fearful victims well we have to start the year on a positive note.
A second prediction or perhaps a wish, is for some intelligent discussion of the issues raised by the Drexlerians. The propensity for vilification of detractors by some in the MNT community leads us to wonder whether we will have Drexleians and THRONG demonstrating side by side at nanotechnology events this year. Both groups need to slow down long enough to look at the scientific facts and attempt to understand them before inflicting their views on others. Drexlerians should start here, and THRONG can take a look at this.
Happy New Year!