Understanding Nanotechnology

* Another volume in the SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN series, this one exploring and explaining nanotechnology.

Everyone today knows what technology is. But what is nanotechnology Taken from the Greek, nano means 'one billionth part of' a whole. In modern parlance, it means very, very small. Nano-tech is the next step after miniaturization. Cell phones are miniaturized versions of traditional landline phones. Watches are miniature clocks. Desktop computers are miniature versions of the original analog calculating machines. Miniaturization is common in today's world. In tomorrow's world, nano-tech will be the new common technology. It will affect everyone on the planet & may even change civilization. UNDERSTANDING NANOTECHNOLOGY presents the cutting edge of a new technology that will find usage in medicine, space exploration, communications, manufacturing & almost every other aspect of modern society. Imagine getting an injection of 'smart' molecules that can seek out cancer cells & destroy them without hurting any of the surrounding tissue. Imagine a simultaneous space launch via the Shuttle of thousands of robotic probes, each no bigger than an insect & each programmed to do a single task in concert with all the others. And that's just the beginning....