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Descrizione

"Sargent, visiting professor of nanotechnology at MIT, persuasively argues that advances in nanotechnology are occurring at a dizzying rate and have the potential to transform almost all aspects of human society, from health care to warfare. The book examines cutting-edge science in health, the environment and communications. Sargent's optimism knows almost no limits. He predicts that with nanotechnology's ability "to design and build matter to order," scientists will soon be able to prescribe nano-size drugs that will identify and kill single cancerous cells long before they can do any harm, and regenerate nerve cells to cure spinal cord injuries. Further, Sargent says, "new technologies may allow ground-based warfare without people." Throw in a limitless energy supply and a fully integrated computer and communications system that will become an integral part of humans, and you have a utopia almost beyond belief. Indeed, with only a few pages devoted to possible negative environmental consequences of runaway nanotechnology, Sargent's utopia is beyond belief. Although his exuberance is somewhat infectious, he tries a bit too hard to make his writing witty, such as describing an optical detector as "a voyeur, a castrato ogling the photon but under-equipped to seduce it." Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

"Nanotechnologists work on the molecular level to "coax matter into new forms," explains Sargent, a professor of nanotechnology, in this lively and informative introduction to a burgeoning field. Uniting chemistry, physics, and biology, nanotechnology seems destined to launch a revolution even more far-reaching than the digital wave. Sargent begins in the 1980s with the creation of a new stable carbon molecule called the buckyball in honor of Buckminster Fuller's geodesic dome, then clearly and entertainingly describes each phase of nano-innovation. Delineating both the science and the applications involved, and profiling key scientists, Sargent explains how nanoparticles can detect and treat cancer, how nanotechnology can vastly improve the capacity of solar cells and help wean us off oil, and how molecular motors will make molecular electronics possible for the construction of ever smaller, more flexible, easier-to-use computers. As with all human inventions, nanotechnologies have capabilities for good and ill. Sargent's sharply etched explanations will help nonscientists stay informed about the pros and cons of new developments as the material world continues to morph before our eyes." Donna Seaman Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Commenti

Un'introduzione alle prospettive ed alle applicazioni delle nanotecnologie.

Keywords

science nanotechnology nanotecnologie physics fisica futurist economia politica tecnica tecnologia AI IA,