Nanotechnology Essays - Emerging Technologies, Nanotechnology

Nanotechnology Curtis Shephard Nanotechnology: Immortality or total annihilation? Technology has evolved from ideals once seen as unbelievable to common everyday instruments. Computers that used to occupy an entire room are now the size of notebooks. The human race has always pushed for technological advances working at the most efficient level, perhaps, the molecular level. The developments and progress in artificial intelligence and molecular technology have spawned a new form of technology; Nanotechnology. Nanotechnology could give the human race eternal life, or it could cause total annihilation. The idea of nanotech was conceived by a man named K. Eric Drexler (Stix 94), which he defines as "Technology based on the manipulation of individual atoms and molecules to build structures to complex atomic specifications (Drexler, "Engines" 288)." The technology which Drexler speaks of will be undoubtedly small, in fact, nano- structures will only measure 100 nanometers, or a billionth of a meter (Stix 94). Being as small as they are, nanostructures require fine particles that can only be seen with the STM, or Scanning Tunneling Microscope (Dowie 4). Moreover the STM allows the scientists to not only see things at the molecular level, but it can pick up and move atoms as well (Port 128). Unfortunately the one device that is giving nanoscientists something to work with is also one of the many obstacles restricting the development of nanotech. The STM has been regarded as too big to ever produce nanotech structures (Port 128). Other scientists have stated that the manipulation of atoms, which nanotech relies on, ignores atomic reality. Atoms simply don't fit together in ways which nanotech intends to use them (Garfinkel 105). The problems plaguing the progress of nanotech has raised many questions among the scientific community concerning it's validity. The moving of atoms, the gathering of information, the restrictions of the STM, all restrict nanotech progress. And until these questions are answered, nanotech is regarded as silly (Stix 98). But the nanotech optimists are still out there. They contend that the progress made by a team at IBM who was able to write letters and draw pictures atom by atom actually began the birth of nanotech (Darling 49). These same people answer the scientific questions by replying that a breakthrough is not needed, rather the science gained must be applied (DuCharme 33). In fact, Drexler argues that the machines exist, trends are simply working on building better ones ("Unbounding" 24). Drexler continues by stating that the machines he spoke about in "Engines of Creation" published in 1986 should be developed early in the 21st century ("Unbounding" 116). However many scientists still argue that because nanotech has produced absolutely nothing physical, it should be regarded as science fiction (Garfinkel 111). Secondly, nano-doubters rely on scientific fact to condemn nanotech. For example it is argued that we are very far away from ever seeing nanotech due to the fact that when atoms get warm they have a tendency to bounce around. As a result the bouncing atoms collide with other materials and mess up the entire structure (Davidson A1). Taken in hand with the movement of electron charges, many regard nanotech as impossible (Garfinkel 106). But this is not the entirety of the obstacles confining nanotech development. One major set-back is the fact that the nanostructures are too small to reflect light in a visible way, making them practically invisible (Garfinkel 104). Nevertheless, Nanotech engineers remain hopeful and argue that; "With adequate funding, researchers will soon be able to custom build simple molecules that can store and process information and manipulate or fabricate other molecules, including more of themselves. This may occur before the turn of the century."(Roland 30) There are other developments also, that are pushing nanotech in the right direction for as Lipkin pointed out recent developments have lead to possibilities of computers thinking in 3-D (5). Which is a big step towards the processing of information that nanotech requires. Although there are still unanswered questions from some of the scientific community, researchers believe that they are moving forward and will one day be able to produce nanomachines. One such machine is regarded as a replicator. A replicator, as it's name implies, will replicate; much like the way in which

Frued essays

Frued essays Known as the "father of psychology," Freud developed many of the first theories of modern physiology. His ideas and concepts will continue to be studied through the years. He put forth many new concepts about sexuality, consciousness, unconsciousness and instincts. He spent his whole life devoted to discovering the secrets of the human nature. Personally I think this guy was weird. Sigmund Freud was born on May 6, 1856 in Freiburg. The town of Freiburg later became Pribor and was eventually absorbed into the modern state of Czechoslovakia. Freuds father, name Jakob Freud was a Jewish wool merchant. Freuds mother Amalie Nathanson was from Galicia. She was Jakobs second wife. Sigmund had eight brothers and sisters in all. Two of which were from Jakobs first marriage. The other six were from Amelia. His first influences to science were when he heard lectures on Goethe. In 1873 he applied to the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Vienna, here was where he changed his name from Sigismund to Sigmund. He earned is doctorate in medicine and worked as a research assistant under Ernst Von Brucke, as a neurologist. In 1882, Freud became interested in the effects and benefits of cocaine. He spent long hours recording the effects they had on his body. These studies hurt his status as a scientist because other scientists already documented the harmful effect s cocaine has on the body. In 1886 Freud started his first office of neurology in Vienna. That same year he married Martha Bernays. This marriage produced six children named Mathilde, Martin, Oliver, Ernst, Sophia and Anna. Also around that time in 1885 he produced his studies on hysteria. In 1900 Freud published his first book called the Interpretation of Dreams, which made him famous. The next year he published Psycho Pathology of Everyday Life. Also in 1901 he became an associate professor of the Faculty of Medicine ...