Big questions for tiny particles

In the days when the Beach Boys ruled the radio and bikinis were the rave, beaches were populated by noses: big and slathered white with zinc oxide to avoid sunburn.

Today the big white noses are gone. Instead of relying on thick goo, many manufacturers now use titanium-dioxide particles so small the sunscreen looks invisible but still reflects away ultraviolet light. Chalk it up to an early use of nanotechnology, where "big" is defined as 1/1000th the width of a human hair and the possibilities look potentially limitless.

Yet even as nanotech goes commercial, environmental groups worry about its effect on health and safety. Long term, analysts say, society will have to confront a broad set of ethical and social issues as it deals with humanity's growing ability to manipulate atoms, molecules, and biology's genetic code. The real crunch may come if researchers manage to merge nanotechnology and biotechnology.

If they do combine the two - what Nobel Prize-winning chemist Richard Smalley has dubbed the "wet" and "dry" sides of nanotechnology - "then you start talking about some long-range issues," says Clayton Teague, who heads the coordinating office for the federal National Nanotechnology Initiative here. These might include the desirability of restoring or enhancing human capabilities such as sight or strength through hybrid nanotech-biotech devices.

Although not strictly nanotechnology, researchers have tested in humans tiny arrays of light- sensing diodes on a chip, which act as replacement photoreceptors, in a bid to restore human sight. Over the very long term, some researchers speak of tiny nanobots, perhaps with some form of artificial intelligence, injected into humans that repair damaged organs or remove obstructions.

Many researchers and industry insiders reject such speculation as hype. But others are less dismissive.

"Whether something looks loopy or not is a function of your time horizon," says Glenn Rey-nolds, a law professor at the University of Tennessee at Knoxville who specializes in nanotech issues. Some ideas, such as self-replicating nanobots, "are not loopy at all if you look far enough into the future."

Whatever nanotech's future, it's already big business. The federal government is pouring so much money into the field that the National Nanotechnology Initiative "is on track to become the second highest-funded science program after NASA," says Mark Modzelewski, executive director of the NanoBusiness Alliance in New York. Meanwhile, venture capital is flowing into the field at a pace that would make many biotech companies envious. In addition, the alliance is leading the US's first nanotech trade mission to Europe in September.

It's this growing level of commercial activity that is drawing the attention of groups such as Greenpeace, which late last month issued a report on the potential impact of nanotechnology and artificial intelligence on society. The report drew heavy criticism from many in the nanotech field. Others who have disagreed with the organization in the past say this effort was relatively tame and makes some useful points.

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