Recap

Nanotech Advances

Journalist and author Douglas Mulhall extolled the benefits of 'bottom-up' nanotechnology, in which atoms and molecules are used as building blocks to assemble larger things. Citing DNA as the ultimate example of bottom-up assembly in nature, Mulhall said learning to emulate DNA-type processes is critical to our biological and technological evolution.

Further, Mulhall suggested nanotechnology could be used by government agencies to help mitigate the astronomical costs associated with natural disasters. "We can't continue taking $100 billion hits on the economy," he stated, referring to the recent destruction in New Orleans. Nano-materials that are much stronger than steel and concrete could be used to reconstruct affected areas in a way that makes them immune to hurricanes and tsunamis, Mulhall noted.

Mulhall also talked about a possible 'gray goo' scenario involving a homemade virus, as well as the role of nanobacteria in infectious disease and calcification, which he said is responsible for most of the diseases on the leading causes of death list. For more information on calcification visit calcify.com.