anon329194 Post 8

"We should be fine." That's reassuring, until of course, with further research, they find that they can manipulate the very structure of an atom and then what'll happen? Now they'll be able to create "elements" which will then earn them a Nobel Prize. At what point will they learn that there are just certain things we as humans aren't supposed to mess with?

However, you can't tell a scientist who's spent his whole life on research to stop and "you're going too far". We as humans will always go too far, which happens to be the very reason we are in the political dilemma we are in.

We as humans are a threat to ourselves because we are humans, not computers and we make mistakes. I'll have to agree that the technology has its benefits but the risk of it getting into the wrong hands is too high. People are always looking to make that buck, and what if it gets into the hands of terrorists?

I don't trust another human with this type of responsibility. I hate to be so pessimistic but it's dangerous and we as humans always have to learn by trial and error,I'm just saying, I'd hate for that error to wipe out 90 percent of the planet!

@umbra21 - The technology scares me and it's not just because I read too many science fiction novels. It's the same kind of playing with fire that they do when they try to manipulate genetic material.

Nanomaterial is the same in that, once it gets out of our control it would be near impossible to regain it. And it's easy to say that they simply won't make the stuff self replicate and that solves the problem. In order for it to be effective it needs to either be very enduring or self replicating, because it's so small. But, because it's so small if it is let loose, say into a human body, or even into the atmosphere, then how can they ever account for it again?

It's a dangerous path and this isn't even mentioning the potential for people to deliberately misuse it.

@KoiwiGal - It's a shame that most people's introduction to nanotechnology is through those sorts of science fiction stories. It is very rarely portrayed in a positive light.

Although it's good in a way, because it means that scientists aren't going to take the technology lightly. It does have a huge potential for harm, but its potential for good is even bigger.

Read the original post:

What is Nanoengineering? - wiseGEEK