What is Nanotechnology?
Nanotechnology is the study of the manipulation of extremely small matter, including atoms and molecules. Anything being developed or produced with the help of nanotechnology usually has one dimension that is at least 1 to 100 nanometers in size. To put it in perspective, if a meter was the Earth, a nanometer would be a marble. At such a small stature, quantum mechanics becomes an invaluable asset when observing the interactions between singular molecules and/or atoms. Nanotechnology can be applied during the production of semiconductor chips, in which small molecules of matter are laid out onto a tiny conductor chip, forming a vast matrix of connections that is practically invisible to the human-eye. This technology has laid the foundation for the Human race to be able to produce new materials on the nano-scale, allowing for extreme manipulation of even the most fleeting details within a molecule. There is even investigation into whether or not we will be able to directly control matter on a molecular or atomic scale. This technology may sound like a god-send, but imagine a scenario where the entire Earth is reduced to a pile of grey dust. The culprit, a self-replicating nano-robot, is impossible to see or kill. This nano-robot would need energy to self-replicate, and would thus search for the energy in its environment. The result would be an exponential explosion of nano-bots with an unsatisfiable hunger for anything. The arrival of this technology could either be a blessing or a plague, but we get to choose which one we want.
