Jim_Day.XSIS@xerox.com (11/06/90)
In a recent nanotech message, Steve Simmons quoted the following from the November Reader's Digest: " . . . in this world of nonotechnology (from the Greek nanos, or dwarf) . . ." The word "nonotechnology" is a trivial typo, but I think it may turn out to be apposite to many branches of technology in the 21st century. Indeed, the 21st century may well go down in future history books as "the age of forbidden technology." The dangers inherent in genetic engineering, nuclear physics, and nanotechnology are obvious. As science advances in all fields, many new and potentially dangerous discoveries will inevitably be made. Nanotechnology will surely hasten the pace of such discoveries and facilitate their use for both constructive and destructive ends. The governments of industrialized nations will have little choice but to step in and regulate the use of nanotechnology, making it a "nonotechnology" for anyone lacking governmental approbation.