dmo@turkey.philips.com (Dan Offutt) (06/24/89)
Even if designing gray goo viable in a natural environment is a totally intractable problem, hybrids may be a problem. Suppose that entirely man-made viable gray goo is impossible. The possibility remains that a hybrids between nanoreplicators and life may be possible. An already-viable animal's primordial germ cells might be injected with single nanoreplicators designed to (1) self-replicate at the same time as the primordial germ cell, and (2) give the host organism a special and noxious ability that has not been realized by natural evolution but that can be realized by a nanoreplicator. For example, suppose a replicator could be introduced into some single-cell organism that the human immune system currently has some difficulty defeating. The organism might be *bred* to tolerate, or even actively support the nanoreplicator. And the in-vivo viability of the organism might be enhanced by designing the nanoreplicator to give the host organism some special defense against the human immune system. For example, an ability to detect and detach labeling molecules attached by the immune system to the surface of the organism. The design of such a hybrid seems more tractable than the design of fully man-made gray goo. Yet the hybrid could be just as deadly.
alan@oz.nm.paradyne.com (Alan Lovejoy) (06/29/89)
In article <Jun.24.01.06.06.1989.23833@athos.rutgers.edu> dmo@turkey.philips.com (Dan Offutt) writes: > >Even if designing gray goo viable in a natural environment is a >totally intractable problem, hybrids may be a problem. Genetically engineered diseases are a threat TODAY. Naturally-occuring diseases produced by evolotion have been, and continue to be, major problems. The most dangerous thing about nanotechnology is the biotechnology that necessarily will be a by-product of the development of nanotechnology. It is in this area that the greatest danger lies and where we must exercise the greatest care. Nanocomputers, assemblers and disassemblers do not have to be major threats if they are well-designed with safety in mind. What is dangerous is the knowledge of molecular engineering in general--and molecular biology in particular--that could enable inimical parties to design some rather fearsome weapons. Do not fear assemblers and disassemblers. Fear the knowledge of how to use them. We already have the ability to program ribosomes to produce any protein that can exist. But we have no comprehensive theory that relates protein chemical structure to biochemical function. Once we do have such a comprehensive theory, then watch out. I hope that such a theory will require an AI machine with super-human intelligence (at least for its application, if not its discovery), so that the AI can help us safely handle this knowledge. For instance, I would hope that the AI could design an active shield in a very short period of time. It's motivation for doing so could include the fact that it needs the shield for its own defense, that it has been conditioned to respect life in general and us in particular, that it is dependent on us for access to the real world (it's effectively "quadraplegic"), and that it's an "interesting problem." Designing assemblers, disassemblers and nanocomputers are not especially difficult problems. Understanding molecular mechanics and developing a technology of molecular engineering using nanomachines is the really hard problem. Basic nanomachines already exist in nature. Human-desinged nanomachines will appear by the year 2000 (with the probable exception of electronic/photonic nanocomputers: expect the nanocomputers around 2010). But these things are only tools. It is also necessary to know how to use them. Hammers, saws, screwdrivers, lathes and drills are much more dangerous in the hands of knowlegable people than they are in the hands of the average high-school graduate. When it comes to molecular engineering, we're barely out of kindergarten. Alan Lovejoy; alan@pdn; 813-530-2211; AT&T Paradyne: 8550 Ulmerton, Largo, FL. Disclaimer: I do not speak for AT&T Paradyne. They do not speak for me. ______________________________Down with Li Peng!________________________________ Motto: If nanomachines will be able to reconstruct you, YOU AREN'T DEAD YET.