Washington (DC) - In what's being heralded a "groundbreaking poll," statistics experts have put together a survey where the questions are about small things. #1 - Do you know about nanotechnology? #2 - Do you know about synbio? In response to #1 nearly half of the U.S. adults polled knew nothing about nanotechnology. And 9 out of 10 knew nothing about synbio. While both of these are major technology initiatives often published on web sites, newspapers and TV shows, it appears that general public awareness is still very low.
The report was released by the Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies (PEN) and Peter D. Hart Research. In addition to only 50% of the sampled U.S. adults knowing anything about nanotechnology, 50% of those respondents stating they did know something also said they did not know enough to warrant an opinion over possible future breakthroughs or dangers. And those few who gave their opinion believe in a 3:1 ratio the benefits will outweigh the risks associated with unknown dangers.
Nanotechnology
Nanotechnology is becoming pervasive in America today. It's even on TV shows, and most print and website media involved with any form of technology. Google News often has articles about nanotechnology on their front page. And even Star Trek had it in the early 1990s with the Borg and their nanoprobe assimilation technology, as well as Mr. Crusher's "nanites."
The number of advancements and breakthroughs is increasing exponentially and it is very likely that far more than 50% of U.S. adults will know about breakthroughs in the months and years to come.
Synbio
Synthetic biology is a different story. It's a very new and particularly frightening application of technology. It involves either redesigning or constructing completely new organisms that are about the size of bacteria. These custom-built creatures are designed to specifically carry out some type of function.
Many scientists and hopefuls believe that it will be an application of synbio research which first spawns a type of "super drug" that can fight off many diseases. And most others believe it will go the other way and be extremely damaging to mankind, animals and/or plants.
The future
There is really nothing any of us could do individually that will stop these technologies from coming. Mankind is learning more and more about the world of the super-small than he ever imagined possible. Nearly all of that discovery can be attributed to computer aid research, by the way - which is another form of nanotechnology.
And while nanotechnology is theoretically quite dangerous if used improperly, it is not part of a self replicating system. Synbio, on the other hand, represents a form of living organism. And anytime mankind starts working with living things, self-replicating things that is, it most definitely has the potential of destroying all life on Earth. All it takes is misplaced gene or two and a useful thing turns into a harmful thing.
It might not be the killer spores from outer space we all saw in 1950s B-movies which thrust mankind into the dark ages again. I mean, wouldn't it be ironic if it's the very bleeding edge of our science, the foremost scientific minds and the absolute best fruits of their labor and genius, that ends up being the very thing which undoes the world?
To sum up, I quote Tom Lehrer from his famous Wernher von Braun song: "'Once the rockets are up who cares where they come down? That's not my department,' cried Wernher Von Braun."
The report was released by the Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies (PEN) and Peter D. Hart Research. In addition to only 50% of the sampled U.S. adults knowing anything about nanotechnology, 50% of those respondents stating they did know something also said they did not know enough to warrant an opinion over possible future breakthroughs or dangers. And those few who gave their opinion believe in a 3:1 ratio the benefits will outweigh the risks associated with unknown dangers.
Nanotechnology
Nanotechnology is becoming pervasive in America today. It's even on TV shows, and most print and website media involved with any form of technology. Google News often has articles about nanotechnology on their front page. And even Star Trek had it in the early 1990s with the Borg and their nanoprobe assimilation technology, as well as Mr. Crusher's "nanites."
The number of advancements and breakthroughs is increasing exponentially and it is very likely that far more than 50% of U.S. adults will know about breakthroughs in the months and years to come.
Synbio
Synthetic biology is a different story. It's a very new and particularly frightening application of technology. It involves either redesigning or constructing completely new organisms that are about the size of bacteria. These custom-built creatures are designed to specifically carry out some type of function.
Many scientists and hopefuls believe that it will be an application of synbio research which first spawns a type of "super drug" that can fight off many diseases. And most others believe it will go the other way and be extremely damaging to mankind, animals and/or plants.
The future
There is really nothing any of us could do individually that will stop these technologies from coming. Mankind is learning more and more about the world of the super-small than he ever imagined possible. Nearly all of that discovery can be attributed to computer aid research, by the way - which is another form of nanotechnology.
And while nanotechnology is theoretically quite dangerous if used improperly, it is not part of a self replicating system. Synbio, on the other hand, represents a form of living organism. And anytime mankind starts working with living things, self-replicating things that is, it most definitely has the potential of destroying all life on Earth. All it takes is misplaced gene or two and a useful thing turns into a harmful thing.
It might not be the killer spores from outer space we all saw in 1950s B-movies which thrust mankind into the dark ages again. I mean, wouldn't it be ironic if it's the very bleeding edge of our science, the foremost scientific minds and the absolute best fruits of their labor and genius, that ends up being the very thing which undoes the world?
To sum up, I quote Tom Lehrer from his famous Wernher von Braun song: "'Once the rockets are up who cares where they come down? That's not my department,' cried Wernher Von Braun."