Product Description
· Nanotechnology is the new genetic modification, with $5 billion in funding, involving thousands of companies and universities· This is the first book to take stock of the risks and benefits of nanotechnology, and the complex ethical and legal questions facing governments, the public, investors, and businesses worldwide· An accessible popular science book for all interested in the fascinating and unpredictable science, law, policy and regulation of nanotechNanotechnology—technology at the molecular level—has the potential, according to its supporters, to create a trillion dollar economy and provide solutions from curing cancer to reprocessing waste into products and building super-fast computers. Yet, as with genetically modified organisms, many view nanotech as a high-risk genie in a bottle that once uncorked has the potential to cause unpredictable, and perhaps irreversible, environmental and public health disasters.With the race to bring products to market, there is pressing need to take stock of the situation and to have a full public debate about this new technological frontier. Including contributions by renowned figures such as Roland Clift, K. Eric Drexler, and Arpad Pusztai, this is the first global overview of the state of nanotech and society in US, Europe, Japan, and Canada, examining the ethics, the environmental, and public health risks, and the governance and regulation of this most promising, and potentially most dangerous, of all technologies.

CUSTOMER REVIEWS (Average Customer Rating: 4.0 based on 1 review)

new problems arising by W Boudville (Terra, Sol 3)

4 Stars
October 01, 2007
As nanotechnology starts to emerge in the form of products for the marketplace, this book confronts various societal issues about its safety and usage. The contributors are varied. Most notable is Eric Drexler, who, in his seminal work, "Engines of Creation", helped kick off this entire field in 1986. His paper is a summary of the field's development. Well written, but nothing especially striking here. Another chapter looks at a thorny problem of genetic analysis. As genomics becomes cheaper and more powerful, genetic testing raises issues of privacy versus need to know by others, including employers and insurers. Genetic discrimination has really not yet been significant. But mostly due to a paucity of solid information. The increasing availability of the latter can thus be awkward. Overall, the book can be used as a non-technical briefing on the field.

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