Caption: Nano Nano, Credit: Seth Shostak
Image by: Seth Shostak 
Nano Nano 

Nano Nano

From: Big Picture Science
Series: Big Picture Science
Length: 54:02

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"Think small to solve big problems" is, in a nutshell, the mantra of nanotechnology - we’ll look at the promise and the peril of this new science. Read the full description.

Nanonanomed_small Think small to solve big problems. That, in a nutshell, is the promise of nanotechnology. In this barely visible world, batteries charge 100 times faster and drugs go straight to their targets in the body. Discover some of these nano breakthroughs and how what you can’t see can help you…

…or hurt you? What if tiny machines turn out to be nothing but trouble? We’ll look at the health and safety risks of nanotech.

Plus, scaling up in science fiction: why a Godzilla-sized insect is fun, but just doesn’t fly.

Guests:

   Bill Flounders – executive director of the Marvell Nanofabrication Laboratory at the University of California at Berkeley

   Joseph DeSimone – professor of chemistry at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and chemical engineering at North Carolina State University

   David Guston – political scientist at Arizona State University where he directs The Center for Nanotechnology in Society

   Stan Williams – Senior Fellow and founding director of the Information and Quantum Systems Lab at Hewlett-Packard

   Michael LeBarbera – Professor in organismal biology, anatomy and geophysical sciences, University of Chicago

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Piece Description

Think small to solve big problems. That, in a nutshell, is the promise of nanotechnology. In this barely visible world, batteries charge 100 times faster and drugs go straight to their targets in the body. Discover some of these nano breakthroughs and how what you can’t see can help you…

…or hurt you? What if tiny machines turn out to be nothing but trouble? We’ll look at the health and safety risks of nanotech.

Plus, scaling up in science fiction: why a Godzilla-sized insect is fun, but just doesn’t fly.

Guests:

   Bill Flounders – executive director of the Marvell Nanofabrication Laboratory at the University of California at Berkeley

   Joseph DeSimone – professor of chemistry at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and chemical engineering at North Carolina State University

   David Guston – political scientist at Arizona State University where he directs The Center for Nanotechnology in Society

   Stan Williams – Senior Fellow and founding director of the Information and Quantum Systems Lab at Hewlett-Packard

   Michael LeBarbera – Professor in organismal biology, anatomy and geophysical sciences, University of Chicago

Broadcast History

first released 2/21/11

Additional Files

Additional Credits

Seth Shostak – Host and Producer
Molly Bentley – Co-Host and Executive Producer
Gary Niederhoff – Producer
Barbara Vance – Production Assistant
Jay Weiler - Volunteer

Related Website

http://radio.seti.org