Transcript 1st Nobel Forum Mini-Symposium on Nanotoxicology

Nanotechnology
Catastrophe
Scenarios
Vedrana Novosel, Viraj Sapre, Szu-Chia Lu
Definition
We are drawing from science fiction,
research, and speculative articles to find
scenarios of world destruction caused by
nanotechnology.
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Example
K. Eric Drexler’s coined the term “gray goo”
in his book “Engines of Creation,” referring
to the scenario that nanotechnology is
used to build self-replicating machines
which consume all of Earth’s matter
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Notable Aspects
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•
•
•
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Biohazards
Sentience of Nanobots
Self-Replicating Nanobots
Human Misuse of Nanotechnology
Environmental Damage
Note: there are some overlaps between these scenarios
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Biohazards
• Plague
– “Queen City Jazz” chronicles life after a
destructive nanotech plague
– In the “Plague Year” series, nanotech
supposed to cure cancer by dismantling
specific cells, dismantles everything
• Exposure to nanotech particles
– Researchers speculated that exposure
could cause cardiovascular disease at
the 1st Nobel Forum Mini-Symposium
on Nanotoxicology
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Sentience of Nanobots
• Ability and desire to destroy humanity
– In “Prey ”, nanobots exhibit intelligent, predatory
behavior, attacking and killing animals by:
• tracing tracks
• suffocating their prey by blocking the bronchial tubes
• tripping their prey by making the ground slippery
• Mind control
– In “Prey”, nanobots can devour and take over their
hosts, initially affecting their decisions and then
controlling them, while allowing them to travel
and contaminate others
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Self-Replicating
Nanobots
• “Gray goo”: out-of-control self-replicating robots
consume all matter on Earth while building more
of themselves
– First stated by Eric Drexler in context of
nanoscale assemblers
• Nanotech plants
• Could out-compete real plants, crowding the
biosphere with an inedible foliage
• Omnivorous nanotech bacteria
• Could out-compete real bacteria and reduce
the biosphere to dust in a matter of days
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Human Misuse of
Nanotechnology
• Nanotech
weapons
– Nanomite warheads are used in “G.I. Joe: The
Rise of Cobra”
– Could lead to a destructive arms race as
described in a paper from the Foresight
Conference on Molecular Nanotechnology
• Economic and social disruption
– The Center for Responsible Nanotechnology
warns of artificially inflated prices and an
abundance of products due to molecular
manufacturing
– Opportunities for world dictatorship mentioned
at the Oxford Catastrophic Risks Conference 8
Environmental Damage
• Nanomaterials are not inert
– EPA study found that nanoparticles are
showing up in the livers of research animals,
can seep into living cells, and perhaps
piggyback on bacteria to enter the food chain
• Nano particles could damage the cells of living
organisms
– Causes ecosystem and biosphere destruction
• Pollution
– “Nano Litterbugs” article warns of nanoscale
pollution that we wouldn’t be able to get rid of
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Why Is This Important?
• Scenarios from fiction hint at society’s
views about nanotech
• Help to determine how science should
proceed and about what we should be
cautious
• Inform decisions about regulations and
policies
• Speculate on how we can protect
ourselves and our planet
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Further Research
• Feasibility of these scenarios (fact vs.
fiction)
• Technical details
• How far into the future?
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References
1. http://reason.com/archives/2008/07/22/the-end-ofhumanity-nukes-nano/1
2. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grey_goo
3. http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/8.04/joy.html
4. http://www.crnano.org/dangers.htm
5. http://ivanhong.com/mmd08/?p=11
6. http://www.futureforall.org/nanotechnology/risks.htm
7. http://www.nanowerk.com/spotlight/spotid=2570.php
8. http://www.eurekalert.org/context.php?context=nano&sh
ow=essays&essaydate=1102
9. http://media-artandtext.com/?p=269
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References Continued
10. http://www.globalization101.org/news1/Science_Fiction
_Becomes_Reality
11. http://online.sfsu.edu/~rone/Nanotech/nosmallmatter.ht
ml
12. www.smalltimes.com
13. www.wikipedia.org/Grey Goo
14. http://www.kurzweilai.net/the-gray-goo-problem
15. Engines of creation – Eric Drexler
16. http://www.thenewatlantis.com/publications/thenanotechnology-revolution
17. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prey_%28novel%29
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