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Science and Science Fiction: Nanotechnology
April 24th, 2008
That’s the topic for my class this week, and I just wanted to share a brief introduction with some links to some interesting videos and history regarding nanotech.
Let’s start with NASA Kid’s introduction to nanotechnology. Then there’s a nice, more adult introduction with a summary of current nano state of the art.
Historically, the story starts with nobel-winning physicist Richard Feynmann and his 1959 talk “Plenty of Room at the Bottom.” Another step was Eric Drexler’s dissertation Nanosystems and famous popular science book, Engines of Creation (1986). While this is the visionary thread, the nuts and bolts have been pushed all along in various branches of science, and key steps there involve the discovery of buckyballs and carbon nanotubes (here’s a video), which are potential building blocks for nanotech (although Smalley, who discovered buckyballs, was critical of Drexler style molecular nanotechnology).
Nanofabrication will become reality in one form or another, and the ability to create designer materials will have a large impact. Potential sf style applications include the space elevator, Star Trek style replicators, nanomedicine and related biological applications, and super soldier suits. A good location for non-stop shopping for nanotech information is The Foresight Institute, originally founded by Drexler.
Science Fiction treatments are many and good, such as the novels Blood Music by Greg Bear, Bloom by Wil McCarthy, and The Diamond Age by Neal Stephenson, among others. There’s an online bibliography of Nanotech in Science Fiction, too.
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Interesting! A quick view of the Bibliography didn’t seem to show Transmetropolitan, though. OK, It’s a graphic novel, but still. It was really really good, and had nanotech as the basis of future upper-class living.
Grant Morrison is one of the better writers in comics these days, for sure. I’ve been meaning to get to Transmetropolitan and have heard a lot of good things about it.
While it looks like that website has been maintained for a long time, I’m not sure how recent the most recent updates have been.
Oh, and it seems there’s a greatly expanded and updated version of Engines of Creation that came out last year and can be obtained for FREE at: http://www.wowio.com/users/product.asp?BookId=503
I think I’ll download it and report back. It’s been years since I read the original.
Hal Clement wrote about nanotech before any other SF writer, I think. His version was wet and could be seen as an exploration of the superset of all possible biologies. He used “pseudolife”, as he called it, in “The Mechanic” (from the 1960s), The Nitrogen Fix (1970s) and Noise (His final novel, IIRC).
Though Grant Morrison is a good writer, he is not the author of Transmetropolitan that would be my favorite comic author right now Warren Ellis, he is also now writing a new book with that same kind of world called Doktor Sleepless over at Avatar Press.
Oh, crap! You’re right, Joe. I get those two confused in my head sometimes, as I hear lots of good things about both, but haven’t read much of either. I’ve had Doktor Sleepless recommended to me recently, too.
Maybe it’s time for a post about the best of the new writing in comics. That would be a great excuse for some more research!
Jonathan, Transmetropolitan is on the list on that page under the comics link.
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