
If you ever read the book “Prey” by Michael Crichton, then you pretty much have an idea of what that terrifying swarm of molecules was and how it caused major consequences, like death, to the scientists that made them. For those of you that haven’t read the book, you’re probably thinking, “what did the scientists make?” These scientists made a rather amazing and dangerous piece of technology called nanotechnology. This technology is the creation of nanobots or nanomaterials designed to do a vast number of tasks like treat cancer, replicate products, and many others on the atomic, molecular, and even super molecular scale. You may be thinking, “how can something so tiny do all those tasks?” It is rather simple, yet complex, but with the right algorithms, design, and other requirements to create nanobots or nanomaterials, you can have them do almost anything. The technology is amazing to not only myself, but also to a large group of people that has heard about it. However, as amazing as this technology is, there is a growing number of fears of it within the public. Due to this technology being rather new, many people fear the turning of events it can cause if it is released into the public. I decided to study the fears of it and discovered the top five fears, which will be discussed in sections further on. The top five fears and fear of this technology in general, gave me concern about the development of this technology and how it could be potentially delayed or terminated by these fears.

Before getting into the discussion of these fears, a general background of nanotechnology needs to be explained. Nanotechnology has been around for a while, but it didn’t become a focus until about the 1980s when scientists started to consider the potential benefits the technology had for mankind. Around this time, the first fears of nanotech began, such as the “grey goo” scenario, a scenario where self-replicating nanobots, called assemblers, malfunctions and self-replicates out of control to the point of consuming all life on Earth. It sounded rather extreme at that time since hardly any nanotech was developed. Around the year 2000, nanotechnology became popular on the internet and many articles were created like the Wired article, “Why The Future Doesn’t Need Us” by Bill Joy. This article states that with the creation of nanotech, robotics, and genetic engineering, mankind’s existence will be threatened to the point of extinction. This article lead to more fears about technology in general, but even more so for nanotechnology. More of the public began to have doubts about nanotechnology and its usefulness and thought that the technology would do more bad than good. Nanotechnology was pushed back into the shadows until over the years, more and more scientists began to continue the development of it and soon the technology slowly left the shadows. Today, a good portion of the public knows about the existence on nanotechnology and it continues to be studied by many scientists. However, another good portion of the public are not aware of it and many scientists worry about the potential reactions that will come. Many who are aware of it, favor its benefits, but there are some who are against it due to fears of the potential consequences that it can cause. This goes back to the top fears of this technology and how these fears will threaten the development of it to the point where the technology may cease to exist. These top fears will be broken down and discussed in detail to answer the question on why is there fear about nanotechnology?  

The first fear is a fear that has grown to be quite popular among not only in the public, but also in movies, TV shows, and video games. This fear is fear of human enhancement and nanodivision from nanotechnology. Human enhancement, such as replacing normal limbs on the body with some form of manmade limbs, has always been shown in popular media sources. Since nanotechnology is designed to manipulate on a molecular and atomic scale, it opens the door to making human enhancement a reality. This reality is something that a lot of enhancement enthusiasts dream of as they can finally leave their fantasy world and live their dream. Human enhancement is amazing when you think about it since we as humans can finally enter a new era of the technology world. Enhancements like increasing one’s intelligence will decrease the number of years of school or even decrease the need for school all together. Women who are not satisfied with the way they look can easily get beauty enhancements to look like Kim Kardashian or to simply increase their self-esteem and confidence. People’s dreams will come true and their problems will vanish with just one or several enhancements. However, this type of reality is also a nightmare toward a large group of people that think human enhancement is unnatural and could potentially divide society. Society right now has many divisions among it, such as social media, gender preference, religion, etc., and human enhancement could cause a wide division among society. Enhancements will most likely be expensive and as we all know, only those who have a big income can afford such enhancements. Those of lower income will be force to watch the fortunate run towards enhancement facilities and create the body or personality of their dreams. This “nanodivide” will lead to a separation of those who aren’t enhanced and those who are and it can be believed that those on the unfortunate side would be looked down upon by the rest of society. Pressures to enhance would mostly like be high because who doesn’t want to be able to fit in and be treated right? Depression and suicidal rates could skyrocket among those who aren’t enhanced with nanotechnological innovations, especially among teenagers and young adults since that is the age where fitting in is very important. This leads to another example of nanodivision, which is the newest video game, “Deus Ex: Mankind Divided” by Square Enix. In this game, the year is 2029 and mankind is divided by those who are enhanced, the Augmented, and those who aren’t enhanced, the Naturals. There were serious tensions between the two groups due to a terrorist attack that caused any neurochip in the Augmented to malfunction and cause them to go insane and kill anyone in sight. Instead of those who aren’t enhanced to be looked down upon, those who are enhanced are the ones looked down upon. This is the complete reverse of what would happen in our society, but who is to say that this event couldn’t happen in our own society? This is what most people fear and even though I, myself, is a supporter of nanotechnology, I can fully understand this fear because there is already enough division within our society. Perhaps human enhancement is not meant to be for our society, but we don’t know how the future will hold if enhancements are available to the public. Only time will tell about whether society will remain in tack or become a divided world.

The second fear is rather an extreme type of fear that has been becoming more of a problem within the public. This fear is the fear of the grey goo scenario from nanotechnology. It might sound more like a silly joke than a severe problem that some “grey goo” could cause potential harm to mankind. I, myself, thought it was silly at first, but as I studied more into this scenario, I realized it was a rather extreme yet possible event that could happen from nanotechnology. This scenario is when self-replicating nanobots, or assemblers, somehow go out of control and proceed to consume everything on Earth to continue growing in numbers. It sounds very scary that an event like that could happen, but how can something like this happen? Let’s look at an assembler, a robot on the nanoscale that can be programmed to take any chemicals and manipulate the atoms and/or molecules of something like wood and turn it into coal, silk, a rock, or even food in infinite amounts. An assembler, or a group of them, will just do only those actions within the programming code, chemical makeup, and many other restrictions and wouldn’t do something outside of orders. However, if an assembler is somehow manipulated that causes it to malfunction, the robot could self-replicate out of control. When that happens, there is no emergency “off switch” to shut down the nanobot because that nanobot would be too out of control to simply shutdown. This is a very dangerous situation that I can see why this scenario is feared by the public, because that one nanobot could replicate itself to create a huge mass of self-replicating nanobots in a matter of hours, minutes, or even seconds. This mass of nanobots would consume any organic matter to continue replicating and this can happen in a matter of hours or days to wipe out all organic matter, including humans, on Earth and life as we know it will be gone forever. This may sound like the ultimate doomsday on Earth, but the good news is that the chances of this happening is low since it would have to take a lot of work to have an assembler go out of whack. Nanotechnology will not cross that line because, as stated in a briefing document, “Grey Goo is a Small Issue” by Eric Drexler, “We cannot afford certain kinds of accidents with replicating assemblers” (1). Many alternatives are in development, such as factory designs using nanotechnology, to be more efficient at creating products than assemblers. This will be safer for mankind and I can personally agree that pushing assemblers to the side will prevent accidents like the grey goo scenario from wreaking havoc to all life on Earth. 

The third fear goes a bit further into the moral aspect of nanotechnology and that fear is nanotechnology leading up to “playing God”. You can see it in many movies like Frankenstein and Transcendence or shows like Fringe and the X-Files showing some average person or scientist creating something that goes beyond the natural laws of nature. Something like those movies and shows is highly unlikely in nanotechnology, but many people of faith who are aware of nanotechnology, fear that it will eventually happen in the upcoming years. Religion in general gives a different perception about nanotechnology and most look at the technology as a gateway toward Transhumanism, where technology, including nanotechnology, will cause humans to evolve artificially such as extending life indefinitely, eliminating diseases, or even going as far as storing a person’s “soul” into a computer to achieve immortality. Many people of faith look at those types as playing God and unnatural, but nanotechnology won’t get that close to any of those transhumanism ideas. Nanotechnology is more on providing better applications to help mankind in the industry, medical, and many other fields. I do agree with one aspect, however, that doing something like extending the human lifespan indefinitely or storing the soul into a computer is crossing the line of playing God. Treating or eliminating diseases is not something that I would call “playing God” because creating some nanoparticle or material to treat or possibly cure a disease, like a genetic disease, would benefit mankind a lot. Diseases like ALS, Alzheimer’s Disease, mitochondrial diseases, HIV/AIDS, and many others could be treated better or even cured, limiting and even ending the suffering they have caused. To still believe that treating or curing diseases from nanotech is unnatural regardless, is a severe problem and in my opinion, it’s scary that some people don’t want to leave their world of their beliefs to at least try out something new. This leads to a study that was conducted by the Department of Life Sciences Communication of University of Wisconsin about what are the different opinions about nanotechnology. The study showed that 40% of those that weren’t religious asked approved of nanotechnology if normal regulation was played in and 50% of those approved of nanotechnology if it is more restricted. There was also a 9% approval of the technology with normal regulation by people of faith and 20% approval of the technology with stricter regulation. The study also showed how many of those disapproved of nanotechnology and about 40% of those of faith disapproved of it except in unique cases and another 32% disapproved of nanotechnology under any circumstances. A 10% of those that weren’t religious disapproved except in unique cases and about 3% disapproved regardless. This study shows “levels of religiosity can shape people’s perceptions of risks and benefits” (Scheufele, et al. 93) of nanotechnology and majority of those perceptions have a negative outlook on nanotechnology, but more on its applications. Nanotechnology is a very beneficial piece of technology, but its benefits shouldn’t be forced upon those that don’t approve of it because everyone is entitled to their own opinions and beliefs. Maybe when nanotechnology is fully released into the public will people that disapprove of it will have a change of mind and see that the technology could be beneficial toward their life.

The fourth fear is an understandable and common fear that deals with the question on how will nanotechnology be handled once released into the public and what are the effects of it. This fear is safety and regulation of nanotechnology. Nanotechnology is already released into the public in certain products such as cosmetics, sporting wear, paints, and many others. The technology is slowly being incorporated into the daily products that we use, but many are not aware of the fact that many of their daily products could contain some form of nanoparticles in it. This leads to the controversial question on whether companies that make products with nanoparticles, should inform their consumers that their products contain those particles. Many nanoparticles in certain materials/products so far have not caused any serious problems, but according to Bevin Engelward, a professor of biological engineering at MIT, and Philip Demokritou, director of HSPH’s (Harvard School of Public Health) Center for Nanotechnology and Nanotoxicology, “there is evidence that the nanoparticle form of some of these materials may be unsafe: Due to their immensely small size, these materials may exhibit different physical, chemical, and biological properties, and penetrate cells more easily” (“Some nanoparticles commonly added to consumer products can significantly damage DNA”, para. 4). Many companies that create nanoparticle-containing products are not aware of or test the different characteristic types of nanoparticles and continue to release their products to consumers. Little to no regulation of these nanoparticles in these companies are becoming a problem because not that much is known about the unknown effects that nanoparticles can cause. However though, a study has shown that zinc oxide nanoparticles, which is used in sunscreen products, and nanoscale silver, which is in toys, toothpaste, clothing, and many others, “produces substantial DNA damage” (Trafton par. 2). Others, like airborne nanoparticles, can be inhaled and travel to the respiratory system or to other organs and could potentially cause serious health issues. Many are demanding for more regulation laws to be created for nanotechnology due to these dangerous effects, but due to the technology still being studied, there isn’t much to do about the regulation of nanotechnology. Actions can still be incorporated to limit the uncertainty of nanotechnology and an example of this is governmental actions. The government can step in to ensure that companies involved in making nanoparticle-containing products research the potential risks of their products. The government “can also be responsible for collecting relevant data and establishing a centralized research authority that monitors nanoparticles’ long term effects” (Soliman 2). This can lead to trust among the public about nanotechnology, reduce fear, and create better knowledge about the technology. Nanotechnology is a world changing type of technology, but due to this technology being dangerous, regulation laws must be created because without them, major consequences will be guaranteed for mankind. 

The fifth and final fear of this discussion is a fear that is probably the most common among the public, including myself. This fear is the fear of military nanoweapons from nanotechnology. Replicating products infinitely and treating diseases on the atomic and/or molecular level is not the only things nanotechnology can be used for. Nanotechnology can also be used to create nanoweapons that will be specialized for the military to use. Many branches of the military are already interested in and/or developing nanoweapons and soon, many soldiers will be equipped with state-of-the-art nanoweapons to be used in combat. These weapons could potentially have many benefits and as stated by futurist speaker, Thomas Frey, “I have high hopes for nano-weapons to offer precise solutions for the bigger conflicts, eliminating some of the causes for war, and generally contributing to a safer and more stable global environment” (1). However, these weapons can be lead to powerful and potentially terrifying types of weapons. An example of this is nano-poisons, which can be used to target specific parts of the brain and control the victim’s behavior. A poison could target one of the parts of the victim’s brain and cause his/her to eat themselves to death, prevent them from stealing, or even prevent them from ever drinking alcohol again. This is one of the many terrifying types of nanoweapons that could be used in the future and this leads to the question on could these weapons become too powerful and cause harm? The answer to that question is yes because like any type of weapon, a nanoweapon can become very powerful and lead to some horrifying results to anything, including humans. Take, for example, a nanoweapon that is on the nanoscale and is equipped with some form of toxin that can wipe out any lifeform with a single hit. This tiny weapon in numbers, let’s say billions of these weapons, could be created and if given the chance, could kill off every single human being on the planet in a certain amount of time. This is a very scary event that could happen because this type of weapon could be captured into the wrong hands and there probably won’t be any solution to stop the release of that weapon. This goes back to the section of regulation of nanotechnology because nanoweapons can easily be obtained from criminals or terrorist if strict regulation laws are not played into. Nanoweapons being into the wrong hands is not the only risk that could potentially happen. There are risks that can happen within the military, such as destabilization, where the military creates a technology that no one can defend against (Berger 4). An unstoppable technological weapon could lead to serious and terrifying events like a possibility of war or even extinction of humanity. The shocking news is that many parts of the military that are in development of making nanoweapons are aware of the many risks, but are being quiet about finding solutions. This is very concerning because the military is always testing newly produce products and if a prototype nanoweapon were to be created and not evaluated for potential risks, something like an explosion could happen and release toxic nanomaterials in the air. The military should take inconsideration of the risks that can happen and as stated in a document that talks specially about the army and its nanoweapon development, “The Army should take an active role in drafting environmental, safety, and occupational health guidelines for nanomaterials to ensure contractors follow best environmental practices in the development, manufacture, and application of the new technology” (Berger 3). Nanoweapons will change the weaponry world forever and help mankind in many ways, but these weapons can be very dangerous and their development must be taken with extreme caution in my opinion. And as I said before, only time will tell if these weapons will truly benefit or destroy mankind.

Throughout this paper, the top five fears of nanotechnology were listed and discussed in detail to give a better understanding on why the fears crossed the minds of many within the public. These fears also added up to an acceptable answer to my research question on why is there fear about nanotechnology? Why is there fear about nanotechnology? The most acceptable answer for this question is that nanotechnology is the first scientific approach to creating a technology that is small to the atomic and/or molecular scale and can be designed to do a vast range of tasks like treating cancer, producing infinite amounts of products, help solve world problems, and much more. However, nanotechnology can also be a very dangerous technology that can cause a range of risks, some could even be threatening to mankind. These risks have led to the top five fears that were discussed in this paper and by close analyses of these fears and risks discussed, it can be said that the more complex nanotechnology becomes, the more risks and fears there is. Solutions and more knowledge are needed for this complex technology so that potential risks are eliminated or limited and fears are calmed. Until then, fears and risks of nanotechnology will continue to exist and hopefully, the technology’s development won’t be threatened to the point of it being shut down by these elements. 
