I was about to apologize for posting another entry here about nano-warfare. But the truth is I'm pleased that the topic is coming up so frequently.
An unstable arms race fueled by molecular manufacturing is the single most dangerous threat to the world in the coming decades. It's a good sign that CRN is not alone in beginning to recognize this.
"Nanotechnology in Military Applications" [PDF] is the title of Neil Gordon’s presentation last month at the Defence Research and Development Canada Symposium. He does a great job of describing the significance of various nanotechnologies in facilitating "the creation of both EVOLUTIONARY and DISRUPTIVE innovation" (his emphasis).
Gordon mentions the potential for nanotech to "systematically organize and manipulate matter from the bottom up and control every atom" -- which means molecular manufacturing -- but he does not focus on this capability in his presentation. Like Charles Choi a few days ago, he doesn't need to accentuate MM, because the impacts of less revolutionary nanoscale technologies still could be substantial, and deadly.
If nations begin competitive development of nanotechnology applications for military use, it's a very short step from there to an MM arms race that could spiral rapidly out of control.
So, yes, we will keep bringing this up. If we did not, after all we've learned through our research and analysis, then CRN could not be regarded as a source of responsible nanotechnology information.
Mike Treder
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