Nanotechnology and Aging

CRN was contacted recently by Sage Crossroads, "the premier online forum for emerging issues of human aging". They are planning a discussion on nanotechnology and asked for our input.

This is what I told them:

Due to the impacts of biotechnology, genomics, and nanotechnology, the process of human aging will undergo a fundamental transformation in the first half of this century. It's a good thing someone has initiated a forum for discussion of these topics.

As for your proposed session on the medical and aging aspects of nanotechnology from a science and policy perspective, there are at least two ways you could approach this. The first approach would be simply to consider how nanomedicine may affect aging and healthspan extension, and what policy choices may influence the development and availability of such techniques. But there's a deeper and more meaningful approach, which is to consider how public debate over the environmental, military, and economic impacts of advanced nanotechnology may hinder or disrupt the availability of aging ameliorative nanomedicine.

I've labeled the second approach as more meaningful because I'm convinced that in the real world, the development of benefits to slow, stop, prevent, or reverse aging hinges on our success in surviving the earlier stages of nanotechnology. This is a big topic, perhaps too big for a single session, and also hard to explain in a short email. But anyone seriously evaluating the implications of this technology for our society must try to take a broad view, since everything is interrelated.

Comments

[Reason]

This should be an interesting event; SAGE Crossroads is getting better in its second year, and drawing up some very good debates. They're a bit pro-regulate-until-blue-in-face for my taste, but then you expected that, right?

Reason
Founder, Longevity Meme

[Mr. Farlops]

Well it's good that Mike made it clear that research bans and fighting over government grants (For example, the NanoBusiness Alliance.) in one area effects progress in all areas. I don't know if the Safe Crossroads group will really appreciate the significance of the second discussional approach though.

Oh, and:

Reason wrote, "...a bit pro-regulate-until-blue-in-face for my taste,..."

Ahem, this comment is a bit "we technophile libertarians have all the answers" for my taste.

Being a technophile, although not a libertarian, myself, I still think there is a place for appropriate regulation in nanotechnology.

[Janice Lieberman]

I love the Nanoworld and have come across the following word a few times
lately. Has a new word been born out of the Nanotech revolution?
A googlesearch for NANORATI reveals a few instances where the word has
been used.
And in the Wikipedia I found the following;
Nanorati
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

NANORATI

People who are extremely knowledgeable in the field of Nanotechnology.
It often refers to the movers and shakers in the industry.
Nanorati is the high-tech equivalent of "literati," which refers to
scholars and highly educated individuals.

(see also "Digirati" which refers to people knowledgeble in computers)

Interesting..
Regards
Janice Lieberman