Nano-what? Synthetic-who?

Some new products built on advances in nanotechnology improving people’s quality of life. There are anti-bacterial wound dressings that use nanoscale silver; there’s a nanoscale dry powder that can neutralize gas and liquid toxins in chemical spills; and batteries manufactured with nanoscale materials can deliver more power more quickly with less heat. In 2007 the federal government provided $1.3 billion in funding for research on nanotechnology through the National Nanotechnology Initiative.

So how come nobody’s ever heard of these wonderful new advancements? A new report release yesterday by the Wilson Center’s Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies and Peter D. Hart Research reveals that almost half of U.S. adults have heard nothing about nanotechnology, and nearly 9 in 10 Americans say they have heard just a little or nothing at all about the emerging field of synthetic biology. The report, “The American Public’s Awareness Of And Perceptions About Potential Risks and Benefits of Nanotechnology & Synthetic Biology,” also reveals that no major change has occurred in the U.S. public’s awareness since 2004, when Hart Research conducted the first poll on the topic on behalf of the PEN.  Geoffery Garin, president of Peter D. Hart Research Associates, gave a presentation yesterday showing that almost 50 percent of Americans aren’t even sure if nanotechnology is worth the risk.

In early September on Science Progress, Arthur Caplan made six recommendations for the new administration’s science policy, including developing nanotechnology to clean water and developing synthetic biology to “fight diseases, make synthetic fuels, eat pollutants, clean the oceans and our arteries.” With the potential for nanotech and synbio to make such a profound impact on society, the government and press should make a concerted effort to inform the public of these technologies. But as Rick Weiss has argued, there’s still a significant amount of investigation and regulation that needs to happen for certain nano applications, chief among them drug development.

“Early in the administration of the next president, scientists are expected to take the next major step toward the creation of synthetic forms of life. Yet the results from the first U.S. telephone poll about synthetic biology show that most adults have heard just a little or nothing at all about it,” said Director David Rejeski, in a PEN news release.

Tags: nanotechnology

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