| Soft Machines: Nanotechnology and Life |
| Saturday, 15 January 2005 | |
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By Richard A. L. Jones (Oxford University Press, 2004, £16.99). Reviewed by Joe Piper
The main focus of the book is to provide a visualisation of the nanoworld and the current efforts to understand it. There is a clear introduction to the microscopy needed to observe this world, including an extraordinary image of a motor protein walking along a track. The author describes how soft, random and sticky the surroundings are, with some interesting examples, such as how the viscosity of air limits the smallest flying creature to a tenth of a millimetre. The book also describes the journey from the first ever photograph to the printing of silicon chips, and to the possible future of molecular electronics and cell signalling. There is a great photograph of the world’s smallest silicon guitar, at 12 microns, with fully playable strings that generate radio waves. Fabrication, from control of individual atoms to self-assembly and protein folding, is discussed before moving on to the construction of nanomotors. The author himself runs a group in Sheffield researching a pH sensitive gel, which swells and contracts to the rhythm of an oscillating pH reaction, for use as a possible motor. The writing is clear, anecdotal and highly readable in a manner reminiscent of Richard Feynman. Although aimed at a general audience, the concepts described are best visualised with some scientific background, and there are several moments when the text cries out for a diagram. The book’s central message is that nanotechnology relies more on biology than conventional engineering. It dwells briefly on the potential dangers of this research, but explains how unlikely nanotechnology is to surpass evolution. Joe Piper is a PhD student in the Department of Chemistry |
Nanotechnology: what exactly is going on behind the hype? This book successfully outlines the current research on matter from one to 100 nanometres in size (one nanometre is a millionth of a millimetre). It provides a much needed injection of realism into the ‘grey goo’ debate. The author points out how scientists are laughably far from creating evil nanobots, while admitting that they have raised expectations in the competitive search for funding.| < Prev | Next > |
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