sci.nanotech FAQs
(Frequently Asked Questions)

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• sci.nanotech Archives
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• sci.nanotech Recommended Readings.
• Nanotech Overview.
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FAQ Index:

1. Introduction: What is it, who knows about it and how to get involved.
   1. What is nanotechnology?
   2. What is the difference between Drexlerian Nano and Non-Drexlerian?
   3. What is the relationship of pico or femto engineering to nanotechnology?
   4. When is nanotechnology going to happen?
   5. What is the current state of nanotechnology?
   6. What molecular nanotechnology products exist today?
   7. How can I evaluate nanotech claims for plausibility?
      (SUB: What are sure signs that the speaker doesn't know Fact One about nanotechnology, and should be handled cautiously?)
   8. Who are the respected authorities in nanotech?
   9. Who will control nanotechnology? Can it be controlled? Should it be?
2. Hypothesis: Limitations and Capabilities of nanotechnology
   1. Is there anything nanotechnology can't do? What are its limits?
   2. Is nanotechnology the last technology?
   3. Doesn't Heisenberg's Uncertainty Principle forbid the possibility of nanotechnology?
   4. Won't thermal fluctuations damage nanomachines?
   5. Can nanotechnology be used to do nuclear transmutation?
   6. What alternatives are there to carbon or diamonoid materials?
   7. How fast would a carbon nanotube computer be?
   8. Can nanotechnology be used to recycle trash and landfills? And if it can, how will it?
   9. How can MNT manufacture food? Will it taste good? Will it be good for you?
   10. How fast can nanites construct a house? Car? Steak dinner? Island?
   11. Can nanotechnology be used to extract gold from sea water?
   12. What can a nanotech-enhanced human body do? What can't it do?
   13. How invincible is a nanotech-enhanced human body?
3. Impact: Side-effects nanotechnology.
   1. What dangers does nanotechnology pose?
      (SUB: What is the "gray goo" doom scenario?)
   2. What safeguards can prevent nanotechnology horrors?
   3. How will nanotechnology affect society?
   4. How will the economy work when we have mature Nanotechnology?
      (SUB: Will there be a need for money when we can use nanotech devices powered by free solar energy to turn garbage into whatever we want?)
   5. What industries will be most affected by nanotechnology and how will they be?
   6. What industries will nanotechnology eliminate?
   7. What industries will be least affected by nanotechnology and why?
4. Opportunities: How can I get involved?
   1. I'm not a scientist. What can I do to help bring about the nano-revolution?
   2. Where can I invest money in nanotechnology?
   3. What college level coursework or major would best prepare me for working in nanotechnology?
   4. What universities currently offer degrees in Nanotechnology?
   5. Where can I go to find work in nanotechnology?
5. Miscellaneous: Other stuff asked all to often
   1. What fields can MNT be applied to, but are *not* fruitful topics of discussion on sci.nanotech?
   2. Is there a 2nd edition of "Engines of Creation" planned and how would it differ from the 1st edition?
   3. What do all those abbreviations mean?
6. Credits: FAQ Contributors