Axyl Kent Rubin Galacio – BSMT-1A – GEC STS

Guide Questions:
1. Why is nanotechnology likened to creating a statue out of a pile of dust?
Nanotechnology is an advanced field of science that, as of now, is impossible to work with due
to its small size. For many years, we humans have been attached to the method of building
things from top to bottom, just like a sculptor chipping away bits from a block of stone to create
a statue. However, nanotechnology is quite different because, whereas sculpture is built from
the top down, George Tulevski describes nanotechnology as a technology that would be built
from the bottom up and that it would be like building a statue out of a pile of dust. One of my
realizations concerning the statement "nanotechnology is likened to creating a statue out of a
pile of dust", is that this is a good way to describe how nanotechnology is a totally a different
field of science and that its development would require alternative methods that are quite
different from what we’re used to.

2. What science governs nanostructures? Why is it different?

Building from the ground up may be an unfamiliar thing to us because, as far as we know,
people just don’t build from the ground up, like building a statue from the sand. However, the
majority of us are not aware that "ground-up" building methods are already everywhere because
this method of building is what mother nature has been using for millions of years. So if nature
was able to create things from the ground up, it would make sense if we used the same tool that
nature has been using, and that is chemistry. Chemistry is the science that will govern the
development of nanotechnology and the reason why it is different is that, unlike any other
sciences and building methods, this type of science is concerned with building structures and
materials starting from the smallest molecules up until the biggest formations such as rocks and
trees.

3. Why is nanotechnology a difficult science

Nanotechnology is a difficult science for mainly two reasons. One is that developing
nanotechnology would mean dealing with small, tiny objects and arranging if not billions, then
millions of tiny particles. It would also mean that small molecular tweaks could alter the whole
program of nanotechnology, and we would also consider the numerous fields in which this
technology is badly needed, which would mean that the scientists still have a lot of work to do.
The second reason is that the development of nanotechnology would require a different and
unique field of science that is not aligned with what the current scientists and experts have been
incorporating in building objects given that the current trend was building things from top to
bottom.

4. What does nature show about building organisms bottom up?

When it comes to building structures, one of our mother nature's distinguishing characteristics is
that she builds everything from the ground up. Proteins are used by nature to create sea sand
templates. Moreover, nature is not crude like us; nature is elegant and smart, building with what
is available molecule by molecule and creating structures with complexity and diversity that we
cannot even begin to comprehend. Nature's bottom-to-top building method is very old, and we
can still see it today through observations of our surroundings.
5. How can chemistry help in nanotechnology?
Chemistry is the missing tool in the development of nanotechnology because it can be used to
guide objects around, including small objects that compose the nanotechnology. In the talk, the
speaker shared that in their lab, they have developed a chemistry that goes into the pile of dust
and nanoparticles and pulls out the ones needed. He also added that humans can then use
chemistry to arrange billions of particles into a pattern and build circuits that are faster than
anything before. The reason that chemistry is the science that would be vital in the application of
nanoscale objects of the same size as molecules is due to the possibility that if the scientists
were able to pull this off, they would use chemistry in arranging billions of tiny particles to build
nanotechnology.