Some researchers are working on “smart dust”: very tiny passive chips that could be spread by plane in forests to prevent fires. Each chip is composed of a captor, a receiver and transmitter acting at a very short distance. Because there are many of them, they are able to be effective and quickly reactive. But they are made with pure silicon and they are not biodegradable. What do you think of using these smart tags to protect our forests, knowing that what cares for them now may pollute them in ten or twenty years?

Extreme miniaturization in nanoelectronics may soon allow tracking every single fruit or vegetable from its field to your plate. Thanks to wireless networks and widespread electronic tags, environmental and food security will be much more guaranteed. How do you feel about this? In the meantime, however, if one could tag a fruit, one could tag a person…

Some nanoparticles display antibacterial qualities which can be used to curb infections in hospitals or reduce body odours. However, their widespread use could affect sewage treatment facilities or cause damage to ecosystems by killing useful bacteria. How should the use of such nanoparticles be regulated?