Health
To get inspired for your video, reflect on the following questions and have a look at the online resources listed here. You can find many other examples of nanotechnologies and additional support for your video at you local science center!
Nanotechnology innovations promise new medical solutions for different diseases and for longer lives. However, does a longer life necessarily imply a greater quality of life? How do you judge what is a better life?
Nano-food and nano-cosmetics are already existing. Everyday products such as low fat and low cholesterol mayonnaise (to make it so, the oil droplets in the emulsion are emptied and filled with water!) and newer sunscreens are possible thanks to nanotechnologies. Would you have any restraints in using them? Why?
The use of programmable nanocapsules containing food additives may lead to much more interactive meals. The same food can have different tastes, colours and nutrients according to your wish. Do you want to live in a world in which food can be designed in this way, and what would you eat in a nanorestaurant?
Look at “Zoom into the Human bloodstream” for an overview of the scale we’re talking about.
Read “Soft Machines”, by Richard Jones (2004). In this book he explains the limitations of this kind of engineering (viscosity, brownian motion, etc.). Be careful not to put aside the real scientific questions facing this technology.
Consider the following questions:
- What are the implications of a better diagnosis if no cures have been developed?
- How does a diagnosis work? How is information transmitted and to whom? Is there a database? To whom is it accessible? Is the patient immediately notified?
- Who has access to the information that the “nanorobots” find in your body?
- Is living longer equal to a better quality of life?
- How do you think our quality of life would change if we can get early diagnosis of diseases?
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