Nanotechnologies

Arranged one way, they make up homes and fresh air; arranged another, they make up ash and smoke.Our ability to arrange atoms lies at the foundation of technology.We take pride in our technology, with our lifesaving drugs and desktop computers.For all our advances in arranging atoms, we still use primitive methods.With our present technology, we are still forced to handle atoms in unruly herds.For better or for worse, the greatest technological breakthrough in history is still to come.Our modern technology builds on an ancient tradition.Thirty thousand years ago, chipping flint was the high technology of the day.They also made patterns on cave walls in France with sprayed paint, using their hands as stencils.Later they made pots by baking clay, then bronze by cooking rocks.