Nature’s Nano Technician
Big things often come in the smallest packages, and in the field of nanotechnology, the packages continue to get smaller and smaller. The term nanotechnology comes from the measurement of the nanometer. “One nanometer is one-millionth of a millimeter and a single human hair is around 80,000 nanometers in width” (“Nanotechnology,” n.d.). Nanotechnology attempts to build electronic circuits and microscopic machinery and structures by working at the scale of individual molecules and atoms. Millions of dollars and hundreds of thousands of man-hours have recently been pumped into this field of research in efforts to find cures for cancer, ways to make smaller computers, and countless other technologically beneficial discoveries.
On June 6, 2006, the on-line version of Technology Review, a prestigious scientific journal published by MIT, included an article titled, “A Sponge’s Guide to Nano-Assembly” (Bullis, 2006). The gist of the article is that naturally occurring sponges seem to maintain the ability to assemble beneficial glass structures at the nano-level. Daniel Morse and his research team from the University of California, Santa Barbara have begun to mimic the processes of certain sponges in successful efforts to improve nano-construction. Potentially, this new discovery could lead to, among other things, “more powerful batteries and highly efficient solar cells at a lower price” (Bullis, 2006).
This scientific advancement is one of many in the increasingly popular field of biomimicry or biomimetics—the branch of science that mimics processes or structures originally found in the biological world. In regard to biomimicry’s ability to aid nanotechnology, Bullis noted: “[O]ne of the most promising strategies is to attempt to mimic nature’s remarkable ability to self-assemble complex shapes with nanoscale precision” (2006). In essence, the most brilliant scientists in the field try to copy what they see going on in nature.
The implication involved in such research is not lost on the astute observer. If intelligent scientists exert the powers of their mental faculties simply to mimic designs already available in the natural world, then the Intelligent Agent behind that natural design must maintain a superior intelligence to that of the scientists. The idea that such amazing nanotechnology could evolve over millions of years through a non-purposive process like biological evolution loses all feasibility in the face of such natural design and technological savvy. It stretches the talents of our most gifted scientists just to recognize the vast potential of nature’s amazing abilities, even more so, to mimic them accurately or come close to offering any type of improvement to the system. In truth, the only reasonable explanation for the existence of such phenomenal natural design is the existence of an Intelligent Designer—Nature’s Nano Technician—the God of the Bible.
REFERENCES
Bullis, Kevin (2006), “A Sponge’s Guide to Nano-Assembly,” Technology Review, [On-line], URL: http://www.technologyreview.com/read_article.aspx?id=16959&ch=nanotech.
“Nanotechnology” (no date), Glossary: The Royal Society, [On-line], URL: http://www.royalsoc.ac.uk/glossary.asp#n.
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