ABSTRACT
As human society has evolved and adapted to a wide range of environments, the ability to move beyond mere survival to thrive in a speci˜c environment has often been mediated by the discovery and application of new knowledge and increasingly advanced technologies. At the same time, not all technological advances result in automatic bene˜ts for all of humankind. Emerging technologies pose both signi˜cant opportunities and threats to the collective health of the human community. Nanoscience and its related technologies have the potential be among the most sophisticated advances in human understanding and mastery of the environment. Nanotechnology allows
CONTENTS
7.1 Introduction ................................................................................................ 157 7.2 De˜nition of Health ................................................................................... 159 7.3 Historical Perspective on Technology and Health ................................ 161 7.4 Promise of Emerging Technologies......................................................... 164
7.4.1 Nanotechnology and Medicine ................................................... 164 7.4.2 Nanotechnology, the Environment, and Climate Change ....... 165
7.5 Shadow Side of Technology and Moral Consideration ........................ 166 7.6 Framework of Practical Issues and Strategic Priorities ........................ 168
7.6.1 What to Fund? ................................................................................ 168 7.6.2 When to Transfer Knowledge? ..................................................... 169
7.7 Conclusion .................................................................................................. 169 References ............................................................................................................. 171
the manipulation of matter at the atomic scale, yielding an unprecedented understanding of nature itself as well as enabling its application to a plethora of human challenges. In terms of global health, the breadth and scope of that application are limited only by how we ultimately de˜ne health, the healthrelated goals we set to achieve, and the strategic insight and collective will to realize those goals.
