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Nanotechnology: An Antidote to Pollution, a Facilitator to Medical Science

Enterprise Technology Review | Friday, May 24, 2019

Nanotechnology, the technology used to address problems at the atomic and molecular level, has seen significant developments in recent decades. Although there has not been much limelight on the applications of nanotechnology or nanoscience as compared to other technologies like robotics or Artificial Intelligence, it has continued evolving in the background. In many fields today, experts are looking at nanotechnology for solutions. One can find applications of nanotechnology in all branches of science including physics, chemistry, engineering, material science, medicine and biology.

The theory behind nanotechnology is that it looks to manipulate and control the smallest units of matter like atoms and molecules. As these are the building blocks of everything around us, including us, it can make changes and hence provide solutions regarding everything ranging from the water to the food to the clothes to the air. Scientists have now started getting the results of applying nanotechnology in many areas.

Today, everybody is concerned about the quality of the air we breathe and the water we drink. Increasing pollution and greenhouse gases have rendered precious resource harmful. The driving cause of the problem is the use of energy resources that are not good for the planet. Nanotechnology has helped researchers develop an alternative source which uses the pollutant particles and reorients the nano-materials in them to create energy. If successfully applied, it could mean the end of air pollution and a new source of resources, at once. Apart from this, many other scientists have found applications of nanotechnology that can resolve the energy situation.

Water resources are at high risks. Depleting resources, as well as degrading quality, is creating a crisis. Going by predictions, there might be an acute shortage of water resources within the next two decades. In this case, as well, scientists have used nanotechnology to good effect and come up with ways to detect pollutants and create nano-filters to help effective filtration of polluted water. In the agricultural sector, nanotechnology is helping in improving the way plants take up nutrients and detecting signs of diseases and crop failures at the earliest. 

The medical field can be the greatest beneficiary of nanotechnology. Many of the diseases that plague us have origins at the cellular level. By using nanotechnology, there are two direct benefits- diagnosis becomes faster, and it becomes possible to direct all our modes of treatment to the affected cells only. The growing Nanotechnology and its applications are destined to solve many problems that humanity faces today. 

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