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magnetite nanocrystals, Fe2O3 to remove arsenic from water through a magnetic interaction. One aspect of her work is creating an accessible synthesis of magnetite by using materials that are found in the third world. In Nicaragua they will be able to make magnetite by using olive oil or coconut oil, a deep fat fryer, laundry soap and rusty old metal. Nanotechnology is being used at the University of Texas El Paso to look at phytoremediation. Phytoremediation is the cleaning up of heavy metals in soil by plants. Plants such as the mesquite plant have the ability to sequester toxic chromium from soil in the form of nanoparticles. There are other heavy metals that can be "absorbed" by plants as well.

Nanotechnology is being used to create electricity from waste heat. Mercouri Kanatzidis at Northwestern University is using lead telluride nanoparticles to derive electricity from heat. These thermoelectric devices might be used in car engines to scavenge wasted heat. However, the efficiency of these devices must be optimized before a practical application can be realized.

There are many potential areas where nanotechnology can potentially improve the quality of human life. Given its interdisciplinary nature not only within science, but also its ethical implications it is a field that we should be aware of. The large quantity of discoveries that are on the brink of existence should motivate us to educate ourselves about the benefits and risks of a brave new world of nanotechnology. Overall, nanotechnology promotes a healthy debate over the future of science "at the bottom."

References
1 "The Cell as a Collection Overview of Protein Machines: Preparing the
Next Generation of Molecular Biologists" Bruce Alberts Cell, Vol. 92, 291294, February 6, 1998,
2 The Nanotech Pioneers by Steve Edwards Wiley: 2006 254
3 Feynman, R. (1961) in Miniaturization, ed. Gilbert, H.D. (Reinhold, New York), pp. 282-296
4 http://www.rpi.edu/dept/materi als/COURSES/NANO/shaw/Page2.ht ml
5 Scientific American Reports, "The Rise of Nanotechnology" 2007
6 Drexler, K.E. (1981) "Molecular engineering: An approach to the development of general capabilities for molecular manipulation" Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA 78:5275-5278.
7 Nanosystems: molecular machinery, manufacturing, and computation by K. Eric Drexler, Wiley 1992
8 http://nobelprize.org/nobel_pr izes/physics/laureates/1986/ru ska-autobio.html
9 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M icroscopy
10 Maskless nanopatterning and formation of nano-corrals

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