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On 09/02/2022 16:38, bill w asked:<br>
<blockquote type="cite"
cite="mid:mailman.26.1644424701.826.extropy-chat@lists.extropy.org">
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<div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:comic sans
ms,sans-serif;font-size:large;color:#000000"><span
style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:small">Just
as biology is</span><br
style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:small">
<span
style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:small">proof
that nanotechnology is possible. ben</span><br>
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<div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:comic sans
ms,sans-serif;font-size:large;color:#000000"><span
style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:small"><br>
</span></div>
<div class="gmail_default"
style="font-size:large;color:rgb(0,0,0)"><span
style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-size:small"><font
face="comic sans ms, sans-serif">Would you elaborate on
that just a tiny bit for me? What is it about biology?
We are assuming the analogy is correct. bill w</font></span></div>
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</blockquote>
<br>
What I mean is that biology <i>is</i> nano-scale mechanisms. It's a
demonstration that molecular machines can exist and do useful
things. Granted, the type of nanotechnology that is commonly talked
about is not wet, protein-based nanotech, but we have a proof that
at least wet, protein-based nanotech is possible. We call it 'Life'.
Maybe we're just barking up the wrong (or at least more difficult)
tree by focusing on 'dry' nanotech. In fact, some nanotech research
does focus on DNA in solution, but maybe we could take it further,
and really use biology as a starting point for developing
nanotechnology. We know that non-natural amino acids are possible,
we can create some amazing materials using block co-polymers,
organic chemistry can produce a huge array of structures that don't
occur in nature. If we can stitch these things together, maybe we
can derive a type of non-drexlerian nanotech that sidesteps the
problems of diamondoid synthesis.<br>
<br>
Ben <br>
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