UCL LUNCH HOUR LECTURES

Professor Thomas Rademacher – UCL Infection & Immunity

In April 2003 Prince Charles was purported as using the expression ‘grey goo’ to describe the dangers of nanotechnology. These fears centred around the belief that self-replication is an essential part of the molecular manufacturing process. The idea that self-replicating robots, smaller than viruses, will one day multiply uncontrollably and devour our planet is now seen as science fiction. Five years on, emerging nanotechnologies have created an unstoppable disruptive force that will change medicine, the environment and the economy in ways we are only starting to imagine. It is no longer about miniaturisation but about creating structures which function at the quantum edge.