The God of Quantum Dots

Soon, nano-machines may revolutionize computing, telecommunications and medicine, allowing trillions of bits of information to fit on the size of a pinhead. The future is in small, not big. That’s why it’s comforting to know that we have a big — and a small — God!

Quantum dots.

It sounds oxymoronic. But what are they?

Quantum dots are nano-sized semiconductor crystals that fluoresce when irradiated. Attach these dots to a pair of genes, and they become markers to track biological processes.

In plain English, quantum dots may revolutionize computing, telecommunications and medicine, allowing trillions of bits of information to fit on the size of a pinhead. These dots could be as tiny as a few molecules, and constructed out of both organic and inorganic matter. The promise of these nanomachines is truly mind-boggling, reports Foreign Policy magazine: Injected into our bodies, they have potential to fix malfunctioning organs and fight disease. Launched into outer space or into bodies of water, they could mine precious resources or fight pollution. Installed in consumer electronics, they could give our mobile phones and wristwatches the problem-solving power of supercomputers.

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