"We already have molecular nanotechnology. It's called biology."
This is typically meant to be a skeptical response to some claim about the potential of molecular nanotech (MNT). And it's strictly true, biology is a specific example of MNT. However, the statement is really meant to imply that MNT is somehow limited because of biology. Here's my intuitive rejection:
"We already have molecular nanotechnology. It's called biology."
Is similar to
"We already have powered flight. It's called flapping wings."
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| Image from Kevin Cole |
The Peregrine Falcon is one of the fastest animals on Earth. It can reach speeds in excess of 200 mph.
The X-43 is one of the fastest machines on Earth. It can reach speeds in excess of 7,500 mph.
Evolution and engineering are different processes entirely. It seems obvious to me that every possible evolved organism is a subset of every possible engineered system. In the short-term, machines will exceed organisms in a few narrow domains. Given enough time, engineering must exceed evolution in all domains.
