- WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The
U.S. House of Representatives gave a big boost to a tiny technology on
Wednesday, voting to increase research funding that could lead to molecule-sized
computers and medical robots that travel the human bloodstream.
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- By a vote of 405-19, the House earmarked $2.36 billion
over three years to fund research in nanotechnology, the science of manipulating
individual atoms to create new materials.
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- Science Committee Chairman Sherwood Boehlert, the New
York Republican who sponsored the bill, said the U.S. government needs
to step up funding for basic research that could lead to commercial development.
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- "It is one of the most promising and exciting fields
in science today," Boehlert said in debate on the House floor.
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- Nanotech firms have already introduced wrinkle- and stain-resistant
cotton fabrics, food packaging that keeps meat fresh longer, and windows
that are easier to clean. Boosters say microscopic computers, cancer-fighting
molecules and nonpolluting automobile engines could be on the horizon.
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- The Senate is expected to take up a similar measure soon,
and Boehlert said the measure had White House support.
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- Others are less supportive. England's Prince Charles
plans to host a summit to explore unintended side effects such as the possibility
that "nanorobots" could replicate like viruses and consume the
whole planet, a scenario envisioned in author Michael Crichton's 2002 bestseller,
"Prey."
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- The bill encourages research into the technology's possible
social impact but does not earmark a dollar amount for that purpose.
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- Under a Clinton administration program, the government
has already paid out more than $1 billion in funding for nanotech research
over three years. The bill passed by the House would boost that amount
to $2.36 billion over the next three years.
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- The National Science Foundation would control nearly
half, with the rest going to the Energy and Commerce Departments, the National
Aeronautics and Space Administration and the Environmental Protection Agency.
The Defense Department, which also funds nanotech research, is not covered
in the bill.
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- The bill sets up an interagency committee to oversee
the program, and provides scholarships for students who would agree to
work for the government after completing their degrees.
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