Nanotechnology and medicine: Coming of microscopic machines that treat disease

Ben Locwin | January 22, 2015 | Genetic Literacy Project

It’s been the stuff of science fiction for almost as long as there has been science fiction: Sending miniaturized machines or vehicles through the human body to go to sites of disease or damage and repair them internally, without the need for invasive surgical incisions and collateral tissue damage. Now the first version of one of these nanotechnologies has been realized in vivo (in a living body). Researchers at the University of California, San Diego have delivered microscopic treatment projectiles to the stomach of mice to explore the concept as a treatment for conditions such as stomach ulcers, gastritis, or other diseases of the organ.

Why it’s exciting.....To Read More....

My Take - This is going to happen at some point in time. Do they understand all that's needed to be known to make it happen soon? Probably not, but it's like so many great breakthroughs - someone will stumble on the answers accidently.  Accident is a component of science, along those unexplainable “SHAZAM” moments of insight flashes into a scientist’s mind such as "Archimedes discovering how to calculate density and volume while taking a bath. Sir Isaac Newton allegedly discovered the law of universal gravity by being hit on the head by an apple, Descartes developed what is now known as coordinate geometry by watching flies, Einstein was thinking about trains and lightening when the idea of special relativity flashed into his head and Tesla was walking with a cane when he first thought of alternating current."

But I believe it’s going to happen because science fiction writers have been talking about this kind of thing for years.  So what?  Well, I don’t seem to read anything except non-fiction now - reports, news, commentary, all real world events.  In short, I’m reading more and enjoying it less.  But I used to enjoy fiction in years gone by, especially science fiction and as the years went by I noticed things discussed by science fiction writers seem to eventually come true.  Why?  Well, some of them are scientists and the rest of the good ones are science aficionados with the ability to extrapolate what’s real into what’s possible better than other people.  They simple see further down the road than the rest of us.