2. Answer the questions:

1. When was the IFMBE established?

2. What is the mission of the IFMBE?

3. What is the name of the science where biology and mechanics intersect?

4. Can you give any examples of successful biomechanical solutions that have become clinically useful?

5. Can you name four areas of biology?

6. What does mechanics deal with?

3. Choose the right definitions from the column B:

A B

1. biology a) the science that studies the way that the bodies of living things work

2. mechanics b) the science of how forces affect objects

3. anatomy c) the scientific study of the structure of the body

4. physiology d) the scientific study of living things

5. biotechnology e) the use of bacteria and cells from plants and animals for industrial or scientific

purposes

UNIT 9

Nanotechnology

I. Vocabulary focus

1. Useful words for learning:

convergence - конвергенция, сходимость

to hinge (on) - вращаться (вокруг чего-либо)

target - 1) цель; 2) задание

filling - пломба

application - 1) заявление; 2) применение

weaponry - оружие, вооружение;

to allocate (to) - назначать;

remote - дальний, отдаленный

II. Reading

1. Read and translate the text:

Nanotechnology is the science of tiny objects. It is the term applied to the study, manipulation and engineering of systems or devices at a minute level, i.e. less than 100 nanometers, or 10,000th of the diameter of a human hair. Nanotechnology is not strictly speaking a technology, but a size - the nano-scale, at which atoms and molecules, the building blocks of all matter, operate. The convergence of all the new technologies (genetics, robotics, artificial intelligence, IT and nanotechnology) hinges on mastering nano-scale engineering and technology.

In the words of a UK government report: ‘The ultimate goal of nanotechnology is to produce tiny devices, some of which may be able to design and build other devices.’ These ‘nanorobots’ would be implantable devices that could theoretically detect and destroy cancerous cells and sites of infection, repair genetic mutations, deliver precisely targeted drug therapy, replace cellular structures with other materials etc. According to the report, while this may be a dream, some scientists believe that the reality behind the science may be seen in the next 20-30 years. But other products, which rely on nanotechnology, may not be so far away, such as molecular electronic switches, improved sun creams and cancer treatments. In medicine, nanoceramics are already being used as bone replacement agents. Other nanotech products on the market at the moment include lighter, stronger tennis rackets, harder dental fillings and burn dressings. Computer scientists have also made use of nanotechnology to create implants for use in the brains of rats, so that they can be controlled and directed by a remote computer.

The logic behind nanotechnology lies in the simple fact that all substances (life and non-life) are qualitatively the same at the nanoscale - all are made up of atoms arranged in different ways. In other words, there is material unity at the nano-scale. So if events can be manipulated at the nano-scale, this could allow the control of events on the macro-scale, and there are several potential medical applications: “Neurons could be re-engineered so that our minds talk directly to computers or to artificial limbs. Viruses could be re-engineered to act as machines or weapons.” Nanorobots could also be designed to ‘cruise’ the bloodstream, able to attack pathogens, build cells or perhaps even organs.

There is serious commitment to nanotechnology, as well as awareness of its potential use in the development of biological weaponry. It is a fast growing area of scientific research, attracting large amounts of money. The Department of Trade and Industry has allocated £90 million for nanotechnology, to help British companies in this field. The US has the National Nanotechnology Institute and late last year President Bush allocated $3.7 billion to nanotech research and development.