"Since the dawn of technology, many tools have grown steadily smaller even as they have grown more powerful and complex. Now nanoscience takes technology beyond most popular definitions of reality, to a realm of astounding possibilities. With Nanocosm, William Atkinson reveals a spectacular view of the immediate future of nanoscience and its applications in: medicine - drugs whose effective dose is only a few molecules and thus have minimal side effects; computing - quantum processors triggered by a single photon of light; engineering - megastructures woven from hollow nanotubes 200 times stronger than steel and countless other arenas that affect our world, redefining how we work, play, and live. President Bush recently signed a $3.7 billion nanotechnology bill, the largest government - funded science program since Kennedy started the space race. Nanocosmshows why."