Everyone today knows what technology is, but what is nanotechnology? Taken from the Greek, nano means ‘one billionth part of’ a whole. In modern parlance, it means very, very small. Nano-tech is the next step after miniaturization. Mobile phones are miniaturized versions of traditional landline phones. Watches are miniature clocks. Desktop computers are miniature versions of the original analogue calculating machines. Miniaturization is common in today’s world – in tomorrow’s world, nano-tech will be the new common technology. It will afect everyone on the planet and may change civilization as it is known. This book presents the cutting edge of a new technology that will find usage in medicine, space exploration, communications, manufacturing and almost every other aspect of modern society. Imagine getting an injection of “smart” molecules that can seek out cancer cells and destroy them without hurting any of the surrounding tissue. Imagine a simultaneous space launch via the Shuttle of thousands of robotic probes, each no bigger than an insect and each programmed to do a single task in concert with all the others. And that’s just the begnning.

The authors provide a tour of the molecular structure of invisible atomic structures. Beginning with simple structures like air and ice to more complex structures like rare earth magnets, this book uses x-ray diffraction data to provide color illustrations and essays about atomic structures. The authors also answer questions such as how diamonds ride volcanoes to the earth’s surfaces, how viruses reproduce, and why diapers smell. Kenneth S. Deffeyes is a professor of geology emeritus at Princeton University. Stephen E. Deffeyes is a freelance illustrator and designer.