The ability to see nano-sized materials has opened up a world of possibilities in a variety of industries and scientific endeavors. Because nanotechnology is essentially a set of techniques that allow manipulation of properties at a very small scale, it can have many applications, such as the ones listed below.Drug delivery. Today, most harmful side effects of treatments such as chemotherapy are a result of drug delivery methods that don't pinpoint their intended target cells accurately. Researchers at Harvard and MIT have been able to attach special RNA strands, measuring about 10 nm in diameter, to nanoparticles and fill the nanoparticles with a chemotherapy drug. These RNA strands are attracted to cancer cells. When the nanoparticle encounters a cancer cell it adheres to it and releases the drug into the cancer cell. This directed method of drug delivery has great potential for treating cancer patients while producing less side harmful affects than those produced by conventional chemotherapy.<br />Fabrics. The properties of familiar materials are being changed by manufacturers who are adding nano-sized components to conventional materials to improve performance. For example piezoelectric fibers are being devloped that could allow clothing to generate electricity through normal motionsReactivity of Materials. The properties of many conventional materials change when formed as nano-sized particles (nanoparticles). This is generally because nanoparticles have a greater surface area per weight than larger particles; they are therefore more reactive to some other molecules. For example studies have show that nanoparticles of iron can be effective in the cleanup of chemicals in groundwater because they react more efficiently to those chemicals than larger iron particles.<br />Strength of Materials. Nano-sized particles of carbon, (for example nanotubes and bucky balls) are extremely strong. Nanotubes and bucky balls are composed of only carbon and their strength comes from special characteristics of the bonds between carbon atoms. One proposed application that illustrates the strength of nanosized particles of carbon is the manufacture of t-shirt weight bullet proof vests made out of carbon nanotubes.The Nanotechnology Debate<br />There are many different points of view about the nanotechnology. These differences start with the definition of nanotechnology. Some define it as any activity that involves manipulating materials between one nanometer and 100 nanometers. However the original definition of nanotechnology involved building machines at the molecular scale and involves the manipulation of materials on an atomic (about two-tenths of a nanometer) scale.<br /><br /><br />