The First Demonstration Of Self-Propelled Nanobots In A Living AnimalQuoteResearchers from the University of California have developed acid-fueled micro-machines capable of traveling and delivering cargo directly inside a living creature. It's a breakthrough that's expected to significantly advance the field of medical nano-robotics.
Scientists have developed drug-delivering micro-machines before, but these systems were only tested under in vitro conditions (i.e., cell cultures outside the body). But in this latest breakthrough, Wei Gao and colleagues have shown that artificial micromotors can travel inside a live mouse, deliver its cargo, and produce no toxic effects.
This is definitely an important proof-of-concept. Nanotechnology has the potential to reshape the way medicine is done. In the future, scaled-up versions of this rudimentary micro-machine could deliver important medicines to previously inaccessible parts of the body (e.g., to treat peptic ulcers and other illnesses), fight infectious diseases, or even perform complex tasks like direct cellular manipulation and repair.
http://io9.com/the-first-demonstration-of-self-propelled-nanobots-in-a-1680380885 (http://io9.com/the-first-demonstration-of-self-propelled-nanobots-in-a-1680380885)
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"We are the Borg. Your biological and technological distinctiveness will be added to our own. Resistance is futile." :P
QuoteThe basic building blocks of Borg assimilation, these submicroscopic, self-replicating robots permeate the bloodstream and carry Borg technology throughout the body. Nanoprobes attack the victim on a cellular level, latching on to the blood cells and taking over their functions, rewriting their DNA almost instantaneously. The subject's skin turns gray within seconds, and develops a distinctive mottled pattern. This stage of assimilation leaves a subject passive and suggestible, paving the way for further alteration with cybernetic implants.
http://www.startrek.com/database_article/nanoprobes (http://www.startrek.com/database_article/nanoprobes)