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Chris Toumey reflects on his contribution to Nature Nanotechnology since its launch.

After fourteen years of writing for Nature Nanotechnology, Chris Toumey reflects on the role of experts in Science and Technology Studies in his last contribution to the journal.

When involving the public in discussions about new developments in science and technology, there are important differences between nanotechnology and other areas that need to be taken into account, as Chris Toumey explains.

Nanomedicine and homeopathy both involve very small amounts of material, but that is where the similarity ends, as Chris Toumey explains.

Can the nanotech community learn anything from biotechnology? Chris Toumey reports.

Gender is less of an issue in nanotechnology than in other areas of science and technology but, as Chris Toumey explains, public attitudes to nanotech do depend on gender.

To explore the meaning of inter-instrumentality, Chris Toumey provided samples of his blood and hair to be imaged by four different types of microscope. Here he describes the results.

Most scientists think of science as completely objective, but lab studies by social scientists — including several carried out in nanotechnology labs — suggest that it is more subjective than many scientists realize. Chris Toumey looks at the results of these studies.

Nanoscale objects cannot be seen in the traditional sense, but that should not stop us from thinking about how we visualize the nanoworld, as Chris Toumey reports.

More than a decade after it was first published, Chris Toumey revisits a report from the Royal Society on the opportunities and uncertainties of nanotechnology, and finds that it still has plenty to offer.

The relationship between technology and religion is diverse and nuanced, but understanding it can be a valuable intellectual exercise, as Chris Toumey explains.

There is no unique definition of nanotechnology because its breadth and complexity mean that people with different backgrounds and interests have their own view of the subject, explains Chris Toumey.

C₆₀ was discovered in 1985 but it took five years to confirm that this famous molecule was spherical. Chris Toumey revisits a debate that highlighted different approaches to science.

Although numerous statements on ethics in nanotechnology have been published, they exist as seemingly disparate, stand-alone works. Inspired by a process that the field of genetic engineering went through in the 1970s, Chris Toumey suggests one way in which some clarity could be brought to the topic.

A recent conference on the environmental effects of nanoparticles leaves Chris Toumey reflecting on the difficulties of carrying out nanotoxicology research that can be used to develop informed environmental regulation.

There are many different ways to introduce the public to nanotechnology, writes Chris Toumey. Just don't mention human hairs or the space elevator.

Nanotechnology researchers have recently been targeted by armed eco-terrorists. Chris Toumey examines the motivation of these attackers.

A new approach to public knowledge of science focuses on what the public want to know rather than what scientists think they should know. Chris Toumey reports.

Ethical questions arising from biotechnology first, then nanotechnology, and synthetic biology now, present common features, but as Chris Toumey explains, the scientific and ethical issues arising in each case should be treated individually.

How has science fiction been influenced by nanotechnology? And why do so many reports about the possibilities of nanotechnology read like science fiction? Chris Toumey looks for answers.

The historical context in which a scientific paper is published is an important factor that should not be overlooked, suggest Qian Wang and Chris Toumey.

Chris Toumey considers the reflections on nanoscience of the chemist James Gimzewski.

Do molecules have beauty? Is it possible to fall in love with one? Based on what Harry Kroto and others have written about buckminsterfullerene, Chris Toumey thinks that the answer to both these questions is yes.

Chris Toumey reflects on the fun, and not only, provided by nanotechnology in the digital world, as illustrated by Colin Milburn in Mondo Nano.

It is difficult to be definitive about certain aspects of nanotechnology, especially the use of nanoparticles in medical applications. Chris Toumey looks at two views.

Predictions for the development of microelectronics provide a valuable example about the virtues of measured promises in nanotechnology, as Chris Toumey explains.

A recent book on risk in nanotechnology highlights the different forms of risk studies — analysis, perception and communication — and explores the relationships that exist between them. Chris Toumey reports.

Reflecting on a provocative report from 2002 on the benefits of fusing different technologies, Chris Toumey considers the importance of being realistic about the potential of nanotechnology.

Nanotechnology will make it easier for governments and companies to invade the privacy of citizens and customers, warns Chris Toumey.

The golem stories of Jewish history can provide a framework for thinking about some of the ethical questions involved in nanotechnology and nanomedicine, as Chris Toumey explains.

Nanotechnology-induced risks to the environment are of greater concern than envisaged, although different groups of people are concerned for different reasons, as Chris Toumey explains.

What does the theory of atoms have to do with religious belief? Chris Toumey explains how historically the link between atomism and atheism has been quite strong.

Debates about nanotechnology and religion have become dominated by the concepts of transhumanism and cyberimmortality, but, argues Chris Toumey, there are more interesting topics to discuss.

Scanning probe microscopes feature prominently in the history of nanotechnology but, as a recent book on the subject makes clear, this history could have been very different. Chris Toumey explains.

The prefix nano, which is based on the Greek word for dwarf, became part of scientific nomenclature in 1960. Chris Toumey explores the role of language and languages in science.

Chris Toumey illustrates how different groups of people involved with nanotechnology have different views on the history of the field and feel differently about its importance.

Nanobots have in the past been a fixture of science fiction writing and illustration, and such ideas are now also appearing in scientific research. But, as Chris Toumey explains, practical nanobots are different from their science fiction counterparts.

The differences between the sciences and the humanities have been debated in academic circles for decades. Chris Toumey explores how nanotechnology fits into this picture and how the nature of science itself is a legitimate subject for researchers in the humanities and social sciences.

Chris Toumey ponders the nanotechnology behind the 2016 Nobel Prize in Chemistry.

The use of silver nanoparticles to clean clothes and the use of magnetite nanoparticles to clean water provide contrasting illustrations of the potential environmental consequences of nanotechnology, as Chris Toumey explains.

It is 20 years since researchers at IBM spelt out the name of their company with atoms. Chris Toumey looks at the story behind a landmark in nanotechnology.

Surveys have found that almost half of all scientists in the US are religious. Chris Toumey explores what this might mean for nanotechnology.

Through an overview of James Watson’s recounting of the discovery of the structure of DNA, Chris Toumey illustrates the value to be found in the stories of the interaction among scientists behind great scientific discoveries.

In reviewing a recent book, Chris Toumey reflects on the impact that social networks can have on the development of a number of technologies.

Although we seem to understand how nanoscience can impact the environment, we seem to be far off using nanotechnology for environmental remediation, says Chris Toumey.

Visiting a research centre specialized in nanoscience and nanotechnology can be an inspiration for students in other disciplines, as Chris Toumey explains.

Some scientific disciplines originate from a single event. This is not the case for nanotechnology, says Chris Toumey.

Chris Toumey explores the way in which reactions to nanotechnology from different religious denominations can be translated to other emerging technologies.

The future of nanotechnology depends on public acceptance, says Chris Toumey, so the nanotechnology community needs to listen to public opinion.

Some of the most famous images in nanoscience and technology have been produced by scanning probe microscopes but, as Chris Toumey explains, there is much more to these images than meets the eye.