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A report on nanotechnology published in 2004 by two learned societies in the UK has had impacts in other areas of science and technology, as Richard Jones reports.
Calls for more data on the impact of nanomaterials on human health and the environment reflect a failure to accept that there will always be unknowns associated with any new technology. Effective governance of emerging nanotechnologies will require an acknowledgement of these unknowns, an open and adaptive approach to regulation, and the courage to make decisions.