Nanotechnology is all about scale—small, small, small scale—the size of a nanometer. A nanometer is a billionth of a meter, about 1/80,000 the width of a human hair. Wow! Materials on a 'nano' scale have been used for a long time, even if no one knew what they were. The Romans used them to make glasses. During Renaissance times the nano scale was used to make ceramics. But an in-depth understanding of nanotechnology and ways to use it is very new indeed. Today scientists are able to manipulate matter on an atomic, subatomic and molecular scale that's amazing.
