NANOTECHNOLOGY

From clear sunscreen to space elevators, nanotechnology promises big changes in our daily lives. With more enthusiasm than specific detail, Johnson lays out that promise, pointing to recent advances in sports equipment, stain resistant fabrics and moving parts for dolls that are but harbingers of revolutionary new developments in science, medicine and the whole approach to manufacturing things. In a final chapter, “Nanobots and Beyond,” she considers the potential—and, in a dismissive way, the dangers—of submicroscopic self-replicating machines. As flashy jumbles of swatches of text and small, often overlapping color photos that are more decorative than informative, the pages have a relentlessly busy look. Nevertheless, like Dianne Maddox’s Nanotechnology (not reviewed), this latest entry in the “Cool Science” series may fire up some interest in this trendy topic and impel readers to check out the websites and other resources listed at the end. (Nonfiction. 8-10)