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Watter Ower A Stane

by David Renwick Grant

‘Seen from the Cave’ (my earlier series) took its name from the Gaelic ‘uamh,’ a cave, of which Weem is an anglicised corruption.   Although I now live at Gra’n tulaich, ‘News from the Knoll’ seemed altogether too cheesy.

The flow of water over stones, whether a great river roaring over boulders or the tinkling song of a hill burn passing over pebbles, is pleasant to watch and listen to; it reflects the continuity of life and can stand as a symbol for us, around whom life flows. In Scotland, in Perthshire, we are blessed with a plentiful supply of water that is clean and sweet to drink. Long may it remain so.

We are fortunate in many other ways too, for the landscape is beautiful. It has witnessed many changes over the years but has always provided for those who live in it and on it. Long ago, hunter-gatherers found plenteous game and wild fruits. Then came the first farmers, herdsmen mostly, running their cattle on the wide moors in summer and through the sheltering forests in winter. Tillage began to be practised in the fertile valley bottoms and provided grain and vegetables for man and beast. Today, although the old trades are still there, with the addition of commercial forestry, their predominance has gone, superseded, whether we like it or not, by ‘farming’ tourists.

Far removed from the rural idyll, I have been wondering what impact on the future here – and everywhere – nanotechnology will have. Its concept and scope is so staggering that I have difficulty fully comprehending its implications. One dictionary definition is: “the branch of engineering that deals with things smaller than 100 nanometers (especially with the manipulation of individual molecules).” Another: “an area of science which deals with developing and producing extremely small tools and machines by controlling the arrangement of individual atoms.” A nanometre, by the way, is a millionth of a millimetre…. Wikipedia has an interesting page on micrometres at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Micrometre. But where does all this get us?

Researchers and futurists believe nanotechnology could transform everything from healthcare and manufacturing to environmental clean-up and space travel. Many of the worst problems threatening us, it is claimed, could be eradicated this century. These include destroying cancer cells, clearing blocked arteries and allowing a car to run 5,000 miles per tank-full, using fuel cells. The downside is that, at this scale, materials can develop unusual and unpredictable properties, leading to concerns about risks to health and the environment. If some types of nanoparticles enter our bloodstream, they are likely to prove malign. 

I don’t pretend to understand the half of what could be involved but even a layman may comprehend the huge benefits this infant science could bring. Of course there will be risks, but it would be a tragedy if ill-perceived public impressions were to lead to an anti-nano campaign. We need good, properly peer-reviewed science, not the ravings of the ill-informed that have so often retarded or blocked progress in other fields, so that we may have confidence in what is happening. The public are not stupid. Good PR by the ‘nanotechies’ would be welcomed and avoid blanket rejection, as happened in the case of GMO’s and the greedy corporations that took a stranglehold on them.

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One of my ruder critics said Seen from the Cave tended often to be negative. He may have had a point, so I intend Optimism to prevail here. The praiseworthy will be featured! The commendable will be lauded! But sustained optimism is hard going, so below is:

Moan of the Month

The pretence, in the absence of any sign whatsoever that people are prepared to give up their extravagant use of energy, that covering our superb landscape with hideous wind-turbines is the answer. We need an honest reappraisal of nuclear power and you could well look at http://lpsc.in2p3.fr/gpr/english/NEWNRW/NEWNRW.html for starters.

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