Edited by author 11-10-2003 03:31 PM
I've been a nanotech enthusiast for over 15 years, and although I agree with Merkle that a broadcast approach is far safer than autonomous replicators, there is no reason they still can't be built - and THAT is the danger of nanotechnology, and therefore the 'metaphor of biology' is more than appropriate. Merkle should know better. If a self-replicating toxic virus can exist, then a self-replicating nano-assembler that eats everything (Grey Goo) can also exist.

I can hope that such malicious "apocalyptic" assemblers are never created, but there are over 6 billion people on the planet and growing, and all it takes is one clever human being with a few bits shy of a byte to make it and release it.