Impact of Nano-materials on Living Things

As the saying goes, seeing is believing but for some scientists they are testing for something they can't even see: nano-materials. Nano-materials are the tiny, microscopic molecules that are created by everything like from cooking foods, building factories, or driving around. Nano-materials surround us; they are literally everywhere. In the news article from Science Nation titled Investigating the Impact of Natural and Human-made Nano-materials on Living Things it talked about how scientists are testing the effects of different nano-materials in certain environments. In this case, these scientists created their own controlled-wetlands called mesocosms. Each mesocosm tested the effects of different nano-materials on the plants, on the animals, and on the water itself. These experiments each take about a year to complete to understand the full effect of the nano-materials. When they weren't testing in the mesocosms they tested on zebra fish, specifically the effect that plastic nano-material had on the development. The scientists were very surprised when the results showed a lot of string heart defect, and other major defects in the liver and brain. This is just one example of how harmful something so small can really be. Another nano-material they tested on was the effects of a substance called selenium, which is mainly used in semiconductor industries. The results showed that it was more toxic than they thought. However, the lead scientist said that a small amount is actually good for our diet yet too much could be very bad and  very toxic. Overall these scientists are hoping that their research will make more factories and industries come test their nano-materials in the mesocosms to check the safety levels before producing them and releasing them to the public.
This was the first topic that really grabbed my attention. The reason it did was the word "nano" which i new dealt with very small particles and I was curious on what they would discuss. I really like the idea that factories could first test their materials to make sure it is safe for the environment. Also, I think its important to understand those small things that we can't even see. I really enjoyed this article because it showed that there's more to our world than meets the eye. -BP