Nanoparticles will change the world, but whether it's for the better depends on decisions made now

Nanoparticles are a thousand times smaller than a human hair. Illustration by Stephanie King, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

Technologies based on nanoscale materials – for example, particles that are more than 10,000 times smaller than the period at the end of this sentence – play a growing role in our world.

Carbon nanofibers strengthen airplanes and bicycle frames, silver nanoparticles make bacteria-resistant fabrics, and moisturizing nanoparticles called nanoliposomes are used in cosmetics.