We can avoid the risks of molecular nanotechnology by building “self-regulating assembly” and “disassembly” into nanotechnology from the start, says Douglas Mulhall, author of “Our Molecular Future.”

Self-regulating assembly means built-in controls that limit replication rates of molecular assemblers. Ddisassembly (such as building in biodegradability) ensures that assemblers won’t be fundamentally defective from environmental and military security viewpoints.