Providing a guide to what these understandings and challenges are about the encyclopedia of nanoscience and society offers accessible descriptions of some of the key technical achievements of nanoscience along with its history and prospects rather than a technical primer this encyclopedia instead focuses on the efforts of governments around the world to fund nanoscience research and to tap its potential for economic development as well as to assess how best to regulate a new technology . Encyclopedia of nanoscience and society labeled either as the next industrial revolution or as just hype nanoscience and nanotechnologies are controversial touted by some as the likely engines of spectacular transformation of human societies and even human bodies and by others as conceptually flawed. The newly released two volume encyclopedia of nanoscience and society is the result edited by david guston director of the center for nanotechnology in society at arizona state university the book is accessible and jargonfree and contains approximately 425 entries by contributors from the disciplines of sociology and psychology economics . These challenges make an encyclopedia of nanoscience and society an absolute necessity providing a guide to what these understandings and challenges are about the encyclopedia of nanoscience and society offers accessible descriptions of some of the key technical achievements of nanoscience along with its history and prospects. Encyclopedia of nanoscience and society david h guston general editor p cm includes bibliographical references and index isbn 978 1 4129 6987 1 cloth 1 nanotechnology encyclopedias 2 nanotechnology social aspects encyclopedias i guston david h t1747e5294 2010 620503 dc22 2010009454 this book is printed on acid free