When I was in college they were saying the same thing about cold fusion too. It was discredited very quickly. Then along came high temperature ceramic superconductors. Although the original researchers received the Nobel prize for their efforts and the US government established the center for high temperature superconductors at Oak Ridge National Labs, none of the original lofty goals that were set by these researchers were realized. For example, the goal of a room temperature superconductor has not been attained. And it probably never will.
So why were these subjects such hot topics when they were initially discussed and researched? They were new and different, and promised substantial potential under the right conditions. More importantly, they meant money to a lot of people. Trade magazines pushed them for marketing purposes. Universities pushed them to obtain grant money that was (and still is) in desperately short supply. Nanotechnology is a hot topic now. One reason is that it has more potential than either of the topics I mentioned above. Ideally, if pursued to a logical conclusion we may one day see an overlap between nanotechnology and biology. Keep in mind that mother nature provided the world with the ultimate in nanotechnology when the first living cells were created billions of years ago.
So where is this new field headed? Follow the money...
