Xavier Brillat

René is an artist. His studio is set up in a former nightclub that is now closed down. He lives and works there with his friend. All goes well, and yet not as well as all that. René believes he’s caught something. He doesn’t really feel sick, but he’s doesn’t feel absorbed by the world around him. Why do things that enter his mind no longer want to leave it? One of them is this photo of two strange clowns that he cut out of a magazine.

Like GMOs before it, nanotechnology is irrevocably changing our world. What are the benefits of nanotech, and what are the risks? How might nanotech be used—or misused? Can the interests of science, business, and government strike a balance between the desire to act responsibly and deference to market and political pressures? These are some of the urgent questions explored in this timely four-part series.