Art Bell sits down with Charles Ostman, a senior fellow at the Institute for Global Futures with 25 years of experience in electronics and physics, to explore the emerging world of nanotechnology. The discussion begins with Y2K concerns, where Ostman warns that disruptions to global supply chains could trigger economic consequences lasting nine to twelve months beyond the rollover, particularly as third-world manufacturing hubs experience severe failures.
The conversation shifts to artificial intelligence, where Ostman describes autonomous battlefield agents capable of strategizing and negotiating, as well as evolvable systems that learn from input stimuli. He explains how companies like Affymetrix are placing human DNA on silicon chips, creating biochip technology capable of precise diagnostics tailored to individual genetics. Ostman details how modified viruses called quasi-viral components could target specific cell types, with the protein P53 serving as a molecular switch to shut down cancerous cells.
Art raises the alarming possibility that engineered biological agents could mutate beyond their intended targets, creating what Ostman calls a "biological Y2K" scenario far more dangerous than any computer glitch. Both agree that policy and ethical frameworks lag dangerously behind the science.
