The U.S. House of Representatives voted on Wednesday to earmark $2.36 billion over the next 3 years for nanotechnology research, the science of manipulating individual atoms to create other forms of atoms.

This research has the potential to create medical advancements through microscopic robots and molecule-sized computers capable of traveling through the bloodstream in the human body. The funds will be controlled 50% by the National Science Foundation, with the other 50% being divided among the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Departments of Energy and Commerce. The legislation establishes an interagency committee to monitor the research programs and to provide college scholarships in exchange for students who are willing to work in government research after completion of college. The bill goes to the Senate next and is expected to be approved.

Nanotechnology has already been used commercially to create wrinkle and stain resistant fabrics, easier to clean windows and improved length of freshness for packaged meat. Some have expressed concern over this type of research. Prince Charles of England has announced that he will host a summit to explore potential unintended side effects of nanotechnology, such as "nanorobots" that might replicate like viruses and consume the whole planet, as in "Prey," Michael Crichton's best-selling science fiction story.

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