A Place to Stand

   A bit of Glasgow patriotism (OK Next Big Future got it first) combined with awe at exactly how fast scientific progress is today.

A new 3D printing process developed at the University of Glasgow could revolutionise the way scientists, doctors and even the general public create chemical products.
Professor Lee Cronin, Gardiner Chair of Chemistry at the University, believes his research could lead to the development of home chemical fabricators which consumers could use to design and create medicine at home.
A new research paper, published in the journal Nature Chemistry, outlines how the process has been proven to work. Using a commercially-available 3D printer operated by open-source computer-aided design software, Professor Cronin and his team have built what they call ‘reactionware’, special vessels for chemical reactions which are made from a polymer gel which sets at room temperature. more

   It seems only 3 years ago that 3D printing was promising to revolutionise conventional production but to move on to putting complex chemicals together at an atomic level is like going from the Enigma machine (post WW1) to the microprocessor (early 1970s) in the same time.

    Now how long will it take till government, the overwhelming brake on progress in the modern world, authorises its use for ordinary people. Anybody is willing to bet on less than 3 years?: Or even less than 15?