Energy!
It takes energy to self-replicate!
And so... what is 'grey goo'?
It is a science fiction scenario where self-replicating nanobots overrun and kill the Earth.
There's only one problem with this nightmare fear:
Energy!
It takes energy to self-replicate!
Animals spend entire lifetimes amassing enough energy to self-replicate!
Not only would the nanobots need a huge, planet-sized supply of just the right materials...
They would need an enormous source of energy!
And if they were self-assembling themselves out of protons, neutrons and electrons...
No way! Lights out! It would take way too much energy!
Anything heavier than iron consumes energy to make!
And who knows how much energy manipulating subatomic particles might take, even ignoring the energy in the subatomic bonds themselves!
If you were self-assembling out of subatomic particles, it could easily take as much energy as the Sun produces just to self-replicate!
And so there is another limitation: materials!
You could not assemble any material heavier than iron out of subatomic particles or lighter elements without using up vast amounts of energy just to create the subatomic bonds.
What if you needed vast amounts of metals?
Rare metals, heavier than iron?
Materials are also a limitation!
You just cannot create atomic elements heavier than iron without consuming vast amounts of energy just to bond the particles together into an atomic nucleus of the new element!
And so, with energy as a limitation, materials become a limitation too!
'Grey Goo' is not gonna take over the Earth!
Let's focus on not polluting the earth and not consuming too much instead!
Spread the word!
God loves you!
Sincerely,
David S. Annderson