When you start looking at the world on the atomic level, some of the old distinctions start to disappear. Take, for instance, the distinction between biology and technology.

Cornell University physics professor Paul McEuen, one of the world's leading experts on nanotechnology - the creation of supersmall structures from molecular building blocks - says some of those distinctions already are being blurred by the emerging field of synthetic biology.

"Synthetic biology is basically the idea that we're going to turn life into a sort of engineering discipline," he said. "It's like a hypersteroidal version of genetic engineering."

That's one of the ideas McEuen will explore in a lecture this week at Oregon State University. His talk, titled "Small Is All: Nano, Bio and the Future of Technology," will begin at 5 p.m. Wednesday in Room 151 of Weniger Hall.

Think the notion of engineered organisms sounds far-fetched?

McEuen points out that nanotechnology already is being used in the life sciences - in the production of new anti-malarial drugs, for instance, or new energy-generating projects using algae as fuel.

Other applications may arise from McEuen's own specialty - carbon nanotubes. These ultra-tiny structures, created in the lab from cylinders of graphite just one molecule thick, have electrical properties that make them extremely useful in the semiconductor industry. But McEuen believes they could also find their way into medicine.

"A carbon nanotube is about the same diameter as a strand of DNA, so it's very well-suited for interfacing with the biological world," McEuen said.

Nanoscience is one of the fastest-growing of all academic fields, but McEuen believes the research may be getting ahead of our ability to understand all of its ramifications. He argues that a national discussion is needed to create an appropriate regulatory framework - one that will enable research to move forward without creating new problems.

"Rather than fighting a rearguard action, try to get ahead of this and maximize the benefits and minimize the harm," he said.

One way to do that, McEuen argues, is to require nanotech researchers to "sign their work" - to tag novel molecules with an identifying code.

"That immediately instills a kind of responsibility," he said.

He'd also like to see more separation between corporate financing and academic research. Discoveries made at public institutions, McEuen believes, should be for the benefit of all, not just the scientists who made them or the corporations who funded their work.

"The profit motive has started to erode the openness of research, which slows down progress," he said.

"My idea is that the whole approach is wrong. University research should not be patentable. The public paid for it once - they shouldn't have to pay for it again."

McEuen is the Goldwin Smith professor of physics at Cornell University in Ithaca, N.Y. He has a bachelor's degree in engineering physics from the University of Oklahoma and a doctorate in applied physics from Yale.

McEuen's talk is this year's Yunker Lecture, presented annually to honor the work of Edwin Yunker, who taught in the OSU physics department from 1925 to 1968.

Bennett Hall can be reached at bennett.hall@lee.net or 758-9529.

If You Go

WHO: Physicist Paul McEuen

WHAT: "Small Is All: Nano, Bio and the Future of Technology"

WHEN: 5 p.m. Wednesday

WHERE: Room 151, Weniger Hall, Oregon State University

COST: Free