Redigerer Grey goo (avsnitt)

== Definisjon ==
Begrepet ble først brukt av [[Eric Drexler]], en pionér innenfor molekylær nanoteknologi, i hans bok ''Engines of Creation'' (1986). I kapittel 4 fra nevnte bok illustrerer Drexler både eksponensiell vekst og iboende grenser ved å beskrive nanomaskiner som kun fungerer om de er gitt riktige råvarer i en tilstrekkelig mengde:

{{sitat|Imagine such a replicator floating in a bottle of chemicals, making copies of itself…the first replicator assembles a copy in one thousand seconds, the two replicators then build two more in the next thousand seconds, the four build another four, and the eight build another eight. At the end of ten hours, there are not thirty-six new replicators, but over 68 billion. In less than a day, they would weigh a ton; in less than two days, they would outweigh the Earth; in another four hours, they would exceed the mass of the Sun and all the planets combined — if the bottle of chemicals hadn't run dry long before.|Eric Drexler: ''Engines of Creation'', kapittel 4, ''Engines of Abundance''<ref name=":0">{{Kilde bok|tittel = Engines of Creation|etternavn = Drexler|fornavn = K. Eric|utgiver = Anchor Books|år = 1986|isbn = 0-385-19973-2|utgivelsessted = |sider = |kapittel = }}</ref>}}

I boken advarer Drexler ogsmå mot en mulig trussel fra selvreplikerende maskiner og faren for at de skal fortære alt rundt seg.

{{sitat|Tough, omnivorous "bacteria" could out-compete real bacteria: they could spread like blowing pollen, replicate swiftly, and reduce the biosphere to dust in a matter of days. Dangerous replicators could easily be too tough, small, and rapidly spreading to stop - at least if we made no preparation. We have trouble enough controlling viruses and fruit flies.

Among the cognoscenti of nanotechnology, this threat has become known as the "gray goo problem." Though masses of uncontrolled replicators need not be gray or gooey, the term "gray goo" emphasizes that replicators able to obliterate life might be less inspiring than a single species of crabgrass. They might be "superior" in an evolutionary sense, but this need not make them valuable. We have evolved to love a world rich in living things, ideas, and diversity, so there is no reason to value gray goo merely because it could spread. Indeed, if we prevent it we will thereby prove our evolutionary superiority.

The gray goo threat makes one thing perfectly clear: we cannot afford certain kinds of accidents with replicating assemblers.|Eric Drexler: ''Engines of Creation'', kapittel 11, ''Engines of Destruction''<ref name=":0" />}}

Grey goo-scenariet tar utgangspunkt i at nanomaskinene ikke er sperret inne i et lukket miljø, og kan bruke alt av materie i verden som råmaterialer. Drexler bruker ikke begrepet «grey goo» for å illustrere fargen eller teksturen, men for å understreke forskjellen mellom «overlegenheten» i form av menneskelige verdier og «overlegenheten» i form av konkurransedyktighet.{{klargjør}}