Charles is blasted over 'grey goo' fears

THE Prince of Wales has been accused by an Edinburgh professor of being "alarmist" when he warned of a "grey goo" threat from emerging technology.

Prince Charles has warned of the potentially catastrophic effects of nanotechnology, which involves creating microscopic, self-replicating robots.

He has suggested the endless self-copying of the tiny robots could cover the earth in what has been dubbed a "grey goo".

But Professor Wilson Poon of Edinburgh University, a leading expert in condensed matter physics, said Prince Charles’ views were "misguided and misinformed" and were not based on credible sources.

Edinburgh University is said to be at the cutting edge of the new science, which involves manipulation of atoms and molecules.

But the Prince has written to the Royal Society expressing concerns about nanotechnology and has organised a meeting of leading scientists at Highgrove to discuss its possible consequences.

St James’s Palace said he had read a recent report that spelt out its "enormous environment and social risks".

However, Professor Poon said: "I’m sympathetic with Prince Charles’ concerns about the ethical implications of science in general but in this particular case his comments are just alarmist.

"He appears to have been misinformed by the stuff he’s read. Self-replicating nanorobots are way, way out in the future, if they happen at all."

Professor Allan Murray, head of the institute for micro and nano systems at Edinburgh University, added: "I don’t think he’s been given the full story."