There comes a point with all new technologies, however exciting and cutting-edge they are thought to be, that the big question gets asked by members of the public: "So, just what can it do for me?" And so it is with nanotechnology – the science of the very, very small. The Guardian takes a look:

The promise is certainly there, and so are some early applications: glass that "cleans" itself, for instance, and tiny additives that improve the performance of everything from car bumpers to suntan lotion. But what about the really big issues of the day? Can nanotechnology help with human health? As a progressively ageing population places an increasing and heavy strain on health services (the number of Europeans aged over 65 is predicted to rise by nearly 40% by 2030), can nanotechnologies contribute to living a longer and more productive life? This was the central question a panel of experts and invited audience members were asked last month at a special seminar convened by the Guardian and sponsored by Nanochannels, an EU-funded project, which is running a wider nanotechnology-awareness education project. Or as a 14-year-old school pupil from the audience put it more directly to the panel: "How much longer will I live because of nanotechnology?"

On the panel

Alok Jha, (Chair), Science correspondent, The Guardian

Prof Shervanthi Homer-Vanniasinkam, consultant vascular surgeon, Leeds General Infirmary

Prof Kostas Kostarelos, chair of nanomedicine, University of London

David Willetts, minister for universities and science

Prof Mark Miodownik, materials scientist and engineer, University College London

Dr Leonard Fass, visiting professor Imperial College; director academic relations, GE Healthcare

Prof Peter Dobson, director, Oxford Begbroke; chief strategic adviser to Research Councils UK for nanotechnology

Read more here: http://www.guardian.co.uk/nanotechnology-world/a-closer-look-at-extending-life?newsfeed=true