Atoms are the bits of material structure.  A second digital revolution is in the works.

Biography

Eric Drexler is a researcher concerned with emerging technologies and their consequences for the future. This interest led him to initiate studies in the field of molecular nanotechnology and author three books on the topic, including _Nanosystems: Molecular Machinery, Manufacturing and Computation_

(Wiley-Interscience, 1992).  His doctorate is from MIT in molecular nanotechnology.  Currently he is a research fellow with the Institute for Molecular Manufacturing and chairman of Foresight Institute.