Google's Next Big Thing

Google is known for its big ideas - driverless cars, Google Glass, diabetes-detecting contacts, and more. Just a few days ago, Google X (Google's semi-secret research facility) announced its newest venture: a nanoparticle pill that could identify cancers, heart attacks and other diseases before they become a problem. Though still in its infancy, Google X has described it as "analogous to sending thousands of doctors down into the population of a large city to monitor what is going on with individuals." When it detects that something's amiss (i.e. high sodium levels, plaque indicating an eminent heart attack, or even cancerous cells), it sends a "message" to an external device that then notifies the wearer. Google says this project could take anywhere from 5 to 10 years to complete, but when it's finished, it will revolutionize the medical industry. 


With this pill, people would be able to upload data into the cloud (which raises some concern) and send it to their doctors, therefore eliminating the need to have as many doctors and/or doctors offices. There wouldn't be any need for the blood and urine tests traditionally required to find an illness, seeing as "we’d simply swallow a pill and monitor for disease on a daily basis." We would know everything that is going on in our bodies, at all times. As a result, the amount of lives that would be saved is unimaginable. Not only would illnesses be detected sooner, but new treatments could be found for ones with currently unknown causes. This pill would turn reactive care into proactive care.

Although this could be one of the biggest scientific breakthroughs in history, would it considered "playing God"? Is it too risky too have personal medical data on the cloud? Or is it exactly where medical care should be heading, to keep up with the way society is transforming technologically?