YOUR MOVE CREEP!!!
"You're not human. You're...PRODUCT!"
Posted on 02/15/2007 7:41:09 AM PST by jmcenanly
Albuquerque, N.M. – Fifty years after the dawn of the space age, hundreds of people have flown into space. A dozen of those left their boot marks on the Moon’s surface, and several nations now are planning to send astronauts back to the Moon and then beyond. So you would think the expansion of humanity ever deeper into the Cosmos is a sure bet.
But the notion that human explorers are destined to become an interstellar species is far from a sure thing as far as Roger Launius is concerned.
More likely, humans, and the machines they use to explore space, are going to evolve together in ways that are hard to predict at this early stage in the opening of the space frontier, said Launius, an eminent space historian and chair for the Division of Space History at the Smithsonian Institution’s National Air and Space Museum in Washington.
Multi-Planet Species
Speaking to a crowd of space professionals at the Space Technology and Applications International Forum (STAIF 2007) in Albuquerque Feb. 14, Launius said humans are destined to become a multi-planetary species, but that word may take on a whole new meaning as time evolves.
Given that there will be the first child born on the Moon, as well as Mars, will that person be a Homo sapien, he asked. Could the differences of gravity, radiation exposure mean those children would be unable to return to Earth?
“I think that’s problematic,” Launius said, and in some respects might this be an evolutionary road not unlike that taken by amphibian creatures that departed their water world to become land creatures.
“There is the possibility of the evolution of human species into something different,” Launius said.
(Excerpt) Read more at space.com ...
Yeah, I liked those two,
but to me Terminal Man
and Congo are GREAT.
(FYI Crichton:
There are excerpts and essays
at Crichton's website.)
Hmm...mebbe that's why I feel like a Z-80 guy in a multi-core 64-bit world...
If they think life is fair, have them ask a Diplodocus over how fair they think life is. Or a Dodo. Or a T-Rex.
Seeing from infrared through to ultraviolet. Hearing from 3 meter through radio frequency another. Stronger bones and muscles. More adaptable, and durable, epidermis. Disease protection. Biological immortality or life extension via repair mechanisms.
Yes. It will run against some people morals, ethics, ect... This should be their problem to worry about. Let those who want to modify themselves do so. It is none of anyone else's concern. My body is my property. Not theirs.
You know how these people are, they'll never get over it.
Not much they'll be able to do about it though is there? A bit like a bunch of unarmed hippies wanting to take away my firearms. If it's just me/armed vs them/unarmed... ain't a lot they can do about it.
I figure they'll probably push through something similar to the public schools, making certain types of implanted technology (especially educational) available for free. Of course much like how we have a public school/ private school eduction gap now we'll probably wind up with a welfare implant/ private implant gap. Never under estimate a socialist's ability to spend your money.
What is this evolution of time thing? Got a feeling the eminent space historian is no clearer on that than on the chances of FedGov programs ever resulting in a multi-planetary species.
|
Crap! Now I see cyborgs!
I'm interested in the future of mankind and, personally, it's a little difficult for me to identify with or care much about some highly engineered future contraption that's 90% machine and 10% biology.
But seriously, the idea of using pictures of human beings with exposed wiring and mechanical structure makes as much sense as using Frankenstein's monster as a poster child for organ transplants
Yes. And this will happen within the lifetime of many here. In addition to helping the disabled, you will also see people giving up their original, perfectly-good parts for sythentic replacements, like your "organic" eyes for cybernetic copies that look real in every way, plus can see in IR, take fotos, even go non-passive for ranging and targeting data, etc.
What? You mean that a space historian woke up, looked around and noticed artificial teeth, knee joints, legs, stints, heart pumps, hearing aids, radio headsets, IR goggles...amazing.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.