Posted on 02/16/2009 10:45:50 AM PST by MurrietaMadman
Humanity's newfound ability to manipulate DNA, regenerate tissue and augment our abilities through robotics is putting us on the edge of becoming a new species, according to a leading researcher into the political impacts of life sciences.
Speaking at the TED 2009 conference on technology, entertainment and design in Long Beach, Calif., Juan Enriquez dubbed the next stage in humankind’s evolution homo evolutis.
He told the gathering that while some modifications of the human body in this evolution will be made after birth, our ability to create changes with DNA and biology may allow us to take some of the best aspects of the animal kingdom and make them our own.
Enriquez believes that the dawn of Homo Evolutis will allow people to work much later in life, reducing the strain on government pensions and accommodating the need for more production to supply a rapidly expanding population.
He said that the evolution is not likely to be deliberate and steady, but rather “an even faster accumulation of small, useful improvements that eventually turn homo sapiens into a new hominid."
Some attending the gathering said they felt such a new creature might more accurately be called a "cyborg."
These specieists are convinced the zebra mussel's cost to the power industry of $3.1B over the entire decade of the 90's has been for nought since evidence of quagga migration is appearing in the Colorado River Aqueduct.
http://www.mercurynews.com/breakingnews/ci_11672383
The nerve. These specieists must be made aware of the basic right of all things everywhere to go where they wanna go, do what they wanna do... Timeout...
Message being received... cyborg transformation incomplete... stop transmitting...
I call dibs on flying. If that's already taken, then I want gorilla strength.
Have any of these things actually been done? Reminds me of one of those articles from the '50s about how we would not have to work anymore because machines would do everything for us. Don't get me wrong, I'm first in line for robotic implants. However, these so called "futurists" have consistently been wrong. The things they expected us to have years ago (flying cars) we still don't have, and things they never dreamed of are common appliances.
I want the ability to emit pheremones that will attract the opposite sex and cause them to mate with me.
Once they get that computer-brain interface perfected—watch out. To many people, their on-line lives are already better and more interesting than their physical ones. If the technology allows it, I can definitely see a lot of people forgoing the real world for a virtual one.
Instead of texting someone, you could shoot the message directly into their brain. I think the Borg race from Star Trek may have been prophetic.
My immediate reaction to your flying interest and gorilla strength was don’t be shy, combine the dream. This is a grand and wonderful time we are entering, we are giants walking the earth.
Then I realized that would mean we have reached the age when monkeys can fly.
Too many weird things are supposed to happen when monkeys can fly.
I think it will be more like “Ghost in the Shell”
My immediate reaction to your flying interest and gorilla strength was don’t be shy, combine the dream. This is a grand and wonderful time we are entering, we are giants walking the earth.
Then I realized that would mean we have reached the age when monkeys can fly.
Too many weird things are supposed to happen when monkeys can fly.
Double posting. It’s starting already. Aaaaarrrgggghhhh
Your not just another Joe.
Well, I sure wouldn't be then. ;^)
I'll take gorilla strength, ultra-long lifespan, hyper-intelligence and natural body armor around vital organs.
Those pheromes wouldn't be bad, either, but you'll want some other modifications to go along with that (including a very, very active and potent immune system for all of the diseases you'll likely come into contact with).
Just so long as they don't fly out of your butt.
Oh, and invest in umbrella companies if the monkeys start flying around....
All that and more
http://news.ninemsn.com.au/technology/735519/humans-will-be-implanted-with-microchips
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