Happy 2035! Thirty years from now, we'll use bionic eyes giving us 'zoom vision' for faster reactions. Nanobots injected in our bloodstream will complement our immune system. Artificial muscles built with electroactive polymers will help us to be stronger and faster. So you think it's science fiction? Not at all. Here is my last reading suggestion for 2004, an article from EE Times. You'll see that some people are so convinced that this kind of human enhancements will happen that they predict than in a few decades, all sporting events 'will be split up to accommodate enhanced and unenhanced athletes.' And they will be safer than today's drugs. Read more and happy 2005!
Here are the opening paragraphs of the EE Times article.
Thirty years from now, the uproar surrounding Barry Bonds' alleged steroid use might seem quaint by comparison to the human enhancement technologies that could be available then.
In the next few decades, futurists say, athletes and soldiers will call on artificial muscles to lift heavier loads and run faster. Bionic eyes will let them see distant targets, while "nanobots" enhance their cognitive abilities and genetic-engineering techniques boost their performance under pressure.
"The use of anabolic steroids, in retrospect, will seem almost prehistoric -- as well as stupid," said Jerome C. Glenn, executive director of the American Council for the United Nations University (Washington) and co-author of the book 2004 State of the Future. "In the future, we'll be able to enhance ourselves in other ways that won't be so dangerous."
Right now, in 2004, many of these enhancement techniques are already actively being investigated, like artificial muscles or body implants for example.
And of course, the military forces are looking at these new technologies, such as molecular-sized 'bots,' put in soldiers' bloodstream.
All men hesitate
Separately, always, seeing another year gone
Frockcoated gentleman, farmer at his gate,
Villein with mattock, soldiers on their shields,
All silent, watching the winter coming on.
—Philip Larkin (1922–1986)
Soldiers could use the "bots," which are molecularly assembled structures that behave much like red blood cells, to combat biological warfare by accelerating the actions of the human immune system, said Glenn. Bots could also be programmed to move to the frontal part of the brain to dispense certain chemicals and hence speed an individual's anticipation and response time.
At the same time, scientists are said to be examining DNA strings in search of certain behavioral characteristics desirable for elite soldiers. "We've heard that researchers have identified a genetic DNA string that makes Navy Seals and other elite soldiers more effective," said John L. Petersen, founder of the Arlington Institute (Washington). "They're trying to find a way to take that to the military and make it generally available."
I guess you can approve such enhancements for a soldier in danger during a war, but what about more 'pacific' events, such as the Olympic Games or the World Series?
Because he considers some level of augmentation inevitable, Glenn believes that sporting events will be split up to accommodate enhanced and unenhanced athletes.
"It's not fair for someone with enhanced vision to compete with someone who doesn't have that capability," Glenn said. "You'll probably need three Olympics -- one for those who are enhanced, another for those who are natural and a third for those who are handicapped."
I might not see 2035 -- or even 2005, who knows? -- but I would like to know if some of these human enhancements look plausible or desirable for you.
Please post your ideas below and happy new year!
If our soldiers are not overburdened with money, it is not because they have a distaste for riches; if their lives are not unduly long, it is not because they are disinclined to longevity.
—Sun Tzu (6–5th century B. C.)
Source: Charles Murray, EE Times, December 17, 2004
Related stories can be found in the following categories.
Biotechnology
DNA
Future
Military Applications
Nanotechnology.