Given that us humans don't eradicate ourselves and actually survive as a species for millions upon millions more years, when the universe is a much
more distant, cold place, how would we look? How different would we act? Would we even be recognizable as 'human' anymore?
It's feasible to conclude that if we invested all our time and effort to science and the advancement of mankind instead of wars, that our
technonogy's power would explode at a rate that in just a few years could make a
terabyte seem as
small as a
byte
Like it or not, our sun is one big ball of energy that will eventually run out. Staying residents of Earth will not be an option at this point. Years
before that happens, humans will need to have to capabilities of inter-stellar travel to ensure survival of our species. Eventually settling down in a
nice, quite, young solar system, or perhaps branch off in groups as cosmic explorers.
Technology without a doubt can make us lazy. Want to change the channel? Use the remote. Want to communicate with a friend? Simply call them instead
of making the effort to travel to where they are. This over time could genetically change us as a species. But don't expect us
all to turn
into hobbits and smeagles. Some scientists believe that humans have reached an evolutionary stopping point.
Natural selection, as outlined in On the Origin of Species, occurs when a genetic mutation—say, resulting in a spine suited to upright walking—is
passed down through generations, because it affords some benefit. Eventually the mutation becomes the norm. But if populations aren't isolated,
crossbreeding makes it much less likely for potentially significant mutations to become established in the gene pool—and that's exactly where we
are now
However, some scientists see plenty of evidence that human evolution is far from over.
A team led by Yale University evolutionary biologist Stephen Stearns found that, due to ovulatory characteristics, shorter, slightly plumper women
tend to have more children than their peers. These physical traits are passed on to their offspring, suggesting natural selection in humans is alive
and well. "We're also going to get stronger sexual selection, because the more advanced the technology gets, the greater an effect general
intelligence will have on each individual's economic and social success, because as technology gets more complex, you need more intelligence to
master it," he said.
"That intelligence results in higher earnings, social status, and sexual attractiveness."
There is a third prediction that says humans could achieve electronic immortality. It's called trans-humanism. It is when humans take charge of their
evolution and transcend their biological limitations via technology.
Nick Bostrom, director of the Future of Humanity Institute at the University of Oxford, said Darwinian evolution "is happening on a very slow time
scale now relative to other things that are leading to changes in the human condition"—cloning, genetic enhancement, robotics, artificial
intelligence, and nanotechnology, for starters. Transhumanism raises a spectacular array of possibilities, from supersoldiers and new breeds of
athletes to immortal beings who, having had their brains scanned atom by atom, transfer their minds to computers. In addition to living forever,
"uploaded" beings would be able to "travel at the speed of light as an information pattern," download themselves into robots for the occasional
stroll through the real world, think faster when running on advanced operating systems, and cut their food budget down to zero
Oh, and just to put things in perspective for you to just how far away these amazing human changes are to us, Michio Kaku explains in this brief video
how we are merely infants in our journey through the cosmos.
My question is this: Do you think we will not even survive the next century, let alone millions of years, or do you have faith that the human spirit
can can, in a sense, live forever?
(all quotations are from
this
National Geographic article)
