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| future plans for humans; were will you go? | |
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| Topic Started: Sep 29 2010, 03:50 PM (949 Views) | |
| Dragon wasp | Sep 29 2010, 03:50 PM Post #1 |
Prime Specimen
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in the far future what do you think will happen to humans? (dont know if this goes here...) will we travel to a different planet? stay on earth? die out? please disscuss |
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| Xenophile | Sep 29 2010, 05:13 PM Post #2 |
Formerly known as alienboy.
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Ah, Human evolution, the most difficult area of speculative biology. Well, as Peter Ward said in his book Future Evolution, the Human race really has 4 different doors that it can open. Behind door #1 is that the human race will stay roughly unchanged for the most part. Minor blips and changes will occur, but the people of Earth will stay relatively stagnant. Door #2 is the development of a new human species either from geographic isolation or other means ( genetic engineering? pandemic?). This is fairly likely considering that we will eventually establish colonies on other worlds allowing for concentrated gene pools. Now here is where it gets strange. Door #3 is that we will become cyborgs and transcend our biology similar to what is depicted in The Singularity is Near. Considering my classmates attention spans and devotion to their ipods and cell phones this could be possible. Finally, there is the idea that humans will become a eusocial organism like ants or bees. There would be doctor, teacher, Politian and scientists classes all working for the good of the “hive”. I doubt we will go down this road, but it is pretty much impossible to predict. My final note, though, is that human evolution has been accelerating since the dawn of civilization and does not seem like it will stop any time soon. |
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| lamna | Sep 29 2010, 05:31 PM Post #3 |
 
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Are you talking about MY plan for humans or what might happen in general? Because those are two difference things. You don't even have clearance for Operation Swift Lightning. Let alone Operation Infinite Harmony. |
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Living Fossils Fósseis Vibos: Reserva Natural 34 MYH, 4 tonne dinosaur. [flash=500,450] Video Magic! [/flash] | |
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| skwirlinator | Oct 18 2010, 03:05 AM Post #4 |
Terminator Squirrel
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This depends upon what your definition of the far future is. Considering that the Universe is appx. 14 billion years old and our planet is appx. 4.5 billion years old. Mankind has only been around for about 2 million years. Since the Universe is still expanding and matter is still forming it is my opinion that it has not yet reached its half-life. The future of Homo sapient sapient is going to be much shorter than what we have already traversed. Genetic tampering and bio-technology is fast causing our species to go extinct. What emerges from our tampering will not be us. This is within 100-200 years. Perhaps Homo sapient sophont will be our genus species. We might diverge into specific lifeforms. You might see a Homo sapient aquatica, a Homo cyber-sapient or a Homo sapient gravito. We are currently locked to our planetary environment. As we unlock the oceans, advance implant technology and endeavor to reach other worlds genetic engineering will customize our bodies accordingly. It's not too hard to imagine humans with gills and able to respirate under water. We already have cybernetic body parts that are self-smart. Once we unlock the effects of space on the human body we might engineer a species to act as space pilots in microgravity. These changes to our species will perpetuate and isolation will cause random mutation. We will diverge into micro species all with the human base code DNA. We will all be human but not Homo Sapient Sapient. Our star has roughly a 10 billion year life-cycle. It is appx. 4.5 billion years old. This does not mean we are safe for another 5.5 billion years. There are variables that you must consider when imagining the fate of mankind. Some are apparent. *Pollution and greenhouse effects on our environment. *Genetic and bio-mechanical tampering *Temperature extremes Some are not so apparent. *Our star is burning in top efficiency, as time passes it will burn at a lower temperature. Its photosphere will be redder which will affect our life processes here on this planet. Photosynthesis will change its characteristics *The Moon is moving away from us. Its gravitational influence will be less and less as time marches on. The Moon is not only linked to tides. It affects our metabolisms and life cycles. We have always had its influence. As it grows more distant its effects will diminish and all life on this planet will change. *Our current atmosphere is a temporary condition. The oxygen levels change quite rapidly in comparison to the planets time-frame. Our current O2 levels are but a fraction of what was. As time passes the oxygen will diminish. Homo sapient sapient will have to adapt to less and less oxygen for its blood. This will occur over vast time scales to us but rather quickly in the scheme of things in the universe. I speculate we will have a different body designed for less oxygen within 50 million years if not sooner. But wait - I'm not done yet! *As the Moon moves away and our planet's wobble slows the molten core inside will destabilize. As the core slows the magnetosphere will get smaller and smaller. Solar wind will start blowing our atmosphere into space. Our gravitational norm will be disrupted and our planet will shrink as the tectonic plates settle into a static mantle. Great plateaus will form. Huge rifts will open, exposing deep fissures into the bowels of the planet. Temperatures will rise from mantle-core out-gassing and our planet will start to cool. Lets put this at 1.5 to 3 billion years from now. It could be sooner but lets not jump the gun.
We will have to exit this planet to survive. There is no doubt in my mind. If we are successful in terraforming Mars we buy ourselves a little time. On Mars we might have genetically developed wings, different lung capacity, nano-bots that convert CO2 to oxygen within each cell. Our skin might be thicker and less sensitive and our eyes will grow larger to accommodate less light. Our muscles will shrink but our stamina will increase due to the lower gravity. Our noses might get larger due to the colder atmosphere. We will not terraform Mars to accommodate us. We will terraform to accommodate what we will become. But still I have only speculated on the near future. In my far future we will not even be Homo sapient. We will be multiple organisms derived from homo sapient but possessing very little of our base model. Earth, Mars and the sun have ceased to exist. The outer planets have been colonized, exploited and abandoned. Space-faring mutations will act as the active human race. Once a habitable planet is located and arrived at these space beings will grow the species in orbit and automated transports will land these genetically engineered beings onto the planet. The space-faring species will never see planetfall. It would kill them. They will monitor the new settlers for a time from space, sending support via automated landing crafts and waiting till the settlers establish themselves, then off to populate the next habitable planet. Every settlement will have species adapted and designed for that planet. Time frame? 4 billion years. LoL. I'm getting tired, thanx for letting me speculate on your question. How long do I think the universe will exist? Think Tetragogle then double it. The universe will exist until every molecule everywhere has reached absolute zero. No movement anywhere-No heat, No Life. We are the universe aware of itself. Perhaps we will never truly die until that moment. Perhaps we already reached that moment and are but a fading memory. Good Night |
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| Holben | Oct 18 2010, 06:14 AM Post #5 |
Rumbo a la Victoria
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The universe can't reach absolute zero. It can be an infinitesmal fraction above it, but matter cannot reach absolute zero. When the matter decays, well. Phase transitions and all that. Sorry to moan, but i've got nothing else to say. By the time our local rocks have ceased to exist, we will not be conceivable/we will be LONG LONG dead. Mutating humans is ethically horrible, especially if people have it from birth. It wouldn't be developed if it wasn't funded, and no-one with our mindset will want to fund it. Splitting humans into different species has similiar problems. Plus, no-one wants to mate with quasi-humans unless they have a fetish. Fetish development has been touched on before, but i prefer to think that people won't mate with what could be called monsters. As for implants, that's far more probable. Though many people will refuse to use them- humanity is important to at least me. I'd rather use technology as an extension to myself than a base. Self-aware body parts? Where? My belief is that humans will become galactic nomads, but more on that elsewhere. And as for what we will become, i'd like to think we'll gradually transcend to a place where we can see more clearly. |
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Time flows like a river. Which is to say, downhill. We can tell this because everything is going downhill rapidly. It would seem prudent to be somewhere else when we reach the sea. "It is the old wound my king. It has never healed." | |
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| T.Neo | Oct 18 2010, 07:59 AM Post #6 |
Translunar injection: TLI
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Yeah, implants and whatnot is just stupid. I mean, why the hell do you need to have screwdrivers or torches or telephones implanted into you? The human body is not something that takes lightly to being invaded and messed about with like that; such implants are just downright impractical. I mean, needing to go in for major brain surgery every time a new MP3 player comes out would be pretty annoying... Same goes for genetic monsters. It's just stupid; it's almost like the "human centipede" sort of stuff... I think that humans will start colonies elsewhere in the solar system, and eventually start colonies in other star systems. But predicting the actions of any sophont species though deep time, is utterly, utterly, utterly unpredictable. |
| A hard mathematical figure provides a sort of enlightenment to one's understanding of an idea that is never matched by mere guesswork. | |
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| colddigger | Oct 18 2010, 02:50 PM Post #7 |
Joke's over! Love, Parasky
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I think humanity might change internally and at very minor levels, mutations might occur and we might get new minor variants, but I think that unless there was some serious disasters we wouldn't allow anything other than possibly sexual selection force us to change. Unfortunately I think that means higher sex drives, resistance to pregnancy pills and spermicides, and possibly even genitalia that rips condoms or makes then very uncomfortable. Along with hereditary mindsets that cause you to desire children at younger ages and in larger quantities, higher sex drives and less self control when aroused (Have sex regardless of protection), and higher rates of multiple partners, cheating and short but reproductive marriages (if they still exist, I think they would.) |
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Oh Fine. Oh hi you! Why don't you go check out the finery that is SGP?? v Don't click v Spoiler: click to toggle | |
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| skwirlinator | Oct 18 2010, 03:07 PM Post #8 |
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Terminator Squirrel
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Nowhere did I say self-aware. I said Self-Smart. Ref: http://www.keckfutures.org/grants/smart-prostetics.html and http://singularityhub.com/2009/10/21/prosthetic-smart-hand-lets-amputee-feel-and-move-objects/ And this is just a few and we are only beginning. (Imagine 100 years from now) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Implants are not just tools. Remember the artificial heart? That is an implant too. Nano-bots will be implants as well. When science figures out a way to make a nano-assembler atoms will be rearranged inside our cells. Our body will fix itself once a blueprint is established.
In a speculation community one would think that speculation would be the driving force. Speculation in itself is opinion. Claiming stupidity when you disagree is close-minded and shallow. Whether you choose to believe it or not, Implants and Nano-assemblers are very real scientific endeavors. REF: http://e-drexler.com/d/06/00/EOC/EOC_Table_of_Contents.html
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I never implied we would go from human beings to floating bags with appendages. I was implying that over time, genetic manipulation and experimentation combined with natural mutation will change our bodies to reflect the environment they are encountering. It has happened before and it is happening right now. Where is your tail? Why is your brain larger? Why are you not covered in fur/hair? Why don't you run with your hands? Why are your feet not able to grasp? Imagine what we look like to the first human beings. We are the genetic mutated monsters! Ref: http://www.cell.com/trends/genetics/abstract/S0168-9525%2806%2900217-4
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I agree but this community is about speculation. Ref: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/speculation
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I am aware that is the speculation of our current scientific understanding of thermodynamics. However science is not all that is known. To assume mankind knows all the instances of science and can accurately and indefinitely proclaim anything as absolute stifles discovery. Currently we cannot prove this one way or the other because we have not observed all phenomenon related to the observation. It was once scientific fact that nothing could exceed light speed. Yet there is documented proof that it has occurred and continues to occur in the natural universe. Current laws are only in place until a new law is formed. Again, I proclaim speculation. -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
In our current cultural mindset. We all know how cultures change. Mutation is not horrible. We have mutated to achieve the bodies we know right now. Our bodies will continue to mutate. Mutation is not really a bad thing in itself. It is a natural process in reproduction. Otherwise we would all be clones. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
UM, artificial embryos constructed and grown in labs. Future variations of humans may not even be equipped to reproduce sexually. Who is to say what weird stuff our future minds will come up with? Ref: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guild_Navigator
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A personal preference, others may have different preferences. Neither is right or wrong. There is a possibility that some humans will chose to fore-go biological bodies completely. Transferring their minds into constructs. Intelligent Artificial instead of Artificial Intelligence. REF: http://www.ibiblio.org/jstrout/uploading/
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| colddigger | Oct 18 2010, 03:16 PM Post #9 |
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Joke's over! Love, Parasky
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I was wanting a term for those guys, Intelligent Artificial... |
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Oh Fine. Oh hi you! Why don't you go check out the finery that is SGP?? v Don't click v Spoiler: click to toggle | |
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| Holben | Oct 19 2010, 12:29 PM Post #10 |
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Rumbo a la Victoria
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OOOH, lots to reply and moan about/to.
That's not so impressive then. So it has a couple of feedback cycles and sensors.
100 years ago, no-one could have predicted the Iphone (unless... NM), but there it is. I simply can't. Although, i can predict probable trends on the biggest scales.
but the difference between n artificial heart and unecessary nano-disassemblers in blood (why, BTW?) is one of necessity. I wouldn't want to have an artificial heart if i didn't need one.
I'm not a monster! I just happen to be different from the rest of the apes due to environmental circumstances and genetic drift. A far cry from GE.
You're not fighting thermodynamics, are you? It works, but doesn't explain any mechanisms. It's an observation, which works on the net scale but reversibly occasionally. To say theories are just the best we can get with what we have is right, but denying thermodynamics... And things may well not exceed light speed proper. Three possible conclusions, remember? 
We haven't conciously mutated. It's the difference of choice.
Ethics Importance of parents Lack of horribleness in the human race Lack on necessity when we can just don a spacesuit or get in a submarine. Yup, Dune is a good series. But i question the probability of the Navigators, why? |
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Time flows like a river. Which is to say, downhill. We can tell this because everything is going downhill rapidly. It would seem prudent to be somewhere else when we reach the sea. "It is the old wound my king. It has never healed." | |
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| T.Neo | Oct 19 2010, 12:58 PM Post #11 |
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Translunar injection: TLI
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I dunno... I have a feeling that probably wouldn't happen. Natural selection isn't really effective with humans anymore, and rates of breeding are more dependent on socioeconomic factors and personal preference. Besides, it's far easier to invent a new condom or birth control drug before penii evolve into spiky condom-bursting abominations. In that case though, the condom of the future might be an extremely scary sight indeed. |
| A hard mathematical figure provides a sort of enlightenment to one's understanding of an idea that is never matched by mere guesswork. | |
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| colddigger | Oct 19 2010, 01:45 PM Post #12 |
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Joke's over! Love, Parasky
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I was just saying that I think if natural selection were to occur with humanity then pretty much the only kind that would work out was sexual selection, not that I actually think that that is going to happen or anything. Although I know several people who want to have 8 kids. For whatever reason. Also people who make kids to have little creatures that love them FOREVER AND EVER (get a dog.) and I've heard one fellow in my area talk about how he goes around knocking chicks up just to spread his seed, if such a mentality is due to something hereditary that's a very scary thought, although it probably isn't. And I was actually thinking something like vagina dentata. |
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| T.Neo | Oct 20 2010, 10:51 AM Post #13 |
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Translunar injection: TLI
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Considering the morphology of the female genitalia, I seriously doubt something like that could happen. I mean, one would have to do a lot of kegel exercises to get the muscle tone good enough down there to do any damage... |
| A hard mathematical figure provides a sort of enlightenment to one's understanding of an idea that is never matched by mere guesswork. | |
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| colddigger | Oct 20 2010, 11:37 AM Post #14 |
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Joke's over! Love, Parasky
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-__- ... I was joking... |
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Oh Fine. Oh hi you! Why don't you go check out the finery that is SGP?? v Don't click v Spoiler: click to toggle | |
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| Holben | Oct 20 2010, 02:04 PM Post #15 |
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Rumbo a la Victoria
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It could be gentically engineered, and the muscles anchored to the femurs. |
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Time flows like a river. Which is to say, downhill. We can tell this because everything is going downhill rapidly. It would seem prudent to be somewhere else when we reach the sea. "It is the old wound my king. It has never healed." | |
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