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 ...
I, for one, welcome our new cyborg overlords if they look like Caprica Six... Or Grace Park. Either one will do.
There was a time that I would have made the usual snide remarks, such as her real name is Two of Thirty Six, she has Borg implants, or any number of musings on her assimilation techniques. I'm far too mature for that now, though.
You just made my day.
Personally I think the one on the bottom (in combat gear) is hotter than the skanky looking one on top. (Dang I sure hope the one on top isn't your wife or daughter or sister after I just called her skanky looking.)
( runs like heck) :o)
You're already there. Artificial hips, cochlear implants, artificial limbs with a rudimentary sense of touch, pacemakers. Cyborgs haven't really been "the future" for a while.
Oh, I don't think that's going to happen in this lifetime. :^)
That depends. Are we talking Cosmic rays or Gamma rays.
These things make a difference. 
... 
Well I know when he starts offering me beer, I get a little suspicious of his motives :D
Where things will get interesting is when the replacements exceed the capabilities of the originals, or expand our capabilities beyond anything our biology can do currently.
This Alpha Point is coming soon. I, for one, am looking forward to it.
Yes, the potential for abuse is there. So? Because some people abuse driving cars, should we outlaw automobiles? Same difference here.
LOL!
Definitely it's still early, primarily focused on replacing failing body parts with stuff that is barely functional. But it's going to get better.
I think the first voluntary modification will be the cochlear implant. As the software that drives the thing improves it won't be long before people can get better fidelity with those than a normally functioning ear. At that point I expect people in the music industry, especially the engineering side of the music industry though some performers too, to get them so they can do their job better.
I'm with you, I'm for it. My primary negative concern is that I can see this as a major driving force behind increased socialism. As people start being able to learn via implants or improve the performance of their body there will be a big wave of people complaining that it's "not fair" overall life improvements are only available to the rich (because at first it will be, like any new inbound technology it's going to have a hefty price tag), and that's going to drive some sort of ill considered government program. It'll make job interviews interesting too, do you prefer the guy with the kickass implant that allows him to "know" absolutely everything about your industry without having learned anything or the guy that actually reads books and might not know as much but will still be able to do his job without a chip?
Glad to see someone has their priorities straight.
Txs.
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