Evolution

Recently I read on Slashdot.com (or was it on Kuro5hin.com??) that a biologist had concluded that human evolution had finished. I agree said I. Yet I was unable to agree with his reasons why. Here's why. He claimed that the reason human evolution is now over is because due to cultural trends, males are reproducing at a younger age, which reduces genetic mutations. I think this is the wrong wrong wrong reason.

My view is that evolution has stopped yes. However stopped as in nature is no longer in control. In my view evolution will now continue under human control and management. Once we master the building blocks and all the cool things on the horizon come closer to fruition, we shall see human evolution by humans for humans.

I predict a future filled with altered modified humans. Obviously eliminating disease is on the cards, however if your expecting a utopia, don't. Humans will eradicate evolved diseases, yet we will create human engineered diseases and illnesses probably by accident and for the purpose of war.

Plastic surgery will end and be replaced by non surgical body enhancement. Now we can grow an ear lobe on a mouse's back, in the future we shall instruct a body to repair regenerate or build from scratch an entire cochlear and vestibular apparatus. Designer cars designer handbags, but soon designer you. It will cost you allot though. Only the rich will have the right to become human 2.0. Fancy a bigger heart or longer legs? Wider shoulders denser muscles? Thicker bones for your osteoporosis grandma mean she can sprint to the shops at 99 years. What is age when your rich in the age of stem cells and a mastered human genome project? Will Farrell says in Taladega Nights something like " with my high level salary and advances in modern science, I should expect to live to 240. Its a joke, but its also becoming true. Clone yourself? Transplant your consciousness? Live again and again. Merge with electronics? upload data from the net to your mind? Augment your memory as well as your breasts? Imagine increasing your conscious situational awareness beyond your five senses. These days we snip nip and tuck. Soon we will build and sculpt on a nano scale for a perfection of development on par with the natural growth of a new born. Fancy a pair of wings? Take a genetic-pill, watch them grow.

Do you notice? Today they stuck two arms on a man in a Berlin hospital. That's with knives and stitches but around the corner this Frankenstein aim will be achieved with ease safety and the swallowing of a pill. A human engineered programme instructs your body to un inhibit the myostatin gene and hey presto your muscles grow 5 times without exercise! They already did this with a lab rat. The skinned corpse of the rat dubbed "mighty mouse" appeared to have beefy muscular physique. Steroids? Nah. Its easier to just swallow the champion pill that activates your body to high performance specifications without side effects. Don't you see? Human will has always strived and pushed towards the light. Towards physical perfection. Why is the plastic surgery industry so massive, despite its barbarity? Why are sensible men and women en masse, willing to submit to what would otherwise be considered psychological and physical Abu Graib style torture? Yes folks plastic surgery is the current popular means to become a better you. Despite the risks you do it. Because you want to be all you can be - and beyond.

Don't you see the transition from nature driven to human innovated evolution is underway? But be warned. Start saving now. Only the emperor and his court will be given access by means of vast wealth to this new evolutionary advantage. When mankind figures out how to build twice the brain, you will be twice as smart. If you can afford it. IBM and Oxford will brand your ipod style identity in a whole new way. Select the platform you want. "Oh its an IBM, I'm happy with my new cortex, it gives me extra social ability connectivity memory retention by the Linux project, innovation from oxford's lifestyle and business division." Says one grown up Surie Cruze to Grown up Anna Nicole Smith's multi millionaire sole surviving rich kid.

Evolution. The ball is in our court now. Nature has nothing to do with it. This biologist who claimed that nowadays more younger men are reproducing, is wrong about that too. Isn't it true that in the days of old, people reproduced asap and died off at about age 38? Now days, you me and Charlie Chapman are siring kids in our 50 year old wives and this at the age of 80 for the man! This biologist who no doubt earns a wage and conducts copious research over tens of years has probably missed the wood for the trees. I dare say I've hit the nail on the head! But isn't it obvious?

When will it happen? Ah that's the question. Not if but when. Kurzweil says it will happen real soon, like by 2020. Unfortunately Id say it will take 300 years from now. Yes our technology is vast and capable and accelerating in performance, but it will need to just to solve these massive problems we must overcome. The gods have given us a mighty challenge and we shall need at least 50 years despite our mighty technology, just to get to first base. Last century the aeroplane. This time its information technology. The next revolution will be genetic modification and somewhere in the time frame enhanced intelligence will become workable.

What secrets will the doom machine under Switzerland divulge? (Once they repair it from its maiden break down that its!) Maybe nothing?

I love the technological advancement made in times of war. War is human kind's lowest and highest at the same time. War gave us the jet age, radar, antibiotics and the moon rocket.

Along with IT comes the entrenchment in the business structure of the globe, the notion of Intellectual Property. IP is law, and it guarantees the poor will miss out on innovative life enhancing products. Yes the promise of new bio technology brings happiness to those who can afford, but also stark disadvantage to the poor. Also as intelligence increase becomes a saleable product, the wealthy will become smarter still and this will allow them to take monopoly over the best jobs and the money making machine will be theirs to own. This will further disenfranchise the poor, leading to conflict along the lines of the original human versus neanderthal conflict which saw the destruction of the neanderthals who were not smart enough to survive conflict with their smarter cousins.

Do you still have doubts about what I'm saying? Why do spammers mail out penis enlargement advertisements and viagra and hair re growth anti-baldness promises? Human kind wants what it wants and soon we shall get it. But today's quack-solutions bear no resemblance to tomorrow's absolute solutions. Their going to freeze your age, give you a larger ding dong, make you look like James Dean and change your skin colour at your command. Evolution is now human will enabled by science and philosophy. As a tree builds itself we too shall build ourselves in the way we desire. We shall reach for the light, by the ways of our own code. We will build new structures and new materials. We shall engineer new molecular level building blocks and have them arranged in strong light useful shapes. Replace a femur with super bone. Its made from atoms of this or that arranged for you in Bell Labs to co exist with your immune system (Microsoft). Mercedes benz offers a way to be your car and connect with your new body part for perfect and safe driving to your destination.

Hitachi teamed up with mitsubishi and made a new eye constructed by nano bots and made from new living substances of compatibility with and suitability for your genetic fingerprint. Now you can zoom in and capture images and motion picture with your new improved Hitachi eye and your enhanced IBM memory. We really will be able to look forward to a truly photographic memory.

Are you sick of Irish - Celtic skin that doesn't tan? Your at risk of skin cancer my friend. Not to worry, there's a programme of bio-software that enables melanin production on your skin. Now you can be swedish, or if you like up the ante and go negrito! Id like that!

Are you sick of being Asian? Your smaller, and the same as everyone else. You put up with the stereotype all your life. Now you can grow a pointy nose, get some lovely red hair going and change your eyes one is light olive, the other pale blue. Your frame changes and you look like an Australian footballer. Thanks LG. Life's good. We started off with the 10 ton steam engine and 200 years later we have gone through the various mechanical phases and then through electrics and now down to electronics. 60 years ago we began computers and today's machines are but clunky 10 ton steam engines in comparison to the micro electronic beauty that awaits us in the future. With plastic surgery and medicine we have demonstrated the human will to survive and improve. Soon this will begin in a significantly more credible way. We won't need organ donors to leave their eyes behind as stated on our drivers licences. Instead you can just get your heart or eye re grown anew when you feel the need. We can all be David Beckham, we can all date Mae West.