Our excitement amongst too rapid uptake of engineering scientific discipline – too the growing opportunities for artificial encephalon enhancement – are putting humans to a greater extent than firmly on the path to becoming cyborgs, according to evolution experts from the University of Adelaide.
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| Some scientists imagine cybernetic parts to supervene upon cancerous limbs too aging hearts, radically increasing longevity [Credit: Lobke Peers/Shutterstock] |
And spell they believe that futurity humans volition to a greater extent than readily combine their ain organic cloth amongst technology, the authors caution that such enhancements must non ignore humans' highly complex biology.
Professor Henneberg too Dr Saniotis are members of the Biological Anthropology too Comparative Anatomy Research Unit inward the University of Adelaide's School of Medicine. They are too associates of the Institute of Evolutionary Medicine at the University of Zurich, Switzerland.
Professor Henneberg says their underlying approach to the mass is that the human species continues to evolve: "There is withal a vogue past times to a greater extent than or less to thought the electrical flow cast of human beings every bit static, too that nosotros volition remain every bit such into the futurity unless to a greater extent than or less catastrophe causes our extinction," he says.
"However, inward The Dynamic Human nosotros acquaint the alternative: that our footing is a continuously changing complex organisation too humans are a business office of this ever-changing system. Within this framework, human evolution is an ongoing procedure that shapes us right away too volition shape us inward the future, torso too mind. We must empathise it inward fellowship to travel too live able to direct it to our advantage," he says.
Among the futurity directions highlighted past times the mass is the broad arrive at of remove heed too torso enhancements potentially available to humans – from cybernetic implants that could connect our brains straight to computers, to nanotechnology, too a multifariousness of medical prosthetics.
"The advent of brain-machine interfaces may forcefulness humans to redefine where our humanity lies; it volition blur the boundary betwixt human too machine," Dr Saniotis says.
"This boundary inward fact has been blurred for a long time. Millions of people are currently wearing technological devices aimed at enhancing our lives: from oculus glasses, to hearing aids, stride makers, bionic ears, pump valves too artificial limbs. Since 2002, close 59,000 people direct maintain received to a greater extent than or less cast of neurological prosthetics, such every bit to assist them hear or see, too this engineering scientific discipline volition prepare apace inward the coming years.
"We are becoming increasingly theme on such devices too it tin hand the axe instruct slow to intend of the torso every bit a sort of machine amongst parts that need replacing. Of course, the torso is non a machine only an evolutionary organism of enormous complexity. The human remove heed is non a logical machine, it is a production of organic interactions. That complexity should non live underestimated," he says.
Source: University of Adelaide [May 27, 2016]
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