WHAT’S NEXT FOR HUMANS? A RECOMMENDED READING LIST
In 2009, futurist and venture capitalist Juan Enriquez had big ideas about how the human species is about to evolve. In his TED Talk that year, The next species of human, he suggested that a new wave of innovation was going to emerge from the science labs — around concepts that might make our kids very different from us. To bring the talk up to date, Enriquez compiled this useful list of research and reading he’s tracking:
The Fast Life of Oscar Pistorius Michael Sokolove The New York Times Magazine, January 18, 2012 This article tracks the fascinating tale of the Paralympian athlete and reminds us that enhanced physicality does not always mean enhanced ethics, judgment and brains. As we acquire and deploy greater physical, and someday maybe mental, powers, we also have to deal with our emotions and profound human flaws. In a sense, this fairy tale has a very dark ending. But still, Pistorius’ pre-jail life leads the way, and it will inspire many others to follow the path from handicapped to too able.
StickyBot research at Stanford Inspired by geckos, StickyBots relate to the field of biomimicry, a source of inspiration to all who have ever wanted to fly like a hawk, swim like a dolphin or enjoy life like a bonobo. Now we are taking our dreams of enhancing life and bodies and applying it to robots, creating a strange triangle of what we learn, want for ourselves and project onto our mechanical creations.
Synthetic Neurobiology Group at MIT Speaking of brains, Ed Boyden has gone on to create a synthetic neurobiology group, bringing together new ways of mapping and downloading memories with synthetic biology-like programming capabilities, something that ought to enthrall some and scare others. It is the kind of research that could fundamentally change humanity.