Venturing Into The Impossible

Technology is gifting us with cloning, telepathy, holograms and super-humans. We are becoming gods just in time for climate crisis. Will our new super-powers save us or is it just Déjà vu?

 

The esteemed Sir Francis Bacon believed “It is true, that a little philosophy inclineth man’s mind to atheism; but depth in philosophy bringeth men’s minds about to religion.” For the sake of this essay, I’ll have to paraphrase Sir Francis Bacon. Here’s my version:

“It is true, that a little science inclineth man’s mind to atheism; but depth in science bringeth men’s minds about to gods.” Sturm Enrich

As a polymath, I savor learning of achievements of individual sciences just as much as contemplating their impact on our existing – and constantly changing! – understanding of reality.

On occasion, I allow myself the foolishness of putting latest scientific achievements in the context of the past. Sometimes, such a lighthearted glance is entertaining; other times revelatory and – every once in a while – controversial and even, offensive. With that in mind, remember that I’m merely a thinker and author, not a scientific authority. So, fasten your seat belt. It’s going to be a bumpy ride!

 

Cloning

There are currently efforts underway to bring some extinct animals back to life. One of the more interesting ones is the attempt at resurrecting the mammoth.

Viable DNA was extracted from deep-frozen remains of an ancient mammoth unearthed by archeologists. Scientists are working on recreating the mammoth by combining the DNA of an ancient mammoth with that of today’s elephant, the hope being that eventually, their work will result in a live birth of a mammoth – elephant hybrid which – over generations – will become more and more mammoth-like.

Take a good look at the chimpanzee. It’s a cute ape, isn’t it? Still, our similarities aside, it’s hard to believe that we have 98.8 percent of chimpanzee’s DNA. Isn’t it? In view of cloning however, the answer could be quite simple. The mammoth in the works, will likely have 98.8 percent of elephant’s DNA….

The moral of this comparison? It is not entirely impossible that we are the result of successful cloning that used a chimpanzee surrogate mother.

 

Telepathy

We all heard “God has spoken to him” even though the guy stood in a crowd that heard nothing. Communications between gods and humans have a long history.

The history of telepathy (A form of communication that doesn’t involve senses commonly used in communication such as speech and hearing, but relies on extrasensory perception, instead.) is just about 140 years old and as of now, the reliability of telepathy remains unproven.

Brain Computer Interface scientists are working as we speak on developing language-free, speech-free and hearing-free communication. The system would respond to human thoughts alone to convey precise messages between individuals in different locations who may not even speak the same language.

From this perspective, telepathy and even God’s messages take on a different meaning….

 

Apparitions

History, folk legends and religions are full of ethereal apparitions. Some people have seen God, Mother Mary, a ghost or an angel. It was always hard to believe. But is it? Holograms that faithfully reproduce 3D likenesses of individuals and project them wherever requested are gaining popularity.

And what’s a hologram? Isn’t it an apparition that can be seen and heard but can’t be touched?

 

The Super-Human

Well, we humans have many natural limitations which is why we invent, imagine and admire figures who don’t have them. Hercules was stronger than anyone. Superman could fly and was noble. Leave alone God, who according to all sources is omnipresent and all-powerful.

In many ancient religions, Gods could fly. Gods lived forever. Gods performed miracles….

No blasphemy intended, but technology sheds new light on the formerly “miraculous”. A power-suit that will enable a wimp to demonstrate the strength of Hercules is in the works. Jet suits already exist. Wearable and implantable technology will make the stuff of fairy tales a reality. Surveillance cameras are everywhere. Face recognition technology is spreading. Superior intelligence capable to turn anyone in a genius will become available, soon. Genomics will not only help eliminate some diseases but set new beauty standards. The power to perform superhuman feats is just around the corner….

There’s no need to dive in sci-fi. Your own grandparents likely couldn’t tell the difference between “miracles” and feats of the new technologies.

 

Reality Check

And just as we are nearing the very apex of human ingenuity that could make us all we always longed to be, our hubris is about to catch up with us. In our pursuit of dominance, we misjudged the power differential between us and the Earth.

Our mismanagement of natural resources harmed the planet that sustains us. Yes, we created several DNA repositories. Are they heatproof? For whom were they created? Who will restore the human kind after we all fry to death? Will a single chimpanzee surrogate mother survive to help bring us back from extinction thousands of years from now when the Earth recovers and becomes inhabitable, again? Can technology outpace climate change before is too late?

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Information is available to all. The way each of us processes it is, by virtue of the individual’s frame of reference, subjective. I can see science for science’s sake and appreciate it. But new knowledge is assimilated by association. As a kid who wasn’t eager to learn history, I was urged by my family to learn it and learn it well. I heard countless times “history repeats itself”. As an adult, I can see that it does and I find myself compelled to draw outrageous comparisons. Don’t you?

 

Both images by Stefan Keller on Pixabay