Medicine
Mapping the human genome is complete. Cloning is now a moral issue as the technology is already here. We continually search for knowledge and ability, which always challenges our moral values and traditional beliefs. Before we reach the middle of the 21st century computer technology will have evolved capabilities equal to or even surpassing our human brains. It seems logical to me that we would want to take advantage of these advances and incorporate them into our human physiology to prepare ourselves for the challenges that await us outside Mother Earth. Doubtless, this will cause much controversy but we must resolve our doubts and proceed with caution.
Research and development has been proceeding for some time now on a project, which surprisingly, has caused little or no reaction in our society. I refer to Nanotechnology. For those who are unfamiliar with this term, it is engineering at the molecular level. Medically we are talking about tissue regeneration. The ability to repair human tissue damage in any part of the body or completely replace it as we are constructed of molecules as is everything else. This will be truly awesome technology as it's potential, for good and bad applications, surpasses every other human invention or discovery. It will be the most powerful double edged sword we have ever possessed. Traditional medical techniques will become obsolete and, other than death, all human defects will be repairable. It will achieve these unbelievable feats only when complimentary technologies are perfected. Items such as molecular scanners that can resolve down to a molecular scale and map the structure of the tissue to be regenerated, integrated with intelligent computer systems to process vast amounts of data and control the molecular probes or nanoengines to perform the work.
Today, many will find it difficult or impossible to visualise and accept these changes but future generations, raised and dependant on these technologies, will readily embrace them and expect total interraction with intelligent, computer driven systems as an integral part of society. These systems are already becoming part of the fabric of our cities, homes, personal possessions and later, perhaps, even our bodies to enable connection to educational databases for fast learning. A long way from the intrusive, cumbersome and unfriendly biege boxes that carried the infant computers we struggle with today. Medical problems will be diagnosed and treated via composite cybernetic interfaces built in to every place of human residence. The speed and efficiency of global medical data networks will eliminate error and delay. Along with other traditional professions, medical knowledge and expertise will be contained in the global database, available to everyone and dispensed by cybernetics.
A brave new world? No, just mankind's relentless quest for knowledge and advancement.