June 21 2008 / by futuretalk
Category: Other Year: General Rating: 10
By Dick Pelletier
“Two billion years ago, our ancestors were microbes; a
half-billion years ago, fish; a hundred million years ago, mice;
ten million years ago, aboreal apes; and a million years ago,
proto-humans puzzling out the taming of fire. Our evolutionary
lineage is marked by mastery of change” – Carl Sagan. 
Life may appear to change slowly, but today, biotech,
nanotech, information technologies, and cognitive science are
advancing at breathtaking speeds. Futurist Ray Kurzweil calls this
“The Law of Accelerating Returns,” which describes the exponential
growth of human evolution. Within the next three decades, many
predict, accelerating technologies could eliminate sickness, aging;
even death.
The following timeline takes a look at how our 21st century
future could unfold:
•2010-2019. Doctors become proficient with stem cell and genetic
engineering therapies and can now rejuvenate aging bodies by
repairing damaged tissues, bones, muscles and organs. Affordable
patient genomes are available by 2012 as medical care moves from
reactive to proactive. Cancer and diabetes become manageable by
2015, and heart disease, the number one cause of death in 2007, is
controllable by 2019.
•2020-2029. Driverless cars have become the main travel mode in
2020. By mid-decade, nanobots travel through our bodies maintaining
health 24/7. All illnesses are now curable; however Mother Nature
is creating new diseases to replace old ones. Bold scientists are
now suggesting that we replace our biology with non-biological
materials, which would make us immune to this evolutionary
backlash. Ethicists around the world are pondering this radical
proposal. (cont.)
•2030-2049. Futurists saw it coming: “Machines would one day
outthink humans.” By 2035, the world’s most powerful supercomputer
surpassed human intelligence. This milestone event encouraged us to
enhance our minds and bodies with non-biological nanomaterials that
allow us to interface with our silicon cousins and share their
intelligence. In this manner, humans will always remain smarter
than their artificial intelligence creations. And living in
enhanced bodies that can shape-shift into different designs on
command – and are protected from death – has provided an
exhilarating sense of comfort, security, and well-being.
•2050-2074. Space settlements became self-sufficient on the moon
in late 2020s and Mars in 2040s. This fostered a rush to space,
fueled by lucrative asteroid mining which produced the world’s
first trillionaires. By 2070, work began on an artificial habitat,
a huge rotating cylinder located near the L-5 lagrangian point
above Earth. More than 20,000 citizens signed up in advance to
purchase vacation homes in this futuristic wonder. Residents can
gaze down through a ‘power-scope’ and observe home planet
activities from on high or just enjoy the many wonders of space
life.
•2075-2099. Scientists can now harness all of the solar energy
that strikes our planet, which increases 2007 energy supplies by
100-billion times. And warp-drive propulsion systems have prompted
a huge migration to space. These advancements helped create an
affluent, peaceful society where it is no longer viable to waste
energy on intra-global conflicts. Now, we are ready “to boldly go
where no man has gone before.”
Could these events happen so quickly? Every scenario mentioned
in this article is within the capabilities of human accomplishment.
Get ready; Gang, for a most incredible “magical future.”
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