Humanity has evolved into Homo sapiens over a long period of time, but rapid advances in science and technology could hasten our demise. Biotechnology, cyborg engineering, and non-organic engineering are enabling the creation of new entities, and it’s time to start thinking about what humanity will look like after Homo sapiens.
Human history began about 3 to 4 million years ago with the appearance of Australopithecus. From there, we evolved into Neanderthals and finally Homo sapiens. This process wasn’t just about physical changes; more importantly, we adapted to our environment to maximize our ability to survive. These changes were the result of natural selection, and we’ve been constantly evolving and changing our survival strategies.
In recent years, however, humanity has reached another important turning point. We are now at a point where we must consider the end of Homo sapiens, and the cause of this end is our increasing intellectual capabilities and the science and technology that has resulted. For millions of years, the original hominids lived by the laws of nature, reproducing among the surviving species. But at some point, humans began to develop the ability to actively change nature rather than simply follow it.
During the Neanderthal period, humans developed consciousness and the ability to plan, and about 10,000 years ago, the Agricultural Revolution provided concrete ways to put those plans into action. The Agricultural Revolution was more than just a technology to produce food; it meant that humans had the ability to reshape nature instead of relying on it. This put us in a position to dominate our environment, which in turn led to a quantum leap in science and technology.
Today, science and technology are not just about providing material abundance. For example, in 2000, bioartist Eduardo Katz created a green fluorescent rabbit named Alba by inserting a green fluorescent jellyfish gene into a rabbit embryo. This is a prime example of how science and technology can change the very nature of life. Advances in science and technology such as these have opened up the possibility of artificially manipulating the emergence and end of life. The emergence of new species, once only possible as a result of evolution, can now be done by human hands.
This change has the potential to bring about the end of Homo sapiens. We are now in an era where new life forms can emerge that are selected and manipulated by humans rather than through the process of natural selection. There are three main types of science and technology that make this possible: biotechnology, cyborg engineering, and non-organic engineering.
The first is biotechnology, which involves recombining the genes of living organisms or fusing cells together to harness their characteristics for useful purposes. Examples of biotechnology include creating green fluorescent rabbits, manipulating E. coli genes to produce insulin, and using genes from fish in the Arctic to create frost-resistant potatoes. Today, biotechnology is a major contributor to the biological revolution, but it also raises ethical questions. Care must be taken to ensure that biotechnology does not go beyond our ability to control it. However, if the technology becomes more advanced and allows us to control our physical reactions, emotions, and even our minds, new entities will emerge with abilities greater than those of current humans, hastening the end of Homo sapiens.
Next, cyborg engineering is the art of creating beings that combine living and non-living things. Hearing aids, retinal implants, and bionic prosthetic hands are examples of cyborg engineering that are already deeply embedded in our lives. Advances in cyborg engineering will open up the possibility of maximizing human capabilities and provide a path to the creation of superhumans. However, this could eventually lead to the extinction of the current Homo sapiens.
Finally, abiotic engineering is the creation of inanimate objects. A prime example is the computer virus and robot “Sophia. Sophia is made of a material similar to human skin and utilizes artificial intelligence to express over 60 emotions, think for itself, and communicate with humans. If it becomes possible to recreate the human brain as a computer, we could be on the verge of a world where inanimate objects surpass humans.
Because we’ve been living as Homo sapiens for so long, the thought of the end of Homo sapiens – the end of humanity – can be uncomfortable. But science and technology are still advancing rapidly, and a new era is coming. We need to recognize that the end is coming, and think deeply about what the new humanity that will succeed Homo sapiens will look like. The questions of “who do we want to be” and “what do we want” will have important implications for the future of humanity.
