Over the past four billion years, the Earth has changed hands, and Homo sapiens currently dominates the planet. But while advances in science and technology, especially biotechnology, have the potential to drive human evolution, they also pose social and ethical challenges. We need to debate whether these technologies will bring us eternal life or a new form of apocalypse.
In the four billion years that life has evolved according to nature’s will, the planet has changed hands. At one time, it was dominated by lush green ferns, at another by giant dinosaurs. And now, humans, or Homo sapiens, rule the planet. The ferns gave up the planet to the animals that used them as their main food source, and the dinosaurs are believed to have been wiped out by a meteorite impact. But how will Homo sapiens come to an end? Scholars have suggested that, paradoxically, advances in science and technology will eventually bring about its demise in the form of evolution.
Throughout human history, we’ve been constantly exploring and challenging nature to develop science and technology. The use of fire, the creation of tools, and the beginning of agriculture were all attempts by humans to understand nature and manipulate it to their advantage. However, these advances have not always had positive results. Since the Industrial Revolution, we have made tremendous technological progress, but it has also created serious problems of environmental pollution and resource depletion. These problems have taught us an important lesson: our future depends on how well we understand, respect, and utilize the laws of nature.
What specific technologies will bring about the end of Homo sapiens? Academics predict that three main areas of science will enable the evolution of Homo sapiens. These are biotechnology, which allows us to artificially manipulate nature; cyborg engineering, which gives humans inorganic properties; and non-organic engineering, which does not contain life. Of these, biotechnology is the science with the most promise, both technologically and socially.
Biotechnology is a field that many people are familiar with. Biotechnology will cause biological changes in Homo sapiens in various fields. The main technology of biotechnology is genetic modification. The seedless watermelons, pumpkin sweet potatoes, etc. that we see in the grocery store are all the result of genetic modification. In the future, we may be able to apply genetic modification to humans instead of plants. More specifically, genetic modification is easier when you have a genetic map that contains genomic information. Plants, with their small number of genes, are easy to map, but humans, with their large number of genes and large body size, are very complex and it took until the 21st century to map them. Biotechnologists can now look at a person’s genetic map and know when they are most likely to get sick and what their life expectancy is. Knowing your disease information in advance and being able to prepare for it will allow humans to live much longer, which will lead to evolution. For example, if you can predict that you will develop liver disease in your 60s, you can stop drinking alcohol in your youth and start eating foods that are good for your liver.
Beyond simple lifestyle modifications, biotechnology can also directly benefit physical health. The technology to create artificial organs from stem cells from cows or pigs is not yet commercially available, but it is already in development, and in the not-too-distant future, it will be possible to easily replace malfunctioning organs. In light of the fact that most human deaths are caused by disease, eternal life is definitely possible.
In this simplistic way, the evolution of Homo sapiens through biotechnology seems very easy. However, it’s important to consider whether these technologies are feasible and whether they would be socially problematic. First, let’s look at the technical side of things: the technology to create artificial organs is currently quite limited in terms of the types of organs that are possible. While arms, legs, and ears, which are relatively simple in structure compared to other organs, can be easily cultivated, artificial hearts and artificial brains, which are essential for the eternal life of mankind, are biologically complex and require various functions. In the case of genetic maps, as well as artificial organ technology, it is possible to draw maps, but advances in interpreting them will be limited. We might be able to qualitatively know that a person will develop liver disease in the future, but we might not be able to pinpoint the exact day or year.
Even more real than the technical challenges is the social climate. Many biotechnology studies require animal testing, and in today’s academic world, there is a constant debate about the immorality of indiscriminate animal testing, and when it comes to humans, research ethics will always be an issue. For the sake of future humanity, it is important to consider how many humans should be used as test subjects for the evolution of Homo sapiens. Not only the ethics of the research, but also the ultimate goal of the research will be a big social issue. Let’s say that a huge advance in biotechnology allows homo sapiens to evolve and achieve eternal life. If science advances at a time when the social fabric is not yet ready to accept this evolution, it will cause great disruption. If we take the simple example of advances in computer technology, we can easily see that hackers find new ways to hack into the computers of many public organizations. If the problem of adaptation of administrative organizations that do not keep up with scientific advances is not solved, the biotechnology that has been developed for the benefit of humanity will likely become a poison.
Furthermore, the development of biotechnology will raise new moral and ethical issues as humanity evolves. Once genetic manipulation and artificial organ technologies are commercialized, they will likely be used to enhance human capabilities beyond just treating disease. These changes will raise fundamental questions about the nature of humanity. To what extent can we embrace technology while maintaining our humanity? And once these technologies are commercialized, who will benefit from them? We cannot ignore the possibility that economic inequality will lead to technological inequality. If only the wealthy have access to cutting-edge treatments and upgrades, this will exacerbate social tensions.
Life is constantly evolving. And when evolution is complete, the previous generation of a species becomes extinct. In the case of Homo sapiens, this evolution is expected to be driven by biotechnology. The completion of the genetic map, lifestyle management, and artificial organ technology will change our lives forever. However, technological limitations and social opposition will be extreme. However, if we can advance these technologies without rushing too fast and while maintaining research ethics, we can ensure that, unlike our predecessors, sapiens will have a beautiful end to their evolutionary journey, not a catastrophic one.
