I
don’t know about you, but it amazes me when I see science overcoming the barriers
that nature imposes us.
Human beings are
not impressively strong animals – we are definitely not among the fastest and
our immune system has considerably deteriorated along the last millenniums –
but our brains allow us to get far beyond any other species in this planet
would ever dreamed of.
We are not only
able to create and control our personal environment and use technology to ease our lives,
but we also use it to enhance ourselves.
Science
for the blind
After
losing his right eye in a shooting accident, the film maker Rob Spencer decided
to implant a tiny camera in
his eye socket and now he’s able to film and transmit videos wireless to
screens, videos, cameras and hard drive devices. He started the EyeBorg Project what would be, at least,
a very interesting anthropological experiment.
A
new technology of bionic
eye is being developed to allow the blind to see again. A camera in a pair of glasses sends a wireless
signal to an implant behind the retina which sends a crude black & white
image data back to the brain through the optic nerve. Nowadays, people are receiving a 60 electrode
implant, but scientists of the Doheny
Institute in California are working on a 1,000 electrode version which should
even allow facial recognition. Electrical
engineers of the Monash
Vision Group have also begun trialing prototype
microchips for powering the bionic eye and the Stanford School of Medicine is working on
tiny solar-panel-like
cells to be used in those kinds of implants.
Nootropics
-- enhancing what you have and the impact on society
On
the other hand, perfectly healthy individuals are using nootropics – also referred to
as cognitive enhancers or intelligence enhancers – to boost their natural
intellect and, said, “reach their true potential.”
If
you have seen the blockbuster Limitless
starring Bradley Cooper and Robert De Niro you might have an idea of what I’m
talking about.
Although
these drugs are usually prescribed to treat medical conditions, many people
take the risk and buy them over the internet in an attempt to boost performance
at work, university and other social environment. You can find plenty of information online
about it – not exactly professional advices – and its popularity is increasing among
students. But what are the impacts on
the society?
Imagine
if you have to compete against a hyper focused student who wouldn’t get as
tired as you and, worse, if that becomes common practice.
"I was
able to write a 22-page paper in one day. I revised it over the next couple of
days and got an A. Normally, I wouldn't have even been able to get a rough
draft done in a week," says one student surveyed about his use of modafinil.
When asked
about their potential impact on society, people clearly have concerns beyond
safety - about how the drugs might create a two-tier education system in which
some can afford the drugs and others can't, as shown on the BBC article Do Cognitive-Enhancing Drugs
Work.
"The drugs would get stronger and stronger due to
increased demand of performance. Addictions
would ensue. People would not be able to live without them. Employers would
demand their employees to be constantly using them."
Truth
is, science allows us to get the best of ourselves. The problem is when that also brings the bad
side of human nature which is that predatory ability of exploitation and
dominance.
