Next Steps in Human Developement, Speculation and a Quest for Answers.

[HumanEvolutionNS]

Hello, and welcome to my first thread on SicenceForums. This thread will be dealing with my thoughts and speculative solutions regarding the next steps in Human Evolution and the rise of Automation, Machine Learning(M.L.), Artificial Intelligence (A.I.), and Cybernetic Implants. I would vary much enjoy, people to poke as many hole in my hypotheses as possible. Because it will enable me to grow and learn in subjects I enjoy. The introduction and context to my thoughts, will be quite long and cover a variety of different subjects and fields of study. I'm not a master of writing or grammar. I am not the best at organizing my thoughts either, so bare with me on this adventure into my imagination.

To begin, I will start with my thoughts on on the direction of Automation, M.L. and A.I. and what it has to do with Human Evolution. As any one that is paying attention can see automation is on the rise. Sooner rather then later, most low level jobs will be taken over by robots. This has been going on for well over Thirty years and there are no signs of it stopping. In fact it seems to be speeding up. With the advances in M.L. and A.I. this will only happen faster and on a wider scale. Seeing this, one has to start asking hard questions. Namely, What will all the unemployed people do? How will we compete with A.I.? and Will Cybernetic Implants be as integral to human society as mainstream science and Futurists seem to think? Short answers, We have to grow, we HAVE to grow, and Maybe, but I see an alternative. Look this thread isn't going to deal with political solutions to these problems (though I do have my thoughts on them). This thread is going to introduce my hypotheses on an alternative to cybernetic implants as well as systems and technology that I believe will give us the tools we need to impact human evolution on an individual level using biological tools.

Before I dive too deep, I want to give some context to where these ideas are coming from. The foundation of my thoughts start with John Lily and his invention/perpetuation of the isolation tank. I believe this is an under utilized and neglected technology. That is mainly used for relaxation and self discovery. The second piece of technology I will refer to a lot is, what has been dubbed the God Helmet. My understanding is that it uses focused magnetic fields to stimulate blood flow to desired areas of the brain. The way I understand it is, Magnetism and Electricity are two sides of the same coin. And the electrical impulses in our nerves system and our brains can be stimulated more precisely and safely, with these focused magnetic fields. The first steps to my idea's involve the innovation and use of these technologies. Next I will give context regarding my thoughts on Biology.

I love biology. It has always fascinated me. So many solutions coming from random mutation and adaptation throughout millions of years. So intricate and complex, while still coming up with deceptively simple solutions. While learning and studying biology in my free time. Simple yet very interesting facts became apparent. First, Membranes are everywhere. Cells and cell groups use them to do things that, to me are so crazy and fascinating. They are barriers and regulators that give the body and all life secluded places to grow and thrive. Second, if you take a neuron or a stem cell, from its original environment and put it in, say the liver. It will turn into a liver cell. That's so cool. So to me that means, that pressure, chemical environment, and the activity of the cell groups in proximity all have a huge effect on a cell and its job. This all made my mind wander in wonder.

So the largest membrane in the human body system is the skin. And when we are gestating in the womb, a lot of our nutrients are coming from the amniotic fluid we are floating in. So what if when we are floating in that nutrient solution our skin acted differently then it does in our atmosphere? (The main job being a barrier to toxins, slowly absorbing the outside environment/topical solutions and mixtures that come in contact with it). So since we are floating, and the pressure, chemical environment, cellular activity, bacterial activity, and enzyme activity in proximity to skin are all different. What if like other membranes the job of the our largest membrane changes? What if it can absorb and utilize those nutrients at a much more efficient rate? What if since there is an abundance of nutrients and energy (chemical and electrical, because the body is floating and the strain of gravity is only fractional. Compared to what biology has dealt with from the beginning of evolution.) our body begins to produce more stem cells? What if it goes into a sort of "growth mode"? And this is where the innovation to isolation tanks come into the fold. 

I believe that John Lily took a brute force approach to flotation. They always go on and on about how Epsom Salts are so good for your skin. While that may be it still seems like the most blunt way of going about things. "I want to float." "Salt water is easy to float in." "Lets put tons of salt in a little bit of water and a relatively small tank." "Yeah, that works". I think we should take a more nuanced approach to the problem. We should design specific nutrient solutions for targeted activity in the tank. We should research and develop synthetic biomes. Crafted for targeted activity in the tank. I believe these types of tanks could have a monumental impact on human health and development after birth.

The next innovation I propose for the isolation tanks involves the God Helmet. I believe a water proof version of this technology could be used in concert with the tank. As well as down the line a suit model that could be used to stimulate the nervous system throughout the body. I hypothesize these technologies could be used to train and even grow the human nervous system in targeted ways. In the future with time effort and development it could be used to regrow limbs, as well as fix human physical and mental disabilities. There are three other technologies I would like to incorporate in future models. Virtual reality goggles, focused ultrasonic sound generators and in the end fully immersive pool sized environments for more intensive training. Which would hypothetically create an environment where you could learn to do almost anything with the skill level of master and the speed of only weeks. An environment where you could test, train, and brake the human bodies limits. In the end my hope is that these technologies could give us the ability to have targeted, individual, real time, human adaptation and evolution. Replacing the need for cybernetic enhancement with isolation tanks designed to biologically enhance humans physically and mentally. Thank you for reading, I hope this sparks your imagination as well as a good conversation. I look forward to reading your thoughts below.

[Phi for All]

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Moderator Note

Topic title changed from "Evolution" to "Development", to avoid misconceptions with a well-defined concept. Also, science isn't a quest for "answers" so much as "best current explanations".

Welcome to SFN, and the Speculations section. Try to support your concepts with evidence where possible. The goal is to treat them as ideas rather than guesswork, and evidence is the key to that. I wanted to step in before the inevitable calls for clarity.