Life beyond Earth

Questions asked by many exobiologists include: Do aliens exist?, and What is their molecular biology? Most futuristic bioengineers have struggled for years to discover life beyond Earth's atmosphere. However, none have been successful. If humans can figure out the molecular biology of aliens then humans could replicate that biochemistry and transform humans into aliens and vici versa. This could aid in achieving the goal of making humans a multiplanetary species. Changing human genetics could make humans tolerate the heat on Venus as well as the radiation on Mars. Genetic engineering is the field which offers the most promise for humans to reside on other planets and make space tourism a reality. 

When we discover life beyond earth, alot of doors will be opened for interplanetary business and entrepreneurship. There will be need for a universal bank, trade center and monetary fund for the solar system as well as other galaxies. Medical Laboratories and biomedical engineers will have to be at the forefront of replicating the genetics of aliens and other extraterrestrial lifeforms in order to genetically engineer humans to survive on other planets and in other galaxies.

Medical Nanorobots editing DNA

Biological machines that are tiny enough to be swallowed could change the landscape of Laboratory Medicine. These nanorobots could take the diseased/abnormal genes from human DNA and replace those abnormal genes with normal or above normal genes. Such methods can be used to treat diseases or change the functions of cells to provide humans with supernatural powers. Richard Feynman spoke about swallowing the surgeon in his lecture on nanotech titled, "There is Plenty of Room at the Bottom". With the use of non biological intelligence, such as artificial neural networks, these tiny machines can learn how to do the work of surgeons from inside a human body. Medical nanorobots can be used in diagnostics and drug delivery. A medical nanobot could be programmed to analyze chemicals and cells inside the bloodstream and provide lab results to the Medical Technologist. This could revolutionize the entire scope of Laboratory Medicine and transform the role of a Medical Technologist into the role of a biomedical engineer. 

Editing genes using nanobots would make the process faster and make genetic engineering available and accessible to everyone. Everybody could have a computer inside their bloodstream that changes their DNA whenever they want. Biological computers could also be injected into the brain to create augmented realities and brain-machine interfaces through the use of nanorobotics. Biomedical engineers are at the forefront of producing these tiny surgeons and will change Medical Laboratories into nanorobot factories.

Three Tech Revolutions

In the book The Singularity Is Near, Ray Kurzweil highlighted that technological advancements are moving ahead at an exponential rate. Today's technologies are helping us to build better technologies for tomorrow which fuels the acceleration. Kurzweil identifies genetics, nanotechnology and robotics as the three overlapping revolutions. These revolutionary technologies will redefine our lives in the future. The genetics revolution will allow us to reprogram our own biology. The nanotechnology revolution will allow us to manipulate matter at the molecular and atomic scale. The robotics revolution will allow us to create a greater than human non-biological intelligence. 

The medical laboratory has been anticipating the power of genetic engineering for a long time. GMO crops are already produced by a lot of farmers on a wide scale. Since the human genome project was completed in 2003, there has been huge advancements in reading, writing and programming DNA. With biotechnology, the medical laboratory can now reprogram the code of life.

DNA: Life's Software

Software programming and engineering is a major contributor to the birth of the information age. DNA is the ultimate software which programs life, but the human race is still incapable of engineering this software. The double helix of the DNA structure can archive large amounts of data in minute volumes. This is fascinating! Since farmers started to experiment with crossbreeding and selective breeding of plants and animals, Genetics has fascinated many futurists. The ability to create a form of life which doesn't exist currently in nature is the ultimate form of technology. Selective breeding of crops allowed farmers to create a plant which produces the highest yield of fruits and resist diseases which affect other plants. That was where genetic engineering began. Hence, selecting parents (male and female), for any form of life, to breed can engineer a living system (offspring) with a gene pool that does not exist in nature. 

Genetic engineering is programming the DNA code to create cells with a desired function. This can enhance the traits of any living organism and create life with specific characteristics. As we swim in an ocean of data on a daily basis, we continue to search for ways to store this data efficiently. Archiving data in DNA molecules might be the solution and could be the final invention for combining digital intelligence and biological intelligence. Medical Laboratories working with DNA are at the forefront of this new genetic technology.

Engineering humans

The final invention of the human race is the engineering of a synthetic human built as a cyborg with superhuman powers. Engineering human beings will include creating mechanical and electrical devices that will become human body parts. This will incorporate the use of tissue engineering and editing of human genetics. This will be achieved by future biomedical engineers transforming medical laboratories into cyborg factories.

Our final invention will be a synthetic human in the form of a cyborg which has a combination of biological and artificial intelligence. The supposed risks associated with this final invention could probably lead to the extermination of the human race. It will be difficult to control a cyborg that may become orders of magnitude more intelligent that the most intelligent human being. Biomedical engineers will be the single most important profession in shaping the future of humanity. They will shape the future using technologies in the areas of genetics, artificial intelligence and nanotechnology. The singularity is near!

 

Nanodiagnostics and Genetics

Advancements in genetic modification via nanodiagnostics can be used to create superhumans. Nanotechnology is a field of research and innovation concerned with building things on the scale of atoms and molecules. Hence nanodiagnostics can build synthetic DNA that can change the molecular biology of humans. Editing of genes using nanotech can lead to the creation of superintelligent humans through combining biological intelligence with artificial intelligence using brain-computer interfaces. 

Medical Laboratories are using nanodiagnostic techniques to change and rewrite human genetics. Although it is now a reality, the editing of human genetics is still seemingly associated with science fiction. Mutants such as Professor X are popularised as superheroes from science fiction and other comic books and movies. Using CRISPR to edit one's genome is giving humans superpowers as they do to the superheroes in science fiction movies.

 

Three Paths to Superintelligence

The existential risk of humanity is a growing concern for many futurists who study singularity. Predictions are being made in Nick Bostrom's book called Superintelligence, that are potentially dangerous for mankind. Three paths to superintelligence that are highlighted in the book include: artificial intelligence, genetics and brain-computer interfaces. These three paths are purported to have the potential of creating cyborgs with superhuman powers. 

Medical Laboratories are playing a crucial role in the advancement of genetics as a path towards superintelligence. Predicting diseases such as Cancer will be the goal of Medical Laboratories that use genetics, cyborgization and artificial intelligence.