A brief glimpse at our accelerating 21st century future

By Dick Pelletier

     "Two billion years ago, our ancestors were microbes; a half-billion years ago, fish; a hundred million years ago, mice; ten million years ago, aboreal apes; and a million years ago, proto-humans puzzling out the taming of fire. Our evolutionary lineage is marked by mastery of change" – Carl Sagan.

     Life may appear to change slowly, but today, biotech, nanotech, information technologies, and cognitive science are advancing at breathtaking speeds. Futurist Ray Kurzweil calls this "The Law of Accelerating Returns," which describes the exponential growth of human evolution. Within the next three decades, many predict, accelerating technologies could eliminate sickness, aging; even death.

     The following timeline takes a look at how our 21st century future could unfold:

 

2010-2019. Doctors become proficient with stem cell and genetic engineering therapies and can now rejuvenate aging bodies by repairing damaged tissues, bones, muscles and organs. Affordable patient genomes are available by 2012 as medical care moves from reactive to proactive. Cancer and diabetes become manageable by 2015, and heart disease, the number one cause of death in 2007, is controllable by 2019.

• 2020-2029. Driverless cars have become the main travel mode in 2020. By mid-decade, nanobots travel through our bodies maintaining health 24/7. All illnesses are now curable; however Mother Nature is creating new diseases to replace old ones. Bold scientists are now suggesting that we replace our biology with non-biological materials, which would make us immune to this evolutionary backlash. Ethicists around the world are pondering this radical proposal.

• 2030-2049. Futurists saw it coming: "Machines would one day outthink humans." By 2035, the world’s most powerful supercomputer surpassed human intelligence. This milestone event encouraged us to enhance our minds and bodies with non-biological nanomaterials that allow us to interface with our silicon cousins and share their intelligence. In this manner, humans will always remain smarter than their artificial intelligence creations. And living in enhanced bodies that can shape-shift into different designs on command – and are protected from death – has provided an exhilarating sense of comfort, security, and well-being.

• 2050-2074. Space settlements became self-sufficient on the moon in late 2020s and Mars in 2040s. This fostered a rush to space, fueled by lucrative asteroid mining which produced the world’s first trillionaires. By 2070, work began on an artificial habitat, a huge rotating cylinder located near the L-5 lagrangian point above Earth. More than 20,000 citizens signed up in advance to purchase vacation homes in this futuristic wonder. Residents can gaze down through a ‘power-scope’ and observe home planet activities from on high or just enjoy the many wonders of space life.

• 2075-2099. Scientists can now harness all of the solar energy that strikes our planet, which increases 2007 energy supplies by 100-billion times. And warp-drive propulsion systems have prompted a huge migration to space. These advancements helped create an affluent, peaceful society where it is no longer viable to waste energy on intra-global conflicts. Now, we are ready "to boldly go where no man has gone before."

     Could these events happen so quickly? Every scenario mentioned in this article is within the capabilities of human accomplishment. Get ready; Gang, for a most incredible "magical future."

This article appeared in various print publications and on-line blogs. Comments always welcome.