Are we becoming gods?; The age of scientific discovery is giving way to the age of mastery over our world, says
superstring theorist Michio Kaku. But are we really ready for it? Michio Kaku WE STAND on the threshold of one of the greatest scientific revolutions in human history. Science is undergoing a profound transformation: we are making the transition from an age of discovery to an age of mastery. This is no "end of science", as some have claimed, but our historic transition from being passive observers of the dance of nature to becoming its active choreographers. In a BBC4 documentary, Visions of the Future , we decided to examine three key areas where this is manifesting itself: intelligence, life and matter - the three pillars of science. Few people realise the foundations for this transition have been laid down in all three. With the computer revolution and the proliferation of electronics we are beginning to manipulate artificial forms of intelligence; with the unravelling of DNA and the Human Genome Project we are no longer simply cataloguing genes but manipulating them; and with the discovery of the quantum theory we are beginning to manipulate the behaviour of individual atoms. Let's start with the intelligence revolution. We all know that computer power doubles every 18 months, but less well appreciated is the fact that this exponential explosion is ushering in an age of embedded, ubiquitous computing, with microchips everywhere in our environment: in our clothes, furniture, cars, even our glasses. Like electricity, the computer will "disappear" and intelligence will be everywhere and nowhere, hidden in the walls and the fabric of our lives, silently carrying out our wishes. The word "computer" may even disappear from the language. Cars, for example, will drive themselves. In the series, I "drive" one of these driverless cars, guided by a GPS unit that can pinpoint the car's location to within less than a metre. Eventually this may eliminate traffic jams and even traffic accidents. It sounds ludicrous now, but soon the glasses we wear will be like an office, with full internet capability. We could also have an entire sound and video home-entertainment system in those glasses, which will also recognise people's faces, and prompt us so we will always know to whom we are talking. Not only will our environment be computer-enhanced, it will be possible to create a totally artificial computer-generated environment. Already, millions of people play, fall in love, even make money in such virtual spaces as Second Life. In the field of artificial intelligence, scientists are trying to add emotions to robots because they now realise that emotions may hold one of the missing keys to artificial intelligence. All this raises profound social questions. How far do we want to push this technology? Will the machines take over and replace us? Perhaps. But the researchers we talk to also outlined alternative scenarios: for example, where we enhance our own intelligence, or restrict the intelligence of our machines, or even end up merging with our creations. Biotech is the second pillar of this revolution. For the programme I had my blood analysed and my genome placed on a CD-ROM. In the future, we all will have this genetic "owner's manual" which will list our damaged genes. Since Alzheimer's appears to run in my family, I was keen to know if I carried the APoE gene mutation, which can predispose individuals to Alzheimer's disease. Visiting Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, was fascinating. Researchers there have created a "human body shop" in which human organs can be grown from cells. Skin, noses, ears, bone and heart valves have been produced. Last year, its scientists hit the headlines when they created the world's first functioning bladder. They are now working on the liver. Elsewhere, researchers are making startling advances in isolating genes that influence ageing. By scanning the genes of thousands of elderly people and comparing them with the genes of young people, we may isolate the complete genetics of ageing. Extending the human lifespan may no longer be wild talk. How far should we take this technology? Curing disease is one thing, but enhancing ourselves and our children for cosmetic or more selfish reasons is a distinct possibility. In the programme, we show genetically enhanced mice with superior memory and strength. We have the counterparts of these genes in our own bodies, so what is to stop us making designer babies? Laws may have been passed to regulate this technology, but our society has done a miserable job of controlling other social problems such as the drug trade. What happens when there is trafficking in illegal genes? Already, the Olympics committee has set up a study group to investigate ways of detecting genetically enhanced athletes. Our third pillar is the quantum revolution. This forms the foundation of all science: it makes possible the computer revolution via modern electronics and the laser, and the biotech revolution by giving us the precise 3D atomic structure of DNA and proteins. Now it is poised to open up its own vistas. For example, invisibility was once thought to be an impossibility. I used to tell my students this in my own physics lectures. Yet the impossible has now become possible, at least for microwave radiation. New types of material, called "metamaterials", can bend microwave radiation in ways which render an object invisible to microwaves. Just a few months ago, physicists at the Ames Laboratory in Iowa, the University of Karlsruhe in Germany, and the California Institute of Technology extended this result to visible light, raising the possibility of complete invisibility. Teleportation too was thought to be the stuff of science fiction, yet researchers now routinely teleport photons and even atoms across a laboratory. In the future, perhaps viruses and even living tissue will be teleported. Perhaps the greatest promise lies in nanotechnology, the ability to manipulate individual atoms. Carbon nanotubes may eventually allow us to build a "space elevator" strong enough to lift us into space at the push of a button. The dream, still decades away, is to create a "nanobot" that can rearrange all the atoms in an object and turn it - like magic - into something else. Although the notion of "nanofabrication" may seem outrageous, nature has already shown us that nanomachines exist: DNA molecules and ribosomes, for instance. "Natural" nanotechnology converts a collection of food molecules into a baby in just nine months. Again, there are real concerns. What if, in the distant future, a nanofactory spins out of control? Will we be able to build a fleet of nanobots to destroy rogue nanobots? We may be poised on the brink of the greatest explosion of science in human history, but are we ready for it? Soon we will have the power of Greek gods, able to animate the inanimate and create life in our image, but will we also have the wisdom of Solomon to go with it? I believe that wisdom comes from a vigorous, democratic debate over these profoundly important technologies. This debate can only happen with an educated, informed public. The purpose of the series is to begin this debate. To unsubscribe send a message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the subject unsubscribe. 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