What Will Humans Look Like In The Future? | Unveiled

<h4>What Will Humans Look Like in the Future?</h4>

How will history remember today’s human being? How will future generations come to judge us in light of the world in which they grow up in? Assessing the impact that we have (and will have) on the human story is no easy feat… and it’s true that our species could head in any number of different directions from this point forward. However, predicting what’s to come is also one of humanity’s favorite things to do. And, when it boils down to our own bodies and our own selves, there’s a lot that’s in the pipeline. For better or worse.

This is Unveiled, and today we’re answering the extraordinary question; what will humans look like in the future?

Before we embark on our journey into the future, let's take a moment to briefly retread the remarkable route of human evolution up until now. From our origins as the first Homo sapiens in Africa to the diverse global population of today, we’ve undergone countless physical transformations, environmental shifts, enforced relocations, and we’ve been continually guided and remolded by our own interventions, as well. Our earliest ancestors, equipped with only the most rudimentary tools and an apparently tenacious spirit, managed to triumph over countless, everyday challenges. Over millennia, natural selection has then sculpted the human body, favoring traits that (over the years) have enhanced our chances of survival and reproduction. The size of our brain has changed; the shape of our posture; our average height has fluctuated; many of our key senses have improved or depreciated over time. Today, we are distinguished by our enhanced cognitive abilities, although we’ve also lost some elements of physical strength and natural instinct. The modern human can complete countless tasks via a screen in their pocket, but perhaps isn’t so adept at surviving in the wilderness. Ancient hominins could run and climb faster on average, but could never move as quickly as someone of today in a car, train, plane or spaceship. Everywhere you look, there’s evidence of how we’ve changed and evolved to get to this point.

For some, though, all of what’s gone before could soon be rapidly eclipsed in a big way. It’s said that today we find ourselves on the cusp of a new phase in human evolution - what you might call evolution reloaded - and it’s one that’s shaped not only by natural forces but also by our own ambitions and technological ability.

Close your eyes and envision yourself in the year 2050, or perhaps even further into the future. What do you see? How has the human form evolved? Are we still recognizable, or have we transcended the boundaries of biology and taken control of our own evolution? When bidding to unveil the future human look, it’s a conversation that’s inevitably dominated by all the exciting (or daunting) possibilities offered by technological upgrades.

First, let’s consider digital integration; moving beyond the boundaries of flesh. The merging of humans with technology is of course a recurring theme in not just science fiction but also real-world projections. We no longer need to imagine a time where microchips embedded in your body seamlessly connect you to the digital realm. That reality is here and already happening. In late January 2024, the founder of Neuralink, Elon Musk, revealed via X that the first human had “received an implant from Neuralink” and was “recovering well”. The long term plans for such implants aren’t entirely clear. On the one hand it’s said that they’ll enable those with paralysis to wirelessly control machines. On the other hand, it’s speculated that in-brain chips could serve to infinitely expand individual human knowledge, or to one day connect us all to a hive mind.

In either case, and along the entire range of possibilities, it’s clear that the merge between human and machine will spark massive changes. Dramatically enhancing our cognitive abilities and revolutionizing the way we interact with the world around us. However, with such great power comes comparably great responsibility. There are various ethical considerations surrounding privacy, security, and the potential misuse of implant technology. Striking a balance between technological integration and safeguarding individual rights will be paramount in determining whether this kind of technology truly makes our lives better or worse. At the very least, we can easily conjure a bizarre future time when people need to be password protected.

Next on the bill, genetic engineering: what some see as crafting our own destiny. Advancements in genetic technology have already opened the door to a future where we can tailor our fundamental makeup. This could mean a world where all hereditary diseases are eradicated. While, on the flipside, it may mean a time when all desirable traits are enhanced. Our growing ability to edit genes may give rise in the future to a generation with (again) heightened intelligence, but also increased resistance to illness, and perhaps even extended lifespans. The science of aging actually isn’t unknown. Researchers can track how, when and why our cells eventually break down. This means that the humans of the future will almost certainly look younger for longer, due to a predicted explosion of anti-aging treatments. However, this is a field in which the holy grail of biosciences really might be discovered, as well; immortality.

While this sure sounds like a utopian dream, there are again various concerns about the ethical implications and unintended consequences of our continued pursuit of genetic mastery. Although the history of human evolution is long and pretty spectacular, we’ve never before had such a direct and immediate say in what happens next. With the looming ability to just scrub out genes we don’t want and to proliferate the ones we do, we could well be setting our species up for extinction rather than everlasting life. Think of the human genome as a little like a recipe, and then imagine suddenly veering away from that recipe, adding in new ingredients and taking out long-established ingredients, and it’s easy to see how that recipe could quickly turn irredeemably bad. Similarly, there are various campaigns to slow or even halt genetic engineering, for fear of our species going the same way. It’s another field where a delicate balance is needed… but it’s also a near certainty that future humans will be physically changed as a result of the tech and knowledge that we’re brewing right now.

Of course, there are many meeting points between digital integration and genetic engineering. For one, some foresee a cyborg revolution on the horizon, redirecting us all with artificial organs, body parts and cybernetic wearables. In this way, the future might witness a shift towards a more modular human body. Imagine replacing a damaged organ with a synthetic counterpart or upgrading limbs specifically to enhance strength or agility or dexterity. In all cases, it would make sense to ensure that our artificial add-ins would not only match but better our organic originals. Again, this could quickly and significantly redefine the limits of human ability. In general, it would enable us to live and thrive in environments previously considered inhospitable. It would allow us to perform any number of tasks previously considered impossible.

Here, perhaps the main ethical issue surrounds the question of identity. How much of our humanity can we replace with artificial components before we become something else entirely? Is, then, the future of humankind also the end of it, by default? It’s a crossover where our genetic knowhow might actually be valuable in preserving ourselves, rather than losing ourselves. One of the most important challenges for the future of our species could be to toe the line between embracing artificiality and tempering it. Between overriding our genes and protecting them. 

Meanwhile, we’ll likely look to the natural world for inspiration, too. For example, were brain implants to one day include sight enhancing technology, then developers would do well to analyze the mantis shrimp - which has the most complex eye structure currently known, enabling it to “see” across a far greater visible spectrum. There are also some predictions for bioluminescent humans in the future. In another move that could again dramatically alter our physical appearance, it could be that human skin gets turned bioluminescent, simply because we’ll soon work out how to do it. If such a change were made, however, then it would serve as a clear and traceable example of evolution fast-tracked by our own actions. More pointedly, we’re sure to see something similar take place if we ever do become a space-faring civilization. In that case the human body will go through a series of enforced alterations triggered by changes in gravity, atmosphere, et cetera, but will also likely be artificially enhanced before jetting off into space… to better the chances of survival. Think respiratory systems that have been optimized for different atmospheric conditions; or skin that’s genetically tweaked to protect against increased radiation.

Clearly, there’s no one right answer when it comes to picturing our future. There are endless roads we might head down, especially with regard to the technologies that are only now emerging. But one thing that is certain is that our journey is at a crossroads where the choices we make today really will shape what’s to come. The interplay between nature and technology, between biology and ethics, will define our evolutionary path. From now until then, it’s complicated… but that’s what humans will look like in the future.

One of the ultimate questions in science is whether aging is preventable? Whether dying is actually avoidable? Technology can accomplish amazing things, but could it really cure death? It’s a challenge that scientists around the world are trying to solve… with growing numbers beginning to believe that it might even happen during our lifetimes. 

This is Unveiled, and today we’re answering the extraordinary question; are we the first generation to live forever?

Although humanity has sat comfortably at the top of the food chain for many thousands of years now, as a species we actually haven’t been around for that long compared to other creatures. From what we know about our evolutionary history, modern humans have lived on Earth for some 300,000 years. But, as long as that may feel, it’s just a small blip in Earth’s overall story. The dinosaurs, for example, probably the most famous pre-human life form, dominated the Earth for 165 million years in total. Many, many times more than we have up until now. And it’s thought they would almost certainly have lasted even longer were it not for the asteroid. We know, as well, that there are some other species that are even older than that. Horseshoe crabs, for instance, are some 440 million years old… and it’s thought that jellyfish have been around for 700 million years, or more. 

On a smaller, individual scale, it’s a similar picture. The average length of one human lifespan, while it is far longer than many species, is still significantly dwarfed by many others. In the world today, Greenland sharks can survive for more than 300 years, around five times what we can. Even the humble (and more commonly seen) tortoise famously outlives us. But, then again, in recent times humans have at least seen their average life expectancy increase. Although, not solely as the result of a plain evolutionary change. Our lengthening lifespans are thought to be more thanks to a combination of increased scientific knowledge… plus the use of something that the rest of the natural world doesn’t have; technology. 

Tales of the fountain of youth, a mystical fountain capable of restoring people to their younger selves, have been mentioned for thousands of years. But the desire to systematically eliminate aging entirely did have a particular resurgence in just the last couple centuries. Before, scientists had mainly thought that aging was an unstoppable force of nature and a part of evolution… but, in the 1900s, experiments began to show what we now know to be the case; that mortality rates can be influenced in various ways. Factors such as how much food an organism consumes or what kinds of genes it inherits were found to have an effect… so that, from then, science started to see aging as something that could perhaps be slowed down. Ever since, anti-aging research has been continuous and rapid. And more than just in cosmetics. This isn’t only skin deep, it’s cell deep… with innovations including CRISPR-cas9 gene therapy meaning that we can now analyze our biological makeups with never-before-seen intricacy and accuracy. 

It’s a field that does have its fair share of controversy, however. And, on the methods and ethics of reverse aging, there are various splits in the scientific world. In a purely practical sense, some researchers maintain that (despite our many breakthroughs)  aging is still unbeatable. In fact, one 2021 study conducted by an international team of scientists claimed that human lifespans haven’t actually been elongated at all, even up until now. The study - published in “Nature Communications” - suggests that, statistically, the average age is much higher today only because there are now far fewer deaths in young age. Meanwhile, in an earlier study - conducted by a team at the University of Arizona, in 2017 - researchers went so far as to claim mathematical proof that age can’t be stopped. One potentially concerning argument put forward here is that as our bodies do tend to break down and degrade over time, then attempting to reverse that process could actually worsen the situation. 

However, for all those who say otherwise, there are many that are convinced that an age cure is out there. For one, the British biomedical gerontologist Aubrey de Grey, who specifically studies aging, has even said on record that the first person to live to be 1,000 years old is already alive at this moment. What do you think about that prediction? Do you reckon you’ll be around to one day celebrate your millennium birthday? Let us know in the comments!

In March 2022, more research was added to the argument to support the likes of Aubrey de Grey. Details of an experiment in the US were released which showed that scientists were able to add a mixture of molecules to existing cells in mice… and that, by doing so, they could effectively reverse the aging process in the older mice cells, with seemingly no side effects. Elderly mice made young again, by some measures. And a scenario that was once science fiction only, turned into science fact.

There is still a long way to go, though. And, in whatever form it takes, indefinite living probably won’t be an instantaneous breakthrough. No company is going to simply release a pill anytime soon that just lets you live forever. More realistic projections tend toward there one day being a pill (or medicine, treatment, or procedure) that more modestly lengthens your lifespan. And then, perhaps sooner rather than later, those life-lengtheners will allow us to live long enough to lengthen some more… and some more… until a fits-all cure is discovered. Again, in a general sense, gene editing is arguably the most ambitious and promising technology now available that is geared toward reverse aging like this... with deliberate gene topups and extractions being one potential route forward. 

Elsewhere, nanotechnology remains a promising innovation. Broadly, this is the manipulation of matter near the atomic level. But, specifically, there are predictions that it could soon lead to there being microscopic machines capable of patrolling your bloodstream, which would then repair damaged and aging cells as though on-site. Furthermore, tech like that might then become so advanced that our future selves end up replacing our natural bloodstreams with a purpose brewed artificial blood, from the outset. The futurist Ray Kurzweil is one of the leading voices in the debate surrounding nanotech… although, again, it’s a controversial topic, not least because of the potential for invasion of privacy, and because of concerns around the approaching AI singularity. What would that mean, if the robots were literally inside us? Nevertheless, if the headiest nanotech predictions do come true, then it seems we’ll see them within just years and decades - i.e., within this generation. And, failing all of that, perhaps we will see mind uploads in real life, to at least preserve our consciousness until a better option becomes available. Again, it sounds like science fiction, but there are growing numbers of genuine (usually wealthy) backers.

Indeed, when thinking about what the future of Earth might look like under these conditions, the issue of money could be key. If it does arrive, then reverse aging technology will almost certainly be expensive, and perhaps only available to the super-rich. So, how would that inequality gap manifest itself? Let us know your predictions! Even if the economics of it were fair and equal, though, there’d still be a whole host of new issues to contend with. Notably, the US physician and humanist Leon Kass is well known for his anti-immortality views, arguing that if we do one day become immortal… then we would also cease being human. He says that there are virtues to being mortal - such as the appreciation of life and being able to make sense of our time here - and that those would be lost in living forever. With no cap on how long we can last for, people would feel no rush or drive to succeed. Or change. Or have fun. When looked at like that, immortality might even turn out to be extremely boring. Before long, there could be all of time ahead of us but nothing new to do.

The ongoing quest for immortality certainly raises plenty of questions… but, one day soon, we could be the first ones to be provided with answers. Because, whether it’s by tweaking our biochemistry… or it’s through the rearrangement of the genes that make us… or it’s via tiny machines custom-built to keep our cells suspended in time…that’s why we could be the first generation to live forever.