Super-rich could evolve into their own species

Medical advancements are already happening at lightning speed, but as time goes on and we’re able to grow organs and use robotic engineering to help people, extreme life extension may be possible, but only for the super-rich.

That’s why Paul Saffo, a “futurologist,” says that one day those with the means to afford such enhancements may become a separate species from the rest of us who have to put up with our original parts until they wear out.

Genetic testing will enable the super-rich to know of any potential health problems they may face in the future, and they’ll be able to take drugs specifically tailored to them and their health needs. They’ll also be able to grow their own replacement organs and use robotic limbs that are actually more efficient than the ones we were born with.

Saffo isn’t the only one who sees this sort of future or who predicts it’s coming soon. Ray Kurzweil says that developments in nanotechnology are happening so quickly that immortality is only about 20 years away — for those who can afford it, of course. Saffo doesn’t go that far, but he does say that one day the rich may be able to live as much as 20 years longer than the poor thanks to the technology they can afford.

(Check out another vision of the future in which the size 0s have overtaken the planet.)

Want to save the planet? Go veg

Lord Stern, a British expert on global warming, says that if we really want to pull the planet back from the brink of utter destruction, we all need to stop eating meat. That’s because large-scale animal farming operations, particularly those that raise beef and pork, produce literally tons of methane, a greenhouse gas even more damaging than carbon dioxide.

Stern says that people will have to evolve to the point where eating meat is no longer considered socially acceptable. Stern, who isn’t a strict vegetarian himself, says people around the world, particularly in the United States, are still failing to grasp what needs to be done to halt climate change.

He doesn’t go so far as some who criticize Al Gore for talking big on global warming while still eating meat; in any case, Nicolette Hahn Niman, a lawyer and rancher, says attacking meat eaters isn’t the solution because when animals are produced sustainably, as the Nimans do, eating meat could actually be better for the planet than, say, being a vegetarian who eats a lot of soy, which is a huge factor in deforestation in Brazil.

Our skinny president

And speaking of politicians and skinny people taking over the world, the Drudge Report notes that Barak Obama is looking pretty skinny these days. Aides say he’s not chain smoking but that leading the nation takes a lot of time and energy, and occasionally he skips meals.

(By Sarah E. White for CalorieLab Calorie Counter News)

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This entry was posted on Monday, November 2nd, 2009 and is filed under Celebrities and politicians, Food miscellaneous, Vegetarian and vegan diet. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed. Permalink.