How science can build a better you
November 4, 2012
How far would you go to modify yourself using the latest medical technology?
In a New York Times article Saturday, author and broadcaster David Ewing Duncan offers a partial checklist of cutting-edge medical-technology therapies now under way or in an experimental phase that might lead to future enhancements, including:
Present:
- supermemory or attention pill
- cochlear implant to improve hearing
- brain-boosting neuro-feedback and video games
Future:
- retinal implant
- exoskeleton
- exoskeleton operated from the brain via fiber optic lines embedded under the skin
- drugs that alter enzymes and other proteins associated with genes for, say, speed and endurance or dopamine levels
- re-engineering cells and DNA to eliminate diseases
- grow improved fresh brain, heart or liver cells
Who would get the enhancements, how much twould they cost, and who would gain an advantage over others by using them?