Does our body change over time?
According to Researchgate, a professional network of scientists and researchers, in
75 years we've grown about 1.5% taller on average and about 15% heavier, while the average
bra size is up from 12B to 14C.
These shifts in our bodies’ shape and size are likely the result of changes in diet and
lifestyle.
So what’s in store for us in the future, and will humans look different than they do
today?
That’s what we’ll be exploring in this episode of The Infographics Show, What will
humans look like in 50 or 100 years?
Whilst early humans first migrated out of Africa into Asia sometime between 1.8 million
and 2 million years ago, the modern form of humans evolved only about 200,000 years ago.
And civilization as we know it today is only about 6,000 years old, so looking 100 years
into the future doesn’t really seem so far away.
But then we are in a time where everything is developing and changing at a rapid rate.
What people eat today is vastly different from what they ate 50 years ago, and access
to modification with things such as plastic surgery has allowed people to choose new shapes
and sizes for their bodies.
When we started researching the subject of how different people might look 100 years
from now, we realized we first need to answer a bigger question.
Will humans even be around then?
Professor Stephen Hawking was an English theoretical physicist, cosmologist, and author.
He could even be described as an Einstein of modern times.
He passed away in March this year, but before he died, he left behind some eerie messages.
As part of a BBC science series called Tomorrow’s World, Professor Hawking said he thinks humans
will need to find a new planet to populate within a single lifetime, or we could be wiped
out because of factors such as climate change, possible asteroid strikes, epidemics, and
population growth.
Speaking at The Royal Society in London, he said, “I strongly believe we should start
seeking alternative planets for possible habitation.
We are running out of space on earth and we need to break through technological limitations
preventing us living elsewhere in the universe.”
But does Professor Hawking’s view have any validity, or is it all just guesswork and
hocus pocus?
Actually there are others who back up his ideas.
In a recent TED talk, Harvard researcher Juan Enríquez argues that because there have already
been five mass extinction events in Earth's history, it’s quite possible that the human
race will experience one in the future.
“If you believe that extinctions are common and natural and normal, and occur periodically,
it becomes a moral imperative to diversify our species,” said Enríquez.
Like Professor Hawking, he also says that moving to another planet is our best viable
option and that Mars is the planet we will most likely move to.
But is the human body even built for life on Mars?
“It's going to be really hard to live on Mars if we don't modify the human body.
Modifications will allow us to explore, live, and get to places we wouldn't even dream of
today,” explained Enríquez.
So how exactly will we be able to change our bodies in the future if we plan to migrate
the human race to Mars?
Enríquez suggests that if we genetically reprogram human cells, they could repair themselves
from the deadly radiation on Mars.
Also, lung tissue could be redesigned so that it absorbs more oxygen on planets that have
less of it in their atmosphere.
And other tissues in our bodies could also be modified so that they filter out deadly
toxins in the harsh new atmosphere.
He even suggests that we may be able to increase the diameter of the neurons in our brains
and speed up reaction times - so much so that a person could see a bullet coming towards
them at hundreds of miles an hour and duck out of the way.
We could be something like Neo in The Matrix!
Okay, all of that sounds very sci-fi, but what about everyday changes such as advancements
in health and well-being that can benefit the masses?
Will humans of the future have a chance at a longer, easier life?
One ongoing issue is the organ shortage crisis.
Thousands of people die each year waiting for a transplant that could save their lives.
But this ongoing issue could soon be fixed.
Business Insider recently reported that scientific researchers are trying to grow human organs
inside of pigs because it turns out that pigs have organs that are similar in size to some
of our organs.
And it takes only 9 months to do this inside a pig, whereas it takes years for the same
organs to mature inside a human body.
There’s more work to be done, but this could potentially give thousands of people a chance
at a longer life.
In the future, there could be people wandering around with lungs and livers that were grown
inside a helpful pig.
And on the subject of growing human parts in animals, there’s also the subject of
limbs.
An estimated 185,000 amputations happen each year in the US.
The current solution is to replace the limb with a prosthetic one, and though they are
advanced, they can't replace real flesh and blood.
But scientists have recently been looking into a special type of salamander called the
axolotl, which is also known as a Mexican walking fish.
This incredible creature can regrow just about anything, including limbs, lungs, and even
its eyes.
Scientists are attempting to identify the genes that are responsible for this “X-men”
style superpower so that in the future we may be able to do the same with our bodies.
How do you think humans will look in 50 or even 100 years from now?
Will we be more like robots than people?Let us know in the comments!
Also, be sure to check out our other video called How Can You Control Your Dreams?
Thanks for watching, and, as always, don’t forget to like, share, and subscribe.
See you next time!