What do you think of when you picture a terrifying disease?
Do you imagine HIV because it has no cure?
Do you picture yourself with organs dribbling out of your anus thanks to Ebola?
Or is it more frightening to be trapped inside your own body with locked-in syndrome?
Personally I'm afraid I'll get Sexlexia, because even Zapp Brannigan's velour hotpants can't
cure that.
But in the future, could Sexlexia be a real thing?
And might we have even more terrifying diseases thanks to our reliance on modern technology?
Let's find out, in our list of 7 terrifying diseases of the future.
Number 7: Virtual Reality Addiction Addiction is a disease; it doesn't matter whether you're
hooked on hashish, seduced by the sauce or totally groped by the great gambling gremlin,
some people are just genetically destined to a life of dependency.
Fortunately, we are beginning to understand how to help more and more people beat their
addictions, but when fully immersive virtual reality becomes available, we may find these
strategies no longer apply.
Weaning someone off drugs or alcohol has to happen gradually, as the shock of going cold
turkey can prove fatal.
But how do you coax someone out of reality?
If someone's spent days, weeks or even months entrenched inside a virtual world, how would
their mind react to being prised out of it?
Would it be like a second birth?
Will dad be waiting with a camcorder?
We've already seen the beginnings of this problem take root, with Internet Gaming Disorder
and Internet Addiction Disorder.
So is it possible that in the future we humans could walk blindly into the Matrix?
Or will this only happen to a few of us?
And if so, where do we keep all these sleeping people?
A virtual reality care home?
Now there's a sitcom right there.
Number 6: Google Amnesia Don't worry, this isn't an ad for yet another crappy Google
product that plugs into your butthole and tells your friends what you had for lunch.
Google Amnesia is a serious condition, and it's affecting you right now.
Scientists have noticed that people who use the internet remember less of the information
learned there, when compared to those who gained it from experience or books.
A study into this was published in Science Magazine in 2011, where college
students were shown to remember fewer facts if they knew they could retrieve them easily
from the internet later.
It's like not bothering to cook because you can have takeout instead, and unfortunately
Google Amnesia can be just as bad for you as living on a diet of pizza and kebabs.
Our brains are now conditioning themselves to remember where information can be found
and how to access it, rather than storing it directly.
The net has, to an extent, become our brain's external hard drive; albeit one filled with
kitty pictures and weird porn gifs...just like my actual external drive.
But while this adaptation may seem like a more streamlined way of doing things, it could
prove problematic if it continues.
Neuroimaging studies conducted on the brains of internet users found that we disregard
much of the information we read on the internet, because our brains realise that the vast majority
of data we find is trivial.
So every time we jump online our mind is ready to skim, not to learn; therefore we're less
likely to retain much of what we read.
Keeping knowledge on hand is crucial to our critical thinking abilities, so there's a
strong chance that whole societies of dumb people could form thanks to Google Amnesia.
Our only chance of avoiding this is to adapt how we process information, but even that
may not be enough.
Number 5: Sexlexia Yes I have included this option solely because Futurama is awesome,
but did you know that sexual learning disabilities could one day become a reality?
Self-stimulation is becoming ever easier to achieve, and in the future it may require
no touching at all, with stimulation created entirely through neural sex toys hooked up
to your brain.
But might we become addicted to them and start to dismiss the knowledge we need to arouse
another human?
As we've seen with the previous entry, an over-reliance on technology makes our brain
adapt and streamline its processes.
What if it decides that helping another human get their rocks off is unnecessary?
What if sex toys become so elaborate that human on human action is entirely eradicated?
W hat if humanity is destined to sit alone in the dark jacking it for all eternity?
Meh; could be worse.
Number 4: Comparmentalised Personality Disorder In the same way that our brains compartmentalise
data and where to obtain it, there's a strong possibility that humans might do the same
with their personalities, once the use of Artificial Intelligence becomes widespread.
One of AI's predicted uses is through virtual assistants, of which we may haveseveral, and
each of whom would be assigned a different version of our own personalities to match
their task.
Need a raise at work?
Here's a super confident virtual you to nail that extra 5%.
Trying to woo someone online?
Suave virtual you has a date in the bag.
Not literally I hope; we'll save that for virtual weekend psychopath you.
But as we give over more tasks to artificially intelligent systems, humans may begin to undergo
a personality crisis.
Who is the real me?
Does one exist?
Or are there several versions of me which I need to use at different times?
The confusing nature of having to compartmentalise different personalities in the real world
could lead to a serious mental breakdown, but don't worry, because at least you'll have
five virtual shoulders to cry on.Number 3: Resistant Bacteria In our recent video on
the seven most devastating things mankind could discover, we mentioned the tragic story
of one Texas woman who died after being infected with Phantom Menace bacteria.
But far from being a crappy reboot that nobody likes and that drags on forever, this guy's
actually pretty darn popular, as it spreads faster than we ever thought possible.
Upon detection Phantom Menace masquerades as something less harmful, but in reality
this bacteria is resistant to every form of antibiotics, meaning we can't treat it, period.
And this is just the start.
Man's over-reliance on antibiotics means that highly resistant superbugs are inevitable
in the future, unless we can figure out a new tactic to thwart their alarming rise in
numbers.
Number 2: Nanotoxicity Nanotechnology could potentially be the greatest creation in the
history of man.
If we can command swarms of tiny robots to affect both ourselves and the world on a molecular
level, then almost anything is possible.
Reconstructed limbs, invisibility, unicorns - you name it.
But all of this would come only when the technology has been perfected.
In its infancy, nanotechnology may cause some serious problems to our health.
The effects of carcinogens such as asbestos, tobacco smoke and Toby Keith's music are well
known, but it's entirely plausible that the nanomaterials created by nanobots could accumulate
within humans and prove equally toxic, causing unknown side-effects.
Those little plastic beads in your face wash are a good example, as these are now known
to absorb toxic chemicals when dumped down your sink, and we've found significant numbers
of these beads in fish and several other areas of the food chain.
Drop the scale down to nano-sized particles and these things are much harder to detect,
so when we do unleash armies of tiny robots to do our bidding, let's hope they're programmed
to be eco-friendly.
Number 1: Unknown Genetic Diseases One day it may be possible to cure genetic disorders
such as haemophilia, sickle cell disease and cystic fibrosis.
And it's also likely that we'll eventually be able to identify and remove the genes which
make certain humans more susceptible to cancer and other non-genetic conditions.But in doing
so, do we risk creating new and even deadlier diseases?
Today's genetic disorders are caused by a mutation in one or more genes, but as we begin
to edit the code for life, might we unlock entirely new conditions?
Or do we have to pay more for the DLC first?
In all seriousness though, this is a distinct possibility, and it's hard to know how far
down the line such diseases could crop up.
Testing genetically modified crops is relatively easy, since their short reproductive cycle
means we can find out if they're safe or not several generations down the line.
But testing on humans means waiting entire lifetimes, and by the time we find an error,
the genes responsible could have been spread far and wide.
It's also possible that genetic engineering could be used to create an organism to cure
certain diseases, but this too comes with a price.
One simple mistake could end up creating a more powerful disease than the one it was
supposed to cure.
But let's not fear monger too much about genetic engineering, because we all know that most
scientists will be ultra-cautious in its use.
However, all it takes is one nut-job with links to a terror organisation, and the age
of Genetic Warfare is upon us.
Oh god, Genetic Warfare, that's the next Call of Duty title isn't it.
God damn it guys, just do Vietnam or something.
Bonus: Electromagnetic Hypersensitivity EHS is a controversial topic, as while the World
Health Organisation claims it does not exist its sufferers do indeed display very real
symptoms.
Electromagnetic Hypersensitivity describes a series of ailments supposedly brought on
by a certain type of electromagnetic radiation given out by Wi-Fi devices and cell-phones.
Those who say they have the condition complain of fatigue, restlessness,
rashes and random pains, but carefully controlled studies of EHS patients have shown no concrete
link between their symptoms and electronic devices.
Weirdly, the number of EHS sufferers is increasing despite this evidence, and it is speculated
that the root cause may be psychological.
But it should be noted that while the World Health Organisation dismisses EHS, it does
label radio frequency electromagnetic radiation as possibly carcinogenic.
Clearly more studies need to be made, and time will tell whether Wi-Fi will prove to
be as dangerous as smoking, or it's just like your mom saying you'd get square eyes looking
at the TV.And that's our list.
But if you're interested in finding out what your fleshy meat-bag is up to right now rather
than how it'll fail in the future, take a look at our recent video on 5 mysterious things
your body reveals about you.