Everyday Life For Future Humans

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What will life be like tomorrow? How about  next year? Or in ten years time? Or 100?   Humans have a habit for looking ahead… but  what will the coming time really be like?   In this video, we’re exploring the future  plans for humankind. How we’re moving up the   Kardashev Scale; how it’s projected  that even our bodies will change;   and how we can reasonably  expect to branch out into space.   This is Unveiled, and today we’re taking a  closer look at EXACTLY what everyday life   will be like for future human beings.

Do you need the big questions answered? Are you  constantly curious? Then why not subscribe to   Unveiled for more clips like this one? And ring  the bell for more thought-provoking content! What does the future hold for the human race?  How will we move along the road of progress?   Predicting what’s to come is always a difficult  business… but, when we take stock of society   in the twenty-first century, we can  see the beginnings of a new world. A Type One civilization on the Kardashev  Scale is one which has mastered all of the   energy potential of its home planet. It’s in  total control of its local world which should,   in theory, mean that it’s living its best life.  Today, we know that this isn’t quite the  case for humans on Earth. There are various   problems facing us, some of which threaten our  very existence on this particular rock. Yes,   we’re still comfortably in the habitable  zone of our solar system… there’s still   enough oxygen for us to breathe here, and the  gravity doesn’t crush us. But that doesn’t mean  

that we’re on easy street. Some things can  still go wrong, and some things still need   to improve. All of which means that we’re  generally said to rank at about 0.7 on the   Kardashev Scale. If humans had a report card,  it might read; good, but could do better.  

The Kardashev Scale isn’t the only way  of measuring advancement and it might   not even be the best way… but it is one  of the most established. And, as such,   it’s something that new technologies  are so often pitted against - to see   how they move us up the scale, and where  they leave us when they’re done. So,   which technology has had the greatest impact  in recent years? Many would say the internet. The internet is one sign that we’re  climbing the Kardashev Scale. In most   models of a Type One civilization unity  is key. Everyone needs to pull in the   same direction. And the internet,  in theory, allows us to do that.  

Today we have the world wide web, the internet  of things, and smart technology… none of which   would’ve been conceivable to the majority of  the population just thirty or forty years ago.   The internet links people and countries  and communities all across the world map,   meaning we’ve never been more connected  as a unified force. A global civilization. According to some interpretations, a Type One  society should be united in other ways too,   including currency and language. With currency,  we’ve made some steps toward this. Many countries   on the European continent share the Euro, for  example. Meanwhile, the US Dollar is held in banks   all over the world as reserve currency. We also  have emerging digital currencies like Bitcoin. And   other, more mainstream ways of exchanging money  worldwide, like debit cards and banking apps. 

The development and future of language is perhaps  a little more complicated. In fact, most versions   of Type One retain multiple languages, so  there’s no need to lose this particular   part of our cultural diversity. There usually  is, however, a universal language which runs   alongside all of that. And it might be claimed  that the internet is that universal language.  

Or at least that digital code is. Failing that,  there’s some argument that… emojis are a step in   the right direction. Purely because they skip most  language barriers and translate everywhere. Like   hieroglyphs for the modern age, accelerated  into usage, once again, by the internet.

But we all know that, deep down, what the  Kardashev Scale really concerns itself with   is something even more fundamental to  society than money and communication;   it’s energy. But here, as well, there are signs  that humans are moving in the right direction. One thing a Type One civilization has to do  is lose its reliance on fossil fuels. Not   only to protect the environment, but also  because they’re not sustainable. Instead,  

Type One needs renewable resources - and these are  the second sign that humanity is beginning to make   the grade. Time will tell whether we’re too late  (or too slow) from a climatological point of view,   but we’ve seen the emergence of solar, wind  and tidal power stations in recent decades.   These make use of the planet’s natural,  ongoing processes (sunlight, atmospheric   pressure and wave patterns) by converting them  into usable energy for the everyday human.

For many, nuclear energy also has a role to play  in us climbing the Kardashev Scale. Again, there   are big environmental concerns here, chiefly with  how and where to safely store radioactive waste…   but the argument goes that if humanity can find  a way to switch from fission to fusion, then our   power potential could skyrocket. Nuclear fission  is the now traditional method of harvesting energy   via the splitting of the atom. Nuclear fusion,  however, involves combining atomic nuclei for  

energy. It requires extremely high temperatures,  and it’s what happens inside a star.  If humans were to master fusion, we’d be  able to bring that kind of cosmological   power down to Earth. And we are making moves  to do that, with most fusion reactor designs   using two isotopes of hydrogen - deuterium  and tritium - which, when put together,   have a high reaction rate and energy yield.  It isn’t yet a viable energy solution because   it’s so impractical and expensive to  heat and run a reactor… but there are   various experiments underway to improve  this - including ITER, the International   Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor. If, or when,  nuclear fusion becomes commercially possible,   many claim that that will be a breakthrough  moment for our Type One ambitions. Finally, we can see early signs of a progressing  civilization in how humanity is trying to spread   out. Both on Earth and in space. One signature  of a Type One culture is that it’s capable of  

converting previously uninhabitable environments  into safe and even comfortable living spaces.  Today, there are various ideas for underwater  cities, including the ocean spiral - a real-life   water world and future living concept dreamt  up by the Japanese architectural firm,   the Shimizu Corporation. The same company also  has plans for a Mega-city Pyramid - a wholly   artificial metropolis to house at least one  million people which, if it ever gets built,   would easily become the largest ever human  made structure. The plans are to install   it into Tokyo Bay, as a way of addressing  the city’s massive population and otherwise   lack of space. It’s still very early days  for projects like this, but if humanity   ever becomes Type One then it’s predicted that  they’ll be commonplace. And that these artificial   worlds would not only serve to house a growing  population, but might also be built in regions   where cities would otherwise struggle to thrive  - like across the Sahara or even in Antarctica.

But, still, there are plans gathering pace to  move us even further afield than that. Humanity   has shown renewed interest in space exploration.  There are now multiple, established and ambitious   space agencies all across the planet, as the space  race is no longer run between only America and   Russia. We also have countless private companies  vying for their piece of the cosmological cake.   It all amounts to us having a long list of hefty  space goals for the near future. A return to the   moon… Crewed missions to Mars… Orbital cities and  space tourism. All while our probes and landers  

travel even further out to try and make sense  of our place in the solar system, and universe. In some ways, our plans for  space travel seem to go beyond   Type One. We aren’t yet masters of the energy  on our home planet - as all Type Ones need to   be - but we’re already trying to get off of  this world and onto another one. But then,   space travel can also be seen as just one way in  which we’re trying to push our boundaries. And  

some argue that it’s the only route to the future  survival of our species. Even comparatively close   projects, like the International Space Station,  serve to better our understanding. Giving us a   greater grasp on things like weather processes,  for example, and how Earth’s atmosphere works.   Bearing in mind that weather control  is another key attribute at Type One. So, the groundwork is being laid. The internet  knits us together… the search for new energy  

sources propels us into the future… and the quest  to build and discover new and revolutionary places   to live is reshaping the human landscape. We  could be on the cusp of monumental change. It’s clear that, in the modern world, the societal  and technological landscapes are shifting. But,   in many ways, the revolution is happening  within us, rather than around us. Humans   have a long history of changing their  bodies for cosmetic reasons. We can pierce,   tattoo or remold ourselves with all sorts  of modifications. But what happens when body  

mods and technology align, as it’s predicted  they will do? Where will the bleeding edge   of cybernetics take us? And what are  the upgrades that everyone will want? One of the most immediate and useful applications  of modern cybernetics is the creation of advanced   prosthetic limbs… including some designs  that are controlled through the mind. It’s   a breakthrough moment for science, so much so  that it’s led to predictions that humans will   soon opt for limbs like these out of choice, not  just necessity. Mechanical arms (or mechanically   enhanced arms) could be stronger than what  we’re used to. They could be custom designed,   too, giving everyone scope to be as individual as  they like. And it could be that they’re tweaked   and patched to become multifunctional. You might  take a true cyberpunk route and install a firearm   or some giant swords. Or maybe you’d choose  just to have your phone permanently attached,  

so you never risk losing it. As with so many  cybernetic upgrades, it’s all about choice. Another sci-fi style enhancement focusses on  our vision. Cybernetic eyes. Tech that gives   you a heads-up display for your day-to-day  life. Again, humans are already experimenting   with this sort of thing. The filmmaker and  cyberware pioneer Rob Spence, for example,   refers to himself as an “EyeBorg” because he  has a prosthetic eye that doubles as a camera.   There are other optical attachments that already  exist, too, including ones that can help blind   people sense color via soundwaves. Devices like  Rob Spence’s don’t yet communicate sensory data  

to the brain, but work is well underway to  make this next step in the future. If we do,   it’ll be life-changing for anyone visually  impaired. But, again, it could be that everyone   chooses cybernetic eyes… once the tech becomes  available. Early devices like Google Glass  

didn’t catch on… but, if the design’s right,  then we could soon be getting text messages,   emails and social media notifications directly  in front of our faces. Not to mention the   opportunities with maps, entertainment  and, dare we say it, advertising. In 2024,   Apple Vision Pro promises an all new chapter in  the story of this particular type of technology. Elsewhere, though, another upgrade  which could soon become standard   is Radio-frequency identification (or RFID)  chips. Especially in the workplace. Various   employers worldwide have already implanted  subdermal RFID chips into their employees,   for all sorts of things… from authorizing  payments to unlocking electronic doors.  

These implants double up as their identity, and  remove the need for passwords and access codes.   But this kind of tech also scares people. More  so than with most other products, it’s perhaps   a cybernetic upgrade that not everyone will want!  The main downside is that RFID chips open up the   possibility that workers (that anyone) could be  tracked 24/7. There are some potential up-sides  

to these things as well, though, including  that they could be used to privately track   useful health and movement data… to help you  keep tabs on your lifestyle. Nevertheless,   below-the-skin trackers go beyond even the  most thorough of regular smart watches. But if you really want a way to get up  close and personal with your biometrics,   then embedded biosensors might be more  your thing. Another upgrade that some  

are tipping to be the norm by the end of the  century, these are tiny machines under your   skin that zoom in on your personal biology.  The earliest versions are already capable of   tracking your temperature. But future versions are  expected to precisely track blood sugar levels,   and to generally monitor everything - from  caloric intake to vitamin deficiencies to   hormone levels. With biosensors, we’ll all  be able to know exactly what’s wrong (or  

right) with ourselves, at any moment. Just go  to the doctors, upload your vital statistics,   and await the verdict. It could revolutionize  health by allowing for ultra-early diagnoses. Biosensors aren’t the only future solution to  disease, however. It’s thought that nanobots   could also prove to be vital tools when it comes  to health and medicine. We’re now talking about   digital, artificial technology that’s small  enough to enter your body, and your bloodstream.  

Imagine specialized nanobots that carry out  the same functions as white blood cells do.   The cybernetic dream is that you’ll have a  whole colony of microscopic robots living   inside your body, all remotely programmed  to fight off pathogens. It could spell the   end of bacterial infections and viruses,  for good… some say without even the need   for vaccines anymore! Instead, any virus will  be instantly wiped out by the programmable,   adaptable robots that are already living inside  us… with scientists issuing targeted updates   whenever a new disease emerges. It’s maybe not  surprising, then, that some believe nanobots   could even pave our way to immortality. Equally,  it’s clear why many picture them as a teeming   health risk, potentially turning the human  body into a hackable (and destroyable) thing.

For many, immortality is the ultimate aim for  all cybernetics, however. This is a field that   deals in improving organic bodies, making them  less and less vulnerable and unreliable, until a   future time when, perhaps, they’re invulnerable.  Or, even, invincible. As well as those already   covered, there could be other ways of achieving  this. One of which is… synthetic muscles. And now   we’re talking super-strength. According to some  predictions, synthetic muscles could be installed   into anyone in the future, to easily increase  their strength and power beyond regular human   limits. You won’t have to work out to improve your  body’s performance anymore… you’ll just need to  

be fitted with the latest and best muscle pack.  And it could be similar for our skeletons, too.   Doctors already use artificial bones to replace  broken or damaged ones… so some see this becoming   the norm very soon, as we willingly replace  all our at-risk, natural bones with unnatural   but unbreakable metal ones. It’s something  out of the pages of Wolverine’s life story. But what might you be doing with your new  super-muscles made of synthetic polymers,   or your Adamantium skeleton? How best to use a  body like that? Well, one of the main reasons   as to why humans can’t support wings is that  our arm and back muscles are too weak for them.   But that wouldn’t be the case anymore! We’d  now have power enough to flap and gain lift,   allowing us to achieve one of the most  often wished for superpowers of all;   the power of flight! In the modern world, we  already have jetpacks… but they’re expensive,   they use a lot of fuel, and they’re just  not going to replace cars any time soon.   But foldable, retractable wings made of  some ultralight material would be so much   more manageable. They could even come to  be totally expected in day-to-day life,  

as we’d wear them like a backpack and think  nothing about casually flying from A to B.  But, maybe it’s actually not your body you most  want to upgrade, and you’re more interested in   unlocking the potential of your mind? If so, there  are cybernetics in the pipeline, just for you,   as well. In some cases, for example, we’re  already able to interface directly with computers   using only our thoughts. But the more commercial  applications of tech like this are set to grow and  

grow. There’ll be no need for virtual assistants  like Siri and Alexa in this future world. You’ll   just think what you want your smart devices  to do… and they’ll do it. Total power rests   with your brain. Again, it’s efficient, but  tech like this will also dramatically improve  

the lives of anyone who’s paralyzed - enabling  direct control of all devices. Anything which   enables thought transference will most likely  be something that everyone wants, however,   because of the seeming freedom it will grant  us all. Nobody would need to know what you   were doing anymore. You could just think it and it  would be done. If the popularity of comparatively   basic gadgets like Alexa is anything to  go by, then this is sure to be a hit!  But, lastly, maybe even total control via  your own brain isn’t quite enough? Maybe   what you want most of all is another brain?  Or at least something else to bolster your   current cognitive potential. And there are  various cybernetic enhancements planned which  

will serve to increase your processing  power - including Elon Musk’s Neuralink,   and others like it. Imagine a chip in your brain  that not only connects you to your devices,   but actually renders most of them redundant.  Why would you even need artificial eyes,   for example… or a doctor to diagnose the  readings from your nanobots… if all of   that information could just be stored inside  your own head, instead? Why would you need to   transfer your thoughts to another machine, if  your brain could perform all of the functions   of that other machine without it. Any brain  tech leading to superintelligence could even,  

eventually, pave the way toward totally digitizing  human consciousness. It’s another route to the   promised land of immortality, but it would  also take us to a generally higher level…   where even many of the cybernetic upgrades in  this video could feel outdated and useless. The march of technological progress  goes on, and we’re always looking for   new ways to develop and improve. But, in  the coming decades more than ever before,  

the line between science fiction and everyday  reality might finally be crossed for good.   So, finally, what could all of this  mean for space travel? We know that   it’s one way in which we’re moving up  the Kardashev Scale. We know that the   human body is likely to undergo any number  of technological upgrades before we finally   spread out into the solar system. But how will  those fateful journeys of the future unfold?   Empty space is the only thing  standing between Earth and the   rest of the universe. The possibilities for  exploration would be limitless if humanity  

had better technology for interstellar travel.  Scientists are working on or considering a   number of ideas that, if perfected, could  revolutionize how we move through space.    The space travel business has seen a recent  surge of interest, with several companies aiming   to send tourists into space and even around the  Moon. So far the companies in the lead are Jeff  

Bezos’ Blue Origin and of course Elon Musk’s  SpaceX. However, they still have a number of   hurdles to jump in order to overcome limitations  in technology and costs. In the future, however,   cheaper and more efficient methods of  travel will no doubt be available. 

  Instead of using fossil fuels for energy,  space shuttles of the future will have   different thrusters.  Ion engines, for example,  are a technology that already exists outside   the realm of science fiction. NASA has had one  for years now called NASAs Evolutionary Xenon   Thruster (NEXT). This thruster works by utilizing  Xenon and solar energy to power its operation.   Xenon gas is ionized by firing electrons through  it, which is then propelled out through the   thrusters. This process can be ten times more  efficient than standard shuttle thrusters and can   reach very high speeds, given enough time. That’s  the problem, however - time, as they are currently   very slow at accelerating. If this problem is  solved, ion thrusters could become commonplace. 

  Another very real potential means of thrust  is that of solar sails. Solar sails mimic   a sailboat’s functionality by using mirrors  to capture the push from the sun’s radiation   like cloth to wind. IKAROS, a Japanese  spacecraft, was the first ever to demonstrate   this technology in 2010. Physicist Avi Loeb has  speculated the interstellar object ‘Oumuamua,   which passed by in 2017, could have been  alien solar sail technology, though this   view is controversial. Perhaps though it is  the preferred form of advanced space travel!    If we never learn to bypass the speed of light  as a universal speed limit, much of the universe   will remain out of reach. If we really need to  travel to distant galaxies or solar systems,  

we’ll have to do so in a Generation Ship. The  idea behind a generation ship is that it’s a   self-sufficient craft that can last centuries  while traveling through space. This option is   likely a disaster option scenario where humanity  is forced to flee Earth and search for another   planet. Generation ships are stations and  homes that will be all some people ever   know. If a destination is over 100 years away,  people will have been born and died on the ship   without ever having stepped foot off of it. A  ship like this would need its own water cycle,   carbon cycle, and nitrogen cycle as well as being  big enough to house a population. In addition,  

it would need to block out harmful radiation,  and artificially create gravity due to the   negative side effects that long term  weightlessness has on the human body.   It would also have to be a completely sealed  environment with its own food production and   energy management. The closest anyone has come to  experimenting with this is Biosphere 2. In 1991,   eight people sealed themselves in a completely  self-contained system called Biosphere 2 for   two years. They were overcome with a variety of  challenges as they had to grow their own food,   manage their own oxygen levels, and deal  with the human factor of intense irritation   at being around the same other people  with no escape. They proved, however,   that sealed ecosystems can survive for years, and  this may be necessary for space travel one day. 

  Then again, instead of traveling in a ship in  the future, you might find yourself standing   in line for an elevator. In 1895, Russian  scientist Konstantin Tsiolkovsky came up   with the idea for what he called a celestial  castle, or a massive space station of sorts   attached to Earth via a long tower. More modern  interpretations call this a space elevator,   and there are some serious thoughts about building  one. If executed properly, the cable would be   built of very durable and plentiful material and  would transport people to and from the planet   with an elevator. The trip could take mere hours  and could be a hundred times more cost efficient   to run than space shuttle launches. The space  station at the top of this elevator could be a  

hub or spaceport of sorts, with connecting flights  leaving and entering. Launching shuttles from   Earth is so expensive because it has to overcome  the planet’s gravity, but in space that won’t   be as much of an issue. The idea is obviously  difficult to execute, as the material it was built   from would have to be so strong and durable that  it doesn’t break from the forces and potential   atmospheric debris impacting it. If it did break,  the results could be catastrophic. Nevertheless,  

this idea might be a practical one. NASA itself  has deemed the idea to be sound enough, and both   China and Japan have said they want to build  one by 2045 and 2050 respectively. Some day in   the future you might be able to take a vacation to  outer space by packing your bags onto an elevator   and watching the Earth grow small beneath your  feet to the soothing pitch of elevator music.    Of course, we could also try to build spaceships  that don’t try to move through space fast,   but rather manipulate the fabric of spacetime  itself. There are other proposed methods of space   travel that could one day be real, but for now  are merely theoretical. Warp drives, for example,   perhaps aren’t as far fetched as previously  thought. The idea of a warp drive is to overcome  

imposed speed limits on space travel by warping  spacetime itself around the ship. One specific   warpdrive thought up by theoretical physicist  Miguel Alcubierre is called the Alcubierre   drive and works by compressing space in front  of the ship while expanding space behind it.   And this is consistent with Einstein’s equations,  if something like negative mass is ever discovered   or invented. NASA has even made modifications to  the idea to make it more efficient, but it would   take massive amounts of energy to run and isn’t  anywhere near feasible yet. Similarly, wormholes  

could be future possibilities. They’re also  known as Einstein-Rosen bridges and are tunnels   that connect spacetime in two areas by forming  a shortcut through two black holes. This could   potentially make a trip that would normally take  a million years traversable in only a few minutes.   Our technology has a long way to go before we  can even consider this a possibility, however. 

  Just as humanity began exploring every  inch of the ocean once boats were invented,   it’s likely only a matter of time before we move  on to exploring the stars. Since space flight is   a relatively new development, we still lack the  technology and capability to make space flight   cheap and efficient. With companies opening up  space tourism and the potential to profit from it,   however, more money is likely to go towards  making this process as cost efficient as   possible. We may find ion thrusters and space  elevators to be in the not so distant future,   or we could be surprised with a new form of  space travel that we haven’t even considered yet.   So, what do you think? How do you  picture life for future human beings?   Can we move past Kardashev Type One? Will  cybernetic enhancements change our bodies   forever? And could next generation space  travel finally take us to new worlds? Given the pace of progress today, we might  even expect a lot of these changes to happen   in our own lifetimes. Are you excited or  fearful? Impressed or unconvinced? The   future is always just over the horizon,  and it could be very different indeed! What do you think? Is there anything we missed?  Let us know in the comments, check out these other   clips from Unveiled, and make sure you subscribe  and ring the bell for our latest content.

2024-07-14

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