Everyday Life For Future Humans
Category
😹
FunTranscript
00:00What will life be like tomorrow?
00:02How about next year?
00:04Or in ten years' time?
00:05Or one hundred?
00:07Humans have a habit for looking ahead… but what will the coming time really be like?
00:11In this video, we're exploring the future plans for humankind.
00:15How we're moving up the Kardashev Scale.
00:18How it's projected that even our bodies will change.
00:21And how we can reasonably expect to branch out into space.
00:25This is Unveiled, and today we're taking a closer look at exactly what everyday life
00:30will be like for future human beings.
00:33Do you need the big questions answered?
00:34Are you constantly curious?
00:36Then why not subscribe to Unveiled for more clips like this one?
00:39And ring the bell for more thought-provoking content.
00:50What does the future hold for the human race?
00:52How will we move along the road of progress?
00:55Predicting what's to come is always a difficult business.
00:58But when we take stock of society in the twenty-first century, we can see the beginnings
01:03of a new world.
01:04A Type One civilization on the Kardashev Scale is one which has mastered all of the energy
01:09potential of its home planet.
01:11It's in total control of its local world, which should in theory mean that it's living
01:15its best life.
01:17Today, we know that this isn't quite the case for humans on Earth.
01:21There are various problems facing us, some of which threaten our very existence on this
01:25particular rock.
01:26Yes, we're still comfortably in the habitable zone of our solar system.
01:31There's still enough oxygen for us to breathe here, and the gravity doesn't crush us.
01:35But that doesn't mean that we're on easy street.
01:38Some things can still go wrong, and some things still need to improve.
01:42All of which means that we're generally said to rank at about 0.7 on the Kardashev
01:47Scale.
01:48If humans had a report card, it might read, good, but could do better.
01:53The Kardashev Scale isn't the only way of measuring advancement, and it might not
01:57even be the best way… but it is one of the most established.
02:01And as such, it's something that new technologies are so often pitted against, to see how they
02:06move us up the scale, and where they leave us when they're done.
02:10So, which technology has had the greatest impact in recent years?
02:14Many would say it's the internet.
02:16The internet is one sign that we're climbing the Kardashev Scale.
02:20In most models of a Type One civilization, unity is key.
02:24Everyone needs to pull in the same direction, and the internet, in theory, allows us to
02:29do that.
02:30Today, we have the World Wide Web, the Internet of Things, and smart technology… none of
02:35which would have been conceivable to the majority of the population just thirty or forty years
02:40ago.
02:41The internet links people and countries and communities all across the world map, meaning
02:46we've never been more connected as a unified force, a global civilization.
02:51According to some interpretations, a Type One society should be united in other ways,
02:56too, including currency and language.
02:59With currency, we've made some steps toward this.
03:02Many countries on the European continent share the euro, for example.
03:06Meanwhile, the US dollar is held in banks all over the world as reserve currency.
03:10We also have emerging digital currencies, like bitcoin, and other more mainstream ways
03:16of exchanging money worldwide, like debit cards and banking apps.
03:20The development and future of language is perhaps a little more complicated.
03:23In fact, most versions of Type One retain multiple languages, so there's no need to
03:28lose this particular part of our cultural diversity.
03:31There usually is, however, a universal language which runs alongside all of that, and it might
03:36be claimed that the internet is that universal language… or at least that digital code
03:41is.
03:42Failing that, there's some argument that emojis are a step in the right direction,
03:46purely because they skip most language barriers and translate everywhere.
03:51Like hieroglyphs for the modern age, accelerated into usage, once again, by the internet.
03:57But we all know that, deep down, what the Kardashev Scale really concerns itself with
04:02is something even more fundamental to society than money and communication… it's energy.
04:08But here, as well, there are signs that humans are moving in the right direction.
04:12One thing a Type One civilization has to do is lose its reliance on fossil fuels.
04:18Not only to protect the environment, but also because they're not sustainable.
04:22Instead, Type One needs renewable resources.
04:25And these are the second sign that humanity is beginning to make the grade.
04:30Time will tell whether we're too late or too slow from a climatological point of view,
04:35but we've seen the emergence of solar, wind and tidal power stations in recent decades.
04:40These make use of the planet's natural, ongoing processes – sunlight, atmospheric
04:45pressure and wave patterns – by converting them into usable energy for the everyday human.
04:51For many, nuclear energy also has a role to play in us climbing the Kardashev Scale.
04:56Again, there are big environmental concerns here, chiefly with how and where to safely
05:01store radioactive waste… but the argument goes that if humanity can find a way to switch
05:06from fission to fusion, then our power potential could skyrocket.
05:11Nuclear fission is now the traditional method of harvesting energy via splitting the atom.
05:16Nuclear fusion, however, involves combining atomic nuclei for energy.
05:20It requires extremely high temperatures, and it's what happens inside a star.
05:25If humans were to master fusion, we'd be able to bring that kind of cosmological power
05:30down to Earth.
05:31And we are making moves to do that, with most fusion reactor designs using two isotopes
05:36of hydrogen, deuterium and tritium, which, when put together, have a high reaction rate
05:42and energy yield.
05:43It isn't yet a viable energy solution because it's so impractical and expensive to heat
05:48and run a reactor… but there are various experiments underway to improve this, including
05:53ITER, the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor.
05:58If or when nuclear fusion becomes commercially possible, many claim that that will be a breakthrough
06:03moment for our Type One ambitions.
06:05Finally, we can see early signs of a progressing civilization in how humanity is trying to
06:11spread out, both on Earth and in space.
06:14One signature of a Type One culture is that it's capable of converting previously uninhabitable
06:19environments into safe and even comfortable living spaces.
06:23Today, there are various ideas for underwater cities, including the Ocean Spiral, a real-life
06:29waterworld and future living concept dreamt up by the Japanese architectural firm, the
06:34Shimizu Corporation.
06:36The same company has plans for a Mega-City Pyramid, a wholly artificial metropolis to
06:41house at least one million people which, if it ever gets built, would easily become the
06:46largest ever human-made structure.
06:48The plans are to install it into Tokyo Bay, as a way of addressing the city's massive
06:53population and otherwise lack of space.
06:55It's still very early days for projects like this, but if humanity ever becomes Type
07:01One then it's predicted that they'll be commonplace… and that these artificial worlds
07:05would not only serve to house a growing population, but might also be built in regions where cities
07:11would otherwise struggle to thrive, like across the Sahara, or even in Antarctica.
07:16But still, there are plans gathering pace to move us even further afield than that.
07:22Humanity has shown renewed interest in space exploration.
07:25There are now multiple established and ambitious space agencies all across the planet, as the
07:30space race is no longer run between only America and Russia.
07:34We also have countless private companies vying for their piece of the cosmological cake.
07:39It all amounts to us having a long list of hefty space goals for the near future.
07:43A return to the moon, crewed missions to Mars, orbital cities and space tourism… all while
07:49our probes and landers travel even further out to try and make sense of our place in
07:54the solar system and universe.
07:56In some ways, our plans for space travel seem to go beyond Type One.
08:00We aren't yet masters of the energy on our home planet, as all Type Ones need to be,
08:05but we're already trying to get off this world and onto another one.
08:08But then, space travel can also be seen as just one way in which we're trying to push
08:12our boundaries.
08:13And some argue that it's the only route to the future survival of our species.
08:18Even comparatively close-by projects like the International Space Station serve to better
08:22our understanding, giving us a greater grasp on things like weather processes, for example,
08:27and how Earth's atmosphere works… bearing in mind that weather control is another key
08:32attribute at Type One.
08:33So, the groundwork is being laid.
08:36The internet knits us together, the search for new energy sources propels us into the
08:40future, and the quest to build and discover new and revolutionary places to live is reshaping
08:45the human landscape.
08:47We could be on the cusp of a monumental change.
08:55It's clear that in the modern world, the societal and technological landscapes are
09:04shifting… but in many ways, the revolution is happening within us rather than around
09:09us.
09:10Humans have a long history of changing their bodies for cosmetic reasons.
09:14We can pierce, tattoo, or remould ourselves with all sorts of modifications.
09:19But what happens when body mods and technology align?
09:22As it's predicted, they will do.
09:24Where will the bleeding edge of cybernetics take us?
09:27And what are the upgrades that everyone will want?
09:30One of the most immediate and useful applications of modern cybernetics is the creation of advanced
09:35prosthetic limbs, including some designs that are controlled through the mind.
09:40It's a breakthrough moment for science, so much so that it's led to predictions
09:44that humans will soon opt for limbs like these out of choice, not just necessity.
09:50Mechanical arms, or mechanically enhanced arms, could be stronger than what we're
09:53used to.
09:54They could be custom-designed, too, giving everyone scope to be as individual as they
09:59like.
10:00And it could be that they're tweaked and patched to become multifunctional.
10:03You might take a true cyberpunk route and install a firearm or some giant swords.
10:09Or maybe you just choose to have your phone permanently attached, so you never risk losing
10:13it.
10:14As with so many cybernetic upgrades, it's all about choice.
10:18Another sci-fi-style enhancement focuses on our vision.
10:22Cybernetic eyes.
10:23Tech that gives you a heads-up display for your day-to-day life.
10:26Again, humans are already experimenting with this sort of thing.
10:30The filmmaker and cyberware pioneer Rob Spence, for example, refers to himself as an iBoard,
10:36because he has a prosthetic eye that doubles as a camera.
10:40There are other optical attachments that already exist, too, including ones that can help blind
10:44people sense colour via sound waves.
10:48Devices like Rob Spence's don't yet communicate sensory data to the brain, but work is well
10:53underway to make this next step in the future.
10:55If we do, it'll be life-changing for anyone visually impaired.
11:00But again, it could be that everyone chooses cybernetic eyes.
11:03Once the tech becomes available, early devices like Google Glass didn't catch on.
11:08But if the design's right, then we could soon be getting text messages, emails, and social
11:13media notifications directly in front of our faces.
11:16Not to mention the opportunities with maps, entertainment, and, dare we say it, advertising.
11:22In 2024, Apple Vision Pro promises an all-new chapter in the story of this particular type
11:28of technology.
11:29Elsewhere, though, another upgrade which could soon become standard is Radio Frequency Identification,
11:35or RFID, chips, especially in the workplace.
11:40Various employers worldwide have already implanted subdermal FRID chips into their employees
11:46for all sorts of things, from authorizing payments to unlocking electronic doors.
11:51These implants double up as their identity and remove the need for passwords and access
11:55codes.
11:56This kind of tech also scares people, more so than with most other products.
12:01It's perhaps a cybernetic upgrade that not everyone will want.
12:04The main downside is that RFID chips open up the possibility that workers, that anyone,
12:09could be tracked 24-7.
12:11There are some potential upsides to these things as well, though, including that they
12:15could be used to privately track useful health and movement data to help you keep tabs on
12:20your lifestyle.
12:21Nevertheless, below-the-skin trackers go beyond even the most thorough of regular smartwatches.
12:27But if you really want a way to get up close and personal with your biometrics, then embedded
12:32biosensors might be more your thing.
12:34Another upgrade that some are tipping to be the norm by the end of the century, these
12:39are tiny machines under your skin that zoom in on your personal biology.
12:44The earliest versions are already capable of tracking your temperature, but future versions
12:48are expected to precisely track blood sugar levels and to generally monitor everything
12:53from caloric intake to vitamin deficiencies to hormone levels.
12:58With biosensors, we'll all be able to know exactly what's wrong or right with ourselves
13:03at any moment.
13:04Just go to the doctors, upload your vital statistics, and await the verdict.
13:08It could revolutionize health by allowing for ultra-early diagnoses.
13:14Biosensors aren't the only future solution to disease, however.
13:17It's thought that nanobots could also prove to be vital tools when it comes to health
13:21and medicine.
13:22We're now talking about digital, artificial technology that's small enough to enter
13:27your body and your bloodstream.
13:29Imagine specialized nanobots that carry out the same functions as white blood cells do.
13:34The cybernetic dream is that you'll have a whole colony of microscopic robots living
13:39inside your body, all remotely programmed to fight off pathogens.
13:43You could spell the end of bacterial infections and viruses for good, some say without even
13:48the need for vaccines anymore.
13:51Instead, any virus will be instantly wiped out by the programmable, adaptable robots
13:56that are already living inside us, with scientists issuing targeted updates whenever a new disease
14:02emerges.
14:03It's maybe not surprising, then, that some believe nanobots could even pave our way to
14:07immortality.
14:08Equally, it's clear why many picture them as a teeming health risk, potentially turning
14:13the human body into a hackable and destroyable thing.
14:17For many, immortality is the ultimate aim for cybernetics, however.
14:21This is a field that deals in improving organic bodies, making them less and less vulnerable
14:26and unreliable… until a future time when perhaps they're invulnerable.
14:30Or even invincible.
14:32As well as those already covered, there could be other ways of achieving this.
14:36One of which is synthetic muscles, and now we're talking super-strength.
14:41According to some predictions, synthetic muscles could be installed into anyone in
14:45the future, to easily increase their strength and power beyond regular human limits.
14:50You won't have to work out to improve your body's performance anymore, you'll just
14:54need to be fitted with the latest and best muscle pack.
14:57And it could be similar for our skeletons, too.
15:00Doctors already use artificial bones to replace broken or damaged ones, so some see this becoming
15:05the norm very soon.
15:07As we willingly replace all our at-risk, natural bones with unnatural but unbreakable metal
15:13ones.
15:14It's something out of the pages of Wolverine's life story.
15:17But what might you be doing with your new super-muscles made of synthetic polymers?
15:21Or your adamantium skeleton?
15:23How best to use a body like that?
15:25Well, one of the main reasons as to why humans can't support wings is that our arm and back
15:30muscles are too weak for them.
15:32But that wouldn't be the case anymore.
15:34We'd now have power enough to flap and gain lift, allowing us to achieve one of the most
15:39often-wished-for superpowers of all… the power of flight.
15:43In the modern world, we already have jetpacks, but they're expensive, they use a lot of
15:47fuel and they're just not going to replace cars anytime soon.
15:51But foldable, retractable wings made of some ultralight material would be so much more
15:56manageable.
15:57They could even come to be totally expected in day-to-day life, as we'd wear them like
16:01a backpack and think nothing about casually flying from A to B.
16:06But maybe it's not actually your body you most want to upgrade, and you're more interested
16:10in unlocking the potential of your mind.
16:13If so, there are cybernetics in the pipeline just for you as well.
16:16In some cases, for example, we're already able to interface directly with computers
16:21using only our thoughts.
16:23But the more commercial applications of tech like this are set to grow and grow.
16:28There'll be no need for virtual assistants like Siri and Alexa in this future world.
16:32You'll just think what you want your smart devices to do, and they'll do it.
16:37Total power rests with your brain.
16:39Again, it's efficient… but tech like this will also dramatically improve the lives of
16:44anyone who's paralysed, enabling direct control of all devices.
16:49Anything which enables thought transference will most likely be something that everyone
16:52wants, however, because of the seeming freedom it will grant us all.
16:56Nobody would need to know what you were doing anymore.
16:58You could just think it and it would be done.
17:00If the popularity of comparatively basic gadgets like Alexa is anything to go by, then this
17:06is sure to be a hit.
17:07But lastly, maybe even total control via your own brain isn't quite enough.
17:12Maybe what you want most of all is… another brain.
17:15Or at least something else to bolster your current cognitive potential.
17:20And there are various cybernetic enhancements planned which will serve to increase your
17:24processing power, including Elon Musk's Neuralink and others like it.
17:28Imagine a chip in your brain that not only connects you to your devices, but actually
17:32renders most of them redundant.
17:34Why would you even need artificial eyes, for example?
17:37Or a doctor to diagnose the readings from your nanobots, if all of that information
17:41could just be stored inside your own head, instead?
17:44Why would you need to transfer your thoughts to another machine if your brain could perform
17:48all of the functions of that other machine without it?
17:51Any brain tech leading to superintelligence could even eventually pave the way toward
17:55totally digitising human consciousness.
17:58It's another route to the promised land of immortality, but it would also take us
18:02to a generally higher level, where even many of the cybernetic upgrades in this video could
18:07feel outdated and useless.
18:09The march of technological progress goes on, and we're always looking for new ways to
18:13develop and improve… but in the coming decades, more than ever before, the line between science
18:19fiction and everyday reality might finally be crossed for good.
18:23So, finally, what could all of this mean for space travel?
18:27We know that it's one way in which we're moving up the Kardashev Scale.
18:31We know that the human body is likely to undergo any number of technological upgrades before
18:36we finally spread out into the solar system… but how will those fateful journeys of the
18:40future unfold?
18:49Empty space is the only thing standing between Earth and the rest of the universe.
18:55The possibilities for exploration would be limitless if humanity had better technology
19:00for interstellar space.
19:02Scientists are working on or considering a number of ideas that, if perfected, could
19:06revolutionise how we move through space.
19:09The space travel business has seen a recent surge of interest, with several companies
19:14aiming to send tourists into space and even around the moon.
19:18So far, the companies in the lead are Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin, and of course Elon Musk's
19:24SpaceX.
19:25However, they still have a number of hurdles to jump in order to overcome limitations in
19:29technology and costs.
19:31In the future, however, cheaper and more efficient methods of travel will no doubt be available.
19:36Instead of using fossil fuels for energy, space shuttles of the future will have different
19:40thrusters.
19:41Ion engines, for example, are a technology that already exists outside the realm of science
19:47fiction.
19:48NASA has had one for years now, called NASA's Evolutionary Xenon Thruster, or NEXT.
19:54This thruster works by utilising xenon and solar energy to power its operation.
20:00Xenon gas is ionised by firing electrons through it, which is then propelled out through the
20:05thrusters.
20:06This process can be ten times more efficient than standard shuttle thrusters and can reach
20:10very high speeds given enough time.
20:13That's the problem, however.
20:15Time, as they are currently very slow at accelerating.
20:19If this problem is solved, ion thrusters could become commonplace.
20:24Another very real potential means of thrust is that of solar sails.
20:28Solar sails mimic a sailboat's functionality by using mirrors to capture the push from
20:32the sun's radiation, like cloth to wind.
20:35IKAROS, a Japanese spacecraft, was the first ever to demonstrate this technology in 2010.
20:42As Avi Loeb has speculated, the interstellar object Oumuamua, which passed by in 2017,
20:48could have been alien solar sail technology.
20:51Though this view is controversial.
20:54Perhaps, though, it is the preferred form of space travel.
20:57If we never learn to bypass the speed of light as a universal speed limit, much of the universe
21:02will remain out of reach.
21:04If we really need to travel to distant galaxies or solar systems, we'll have to do so in
21:09a generation ship.
21:11The idea behind a generation ship is that it's a self-sufficient craft that can last
21:15centuries while travelling through space.
21:18This option is likely a disaster option scenario, where humanity is forced to flee Earth in
21:23search for another planet.
21:25Generation ships are stations and homes that will be all some people ever know.
21:30If a destination is over one hundred years away, people will have been born and died
21:35on the ship without ever having stepped foot off of it.
21:38A ship like this would need its own water cycle, carbon cycle and nitrogen cycle, as
21:43well as being big enough to house a population.
21:46In addition, it would need to block out harmful radiation, and artificially create gravity
21:51due to the negative side effects that long-term weightlessness has on the human body.
21:55It would also have to be a completely sealed environment, with its own food production
22:00and energy management.
22:02The closest anyone has come to experimenting with this is Biosphere 2.
22:07In 1991, eight people sealed themselves in a completely self-contained system called
22:12Biosphere 2 for two years.
22:15They were overcome with a variety of challenges, as they had to grow their own food, manage
22:19their own oxygen levels, and deal with the human factor of intense irritation at being
22:25around the same other people with no escape.
22:28They proved, however, that sealed ecosystems can survive for years, and this may be necessary
22:33for space travel one day.
22:35Then again, instead of travelling in a ship in the future, you might find yourself standing
22:40in line for an elevator.
22:42In 1895, Russian scientist Konstantin Tsiolkovsky came up with the idea for what he called a
22:48celestial castle, or a massive space station of sorts, attached to Earth via a long tower.
22:55More modern interpretations call this a space elevator, and there are some serious thoughts
23:00about building one.
23:02If executed properly, the cable would be built of very durable and plentiful material, and
23:07would transport people to and from the planet with an elevator.
23:11The trip could take mere hours, and could be a hundred times more cost-efficient to
23:15run than space shuttle launches.
23:18The space station at the top of this elevator could be a hub, or a spaceport of sorts, with
23:23connecting flights leaving and entering.
23:26Launching shuttles from Earth is so expensive because they have to overcome the planet's
23:30But in space, that won't be as much of an issue.
23:33The idea is obviously difficult to execute, as the material it was built from would have
23:38to be so strong and so durable that it doesn't break from the forces and potential atmospheric
23:43debris impacting it.
23:45If it did break, the result could be catastrophic.
23:48Nevertheless, this idea might be a practical one.
23:51NASA itself has deemed the idea to be sound enough, and both China and Japan have said
23:56that they want to build one by 2045 and 2050, respectively.
24:01Someday in the future, you might be able to take a vacation to outer space by packing
24:05your bags onto an elevator and watching the Earth grow small between your feet, to the
24:10soothing pitch of elevator music.
24:13Of course, we could also try to build spaceships that don't try to move through space fast,
24:17but rather manipulate the fabric of spacetime itself.
24:21There are other proposed methods of space travel that could one day be real, but for
24:25now are merely hypothetical.
24:27Warp drives, for example, perhaps aren't as far-fetched as previously thought.
24:31The idea of a warp drive is to overcome imposed speed limits on space travel by warping spacetime
24:37itself around the ship.
24:39One specific warp drive, thought up by theoretical physicist Miguel Alcubierre, is called the
24:44Alcubierre Drive, and works by compressing space in front of the ship while expanding
24:50space behind it.
24:51And this is consistent with Einstein's equations, if something like negative mass is ever discovered
24:57or invented.
24:58NASA has even made modifications to the idea to make it more efficient, but it would take
25:02massive amounts of energy to run.
25:05And isn't anywhere near feasible yet.
25:08Similarly, wormholes could be future possibilities.
25:11They're also known as Einstein-Rosen bridges, and are tunnels that connect spacetime in
25:16two areas by forming a shortcut through two black holes.
25:21This could potentially make a trip that would normally take a million years traversable
25:25in only a few minutes.
25:27Our technology has a long way to go before we can even consider this a possibility, however.
25:32Just as humanity began exploring every inch of the ocean once boats were invented, it's
25:37likely only a matter of time before we move on to exploring the stars.
25:41Since spaceflight is a relatively new development, we still lack the technology and capability
25:46to make spaceflight cheap and efficient.
25:49With companies opening up space tourism and the potential to profit from it, however,
25:53more money is likely to go towards making this process as cost-efficient as possible.
25:58We may find ion thrusters and space elevators to be in the not-so-distant future.
26:02Or we could be surprised with a new form of space travel that we haven't even considered
26:07yet.
26:08So, what do you think?
26:09How do you picture life for future human beings?
26:12Can we move past Kardashev Type One?
26:15Will cybernetic enhancements change our bodies forever?
26:18Or could next-generation space travel finally take us to new worlds?
26:48Given the pace of progress today, we might even expect a lot of these changes to happen
26:58in our own lifetimes.
27:00Are you excited or fearful?
27:02Impressed or unconvinced?
27:04The future is always just over the horizon, and it could be very different indeed.
27:10What do you think?
27:11Is there anything we missed?
27:13Let us know in the comments, check out these other clips from Unveiled, and make sure you
27:17subscribe and ring the bell for our latest content.