Human Future: What Will our Stamp in Time be?

By Malia Kōnane

In 1924, the skull of a 3-year-old boy found in South Africa forever changed the way people thought about human origins. The so-called Taung Child, our first encounter with an ancient group of protohumans called Australopithecines, was a turning point in the study of our evolution. This discovery shifted the focus of studying human origins from Europe and Asia to Africa and set the stage for the last century of research on the continent and in its "cradles of humanity." 

Few would have predicted then what scientists know today about our evolution. The pace of discoveries is faster than ever. Even so far in the 21st century, textbooks on human origins have been rewritten several times. 

 

Just 20 years ago, no one would have imagined what scientists know two decades later about humanity's remote past. Much less how much knowledge a ground thimble, a dental plaque trail, and even orbiting satellites can offer. 

 

Human fossils exceed Darwin's tree. In Africa there are several candidate fossils to be the first hominin, between 5 and 7 million years ago. That's when humans split from other great apes, something we know from differences in our DNA. Although it was discovered in the 1990s, the publication of the 4.4 million-year-old skeleton nicknamed "Ardi" in 2009 changed scientists' opinion on how hominids began to walk.

 

Rounding out our new relatives are some australopithecines, such as Australopithecus deyiremeda and Australopithecus sediba, as well as a very primitive species of Homo that survived until late in our evolutionary history and that rekindled the debate about when humans began to bury their dead.

 

When you are done reading this book, you will have gained a lifetime of experience in just a few short hours. The stories are interesting to follow, and the challenging concepts have been made easy to understand. So get ready to broaden your horizons and adjust your expectations because you are in for one hell of a ride!

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• Language: English
• Publisher: Editorial Atelerix Creative Quill
• Release date: Apr 30, 2022
• ISBN: 9798201908683

Malia Kōnane

Malia Kōnane is a 40-year-old admin assistant who enjoys meditation, playing card games, and drinking coffee. She is energetic and gentle but can also be very rude and a bit violent. She is addicted to coffee, which her friend Sally Mason Mason pointed out when she was 18. The problem intensified in 2001. Malia has lost three jobs due to her addiction, specifically: IT technician, local activist, and clerk. She is an American who defines herself as bisexual. She has a degree in business studies. She grew up in a middle-class neighborhood. Having never really known her parents, she was raised in a series of foster homes. She is currently in a relationship with Mica May Watson. Mica is 3 years older than her and works as a screenplay writer. Malia has one child with her girlfriend, Mica: James, aged 4. Malia's best friend is an admin assistant called Sally Mason. They are inseparable. She also hangs around with Abi O'Connor and Jayden Hill. They enjoy extreme ironing together.

Book preview

IntroductionPast of mankind 5

Chapter One: Our Basic Instinct and NatureHuman Nature 12

The Will To Live 13

Will 13

Life 15

Chapter Two: What Do We Seek in Life as a Central Purpose?What is life purpose 20

Finding Your Life Purpose It 20

The Questions That WillYou Find Your Purpose 20

The ikigai: do not limit yourself to thinking only about work 21

There is no single path that leads to success 22

Listen to your life 23

Accidental Learnings 23

Prepare for a painful practice 23

Chapter Three: Early Expansion Of The Species And How It Impacted The WorldThe Population Bomb  25

Agriculture, Domesticated Animals And Genetic Modification 26

Deforestation...and Reforestation 26

Pollution 27

Global Warming And Climate Change 27

Human Impact On The Environment Is A Double-edged Sword 28

Human Impact 28

Chapter Four: War, Slavery, Greed and Poverty TodayWar 30

Slavery 33

Greed 34

Poverty 34

Chapter Five: Technological Advancements And How They Affect Our LivesWays That Technology Affects Society  37

In A Positive Way 37

Industry 37

Medicine 37

Ecology 37

In a Negative Way 38

Importance of Technology in the Economy 38

Importance of Technology in Education 39

Chapter Six: Where Are We Going As A Species?Everything will be economical, or it will not be  41

Hard power has ceased to exist 42

The individual's appetite for greater recognition will be insatiable. 42

Our identity will be nomadic. 42

Everything will be convergent 43

Does Humanity Really Learn From Its Mistakes? 43

A natural condition of the human being? 44

1- Short historical memory. 44

2- Lack of knowledge. 45

3- Absurd and total indifference. 45

4- Primacy of minority interests. 45

5- Simple arrogance. 46

What seems to be the solution to this problem? 46

The solution is education. 47

Chapter Seven: The stars as a Destination for the Human KindTerraforming Mars 49

The Space Colonies, The Alternative 52

Chapter Eight: Can We Still Save Our Planet?What is climate change? 57

Steps to save the planet 57

Chapter Nine: Is Humankind a Virus?Chapter Ten: Human Immortality And The Quest To Live ForeverWhat are neural interfaces?  64

Ethical and legal questions about the use of neural interfaces 65

Human rights 65

Equality 65

Security 65

Insurance 66

Military 66

Ethical Issues Raised by Neural Interfaces 67

How do technologies affect what it means to be human? 67

Should there be limitations in the use of neural interfaces? 67

How could interfaces change our concept of normality? 67

What are the main privacy issues associated with interfaces? 68

Could interfaces exacerbate inequality? 68

Cognitive biases and neural interfaces 69

The regulatory challenge 70

Afterwords: About the Human Future

Introduction

Past of mankind

In 1924, the skull of a 3-year-old boy found in South Africa forever changed the way people thought about human origins. The so-called Taung Child, our first encounter with an ancient group of protohumans called Australopithecines, was a turning point in the study of our evolution. This discovery shifted the focus of studying human origins from Europe and Asia to Africa and set the stage for the last century of research on the continent and in its cradles of humanity.

Few would have predicted then what scientists know today about our evolution. The pace of discoveries is faster than ever. Even so far in the 21st century, textbooks on human origins have been rewritten several times.

Just 20 years ago, no one would have imagined what scientists know two decades later about humanity's remote past. Much less how much knowledge a ground thimble, a dental plaque trail, and even orbiting satellites can offer.

Human fossils exceed Darwin's tree. In Africa there are several candidate fossils to be the first hominin, between 5 and 7 million years ago. That's when humans split from other great apes, something we know from differences in our DNA. Although it was discovered in the 1990s, the publication of the 4.4 million-year-old skeleton nicknamed Ardi in 2009 changed scientists' opinion on how hominids began to walk.

Rounding out our new relatives are some australopithecines, such as Australopithecus deyiremeda and Australopithecus sediba, as well as a very primitive species of Homo that survived until late in our evolutionary history and that rekindled the debate about when humans began to bury their dead.

The perspectives on our own species have also changed. Archaeologists thought that Homo sapiens evolved in Africa about 200,000 years ago, but the story has gotten more complicated. The fossils discovered in Morocco have delayed that date until 300,000 years ago, which is consistent with the evidence shown by ancient DNA. This raises questions about whether our species arose in one place within Africa. 

This century has also revealed unexpected discoveries in both Europe and Asia. Talking from enigmatic hobbits on the Indonesian island of Flores to Denisovans in Siberia, our ancestors were able to encounter a variety of other hominins when they spread out of Africa. In 2018, researchers reported on a new species in the Philippines. 

Anthropologists realized that our Homo sapiens ancestors had much more contact with other human species than we previously thought. Right now, human evolution looks less like Darwin's tree and more like a twisted, muddy stream. 

Ancient DNA shows old relationships. A lot of recent discoveries have been made possible by the new science of ancient DNA. Since scientists sequenced the first ancient human genome in 2010, data from thousands of individuals have yielded new insights into the origins and prehistory of our species. 

A surprising discovery is that although our lineages separated about 800,000 years ago, modern humans and Neanderthals mated with some frequency during the last Ice Age. This is why many people today have some Neanderthal DNA. 

Through ancient DNA, researchers first identified the mysterious Denisovans, who interbred with Neanderthals and us. Although most studies are carried out on bones and teeth, it is now possible to extract genetic material from sources such as cave sediments and even 6,000-year-old chewing gum. 

Genetic methods also rebuild individual and family relationships. These connect prehistoric individuals with living peoples to end decades-long debates. The applications go far beyond humans. Palaeogenomics is producing amazing discoveries about plants and animals from ancient seeds and skeletons hidden in museum warehouses.

Biomolecules make the invisible visible. DNA is not the only molecule that revolutionizes the studies of something in the past.

Paleoproteomics, the study of ancient proteins, can determine the species of a fossil. He recently linked an extinct 10-foot-tall, 650-kilogram ape that lived nearly 2 million years ago with today's orangutans. 

Dental calculus, the hardened plaque that a dentist removes from teeth, holds a lot of information, revealing everything from who drank milk 6,000 years ago to the astonishing diversity of plants, some probably medicinal, in Neanderthal diets. 

This calculation can help scientists understand ancient diseases and how the human gut microbiome has changed over time. Researchers even find cultural clues: The bright blue lapis lazuli caught up in a medieval nun's calculation led historians to reconsider who created illustrated manuscripts. 

Lipid residues trapped in pottery revealed the origins of milk consumption in the Sahara and have shown that certain oddly shaped containers found throughout the Bronze and Iron Age in Europe were ancient baby bottles. 

Researchers use collagen-based barcodes