Evolution is one of those excruciatingly slow processes and if it wasn’t for our scientific perspective of change over the billennia, we wouldn’t notice it. Or would we? Our understanding of the genome of species and the science to change them will soon lead to an acceleration in the origin of new species.
Just for a moment, let’s not consider the morality of this, nor the ecological shock waves this will trigger. From an evolutionary perspective this will be a singularity of some philosophical magnitude. We will adapt genetic life and send it into the universe. We’ll send genetic 3D printers to infinitely far destinations and in a cosmic future, life will spring where it wasn’t.
Mostly likely human life will have ceased to exist by then. Perhaps we can take some anticipatory pride in the foreknowledge that somewhere out there, some time from now, someone will wonder reverently who we were. Who were these gods that walked the earth?
Have you ever read any of Robert Reeds Great Ship books? He paints a fantastic post-singularity reality where humans are essentially immortal.
I haven’t but I shall google him to live.
Live, and take a leisurely half-million year cruise around the galaxy on a ship the size of Neptune
Ok, you convinced me. I shall put 100 bucks in the bank and the gazillion interest over that time should pay the ferry man of the Neptune.