Human Enhancement Research Paper

Humans for years have attempted to improve themselves through technology. Whether it is make themselves more attractive through cosmetic surgery or decreased likelihood of hereditary disorders in embryos using pre-implantation genetic testing, human enhancement in one form or another is not a foreign concept. Human augmentation is also known as human enhancement, and it is the application of certain forms of technology to overcome physical or mental limitations of the body.

By this definition, human enhancement entails both the treatment of disease and disability, as well as the upgrading of human aptitude. Additionally, human enhancement is dichotomous in nature: while it heavily implements theoretical ideas by raising important questions about the human application of a diverse array of emerging technology, it also uses applied science and current technology, often borrowing from interdisciplinary scientific fields and methods. Several technologies exist today that can be properly classified as human enhancement technology. In addition to cosmetic techniques such as plastic surgery and orthodontics, there are drugs known as lean mass builders that directly improve physical performance by increasing muscle growth and density.

But a new survey by Pew Research Center

suggests wariness in the U.S. public about these emerging technologies. For example, 68% of Americans say they would be “very” or “somewhat” worried about using gene editing on healthy babies to reduce the infants’ risk of serious diseases or medical conditions. And many U.S. adults (66%) say they would “definitely” or “probably” not want to get a brain chip implant to improve their ability to process information (Alkalay, 2015).
Considering how human augmentation would work in our society right now, you would think that something like this could lead to many ethical issues. How could this process be introduced? One would assume that it would be first instilled in select surgeons who know how to perform the proper augmentation surgery. The biggest issue would come in the form of who can access the surgery. Those of the middle class and lower will not be able to get these procedures done because the procedure cost way too much money. The rich would be the only people in our society with augmentations, while people who need help in the lower class suffer. Another issue that could be presented is an arms race between countries who want this important technology. Stuff like this are very dangerous and could lead to wars.
These substances include membrane-permeable anabolic-androgenic steroids and the water-soluble growth hormone (gh). Although the two drugs differ in their pharmacodynamics and rates of induced muscle growth, both result in increased anabolism, the activity of pathways that promote protein biosynthesis. Gh spurs lean muscle growth by increasing both lipolysis (breakdown of lipids) and protein synthesis, and producing insulin-like growth factor 1 (igf-1) which stimulates overall tissue growth. Similarly, anabolic steroids stimulate the formation of new muscle fibers by increasing protein synthesis and causing hypertrophy (enlargement) of skeletal muscle even in the absence of strength training (Kim, 2003).
Nanomedicine has potential for use in human enhancement.

Molecular nanotechnology is relevant to human enhancement because of molecular assemblers, theoretical machines that could re-order matter on the molecular or atomic scale to build biocompatible medical Nano robots, by way of positionally-controlled mechanosynthesis guided by molecular machine systems (Barski, 2016). The ability to design, construct, and deploy large numbers of medical Nano robots would facilitate the rapid elimination of disease and the reliable and relatively painless recovery from physical trauma via cell repair. Medical nanorobotics could also allow for the convenient correction of genetic defects, thus increasing

lifespan.
The powered exoskeleton is a recently developed technology used to increase the wearer’s strength, endurance, and agility. The exoskeleton includes an outer framework and employs electromechanical technology, featuring sensors that follow the wearer’s movements (Barski, 2016). Microcontrollers then translate the movements into signals fed to a series of hydraulic actuators, emulating and amplifying the force of the movements. A common problem with mobile robotic suits like the powered exoskeleton is the extremely limited battery life, although more innovative technologies like lithium–sulfur batteries will be implemented in the future.
As prosthetic technology advances, some scientists are considering the use of advanced prosthetic enhancements (which apply principles of biomorphic robotics), replacing healthy body parts with artificial mechanisms and systems to improve function. With the advent of 3D organ printing and improved tissue engineering techniques, it could be possible to print fully functional replacement organs soon. These 3D printed organs could eventually be genetically modified to have enhanced functions (Templeton, 2016).
In conclusion, as the enhancing technology of human enhancement becomes more abstract, ethical concerns arise. In addition to possibly affecting the identity of an individual, there are social implications of biological enhancement through science: the wealthy may be the only ones with access, those who choose not to enhance themselves may be ostracized, or the enhancement technology could start an arms race between nations. Thus, although the level of biological enhancement is limited by current technology and legal barriers, it is likely that human enhancement will become a controversial socio-scientific issue in the future. Humans must decide if increased physical and mental acuity from human enhancement technologies would be worth the potential side effects Human augmentation has the potential to be extremely beneficial and protective to humans, while possibly improving our species.