Editorial . . . . . . . . 

In the last 30 years, and especially in the last decade, humans have produced and disseminated technology at a rapid pace. Many of these technologies have made our lives easier, provided greater communication, allowed us to pursue our preferred lifestyles, developed our communities, assisted in the elimination of diseases, and extended human longevity. The advancement of genetics research alone has accelerated the course of human evolution. Unfortunately, the human body has not advanced as quickly as technologies generated by the human brain, leaving the latter behind. Genetic sciences have now progressed to the point where genetic diseases can be averted at the gene level, allowing new human beings to emerge as mutants of a higher order than those currently in existence – to meet the demands of a technologically advanced world while also combating the genetic disorder.

However, stem cell research permits us to have damaged body parts or organs created and replaced to match our DNA even among those of us who live today. Artificial limbs are available for those who require them. Bioengineering and robotics have provided a technical advantage that other creatures could only achieve through gene mutation or sluggish natural selection. Do all humans, however, have access to such pricey technology? No. Wouldn’t those who created these technologies mutate to inconceivable dimensions by the time a revolution comes to grant equal access to all, leaving those with limited, or no, access to them far behind and striving to catch up? Yes.

Preparing the human body for natural selection, or evolving in the best possible manner in our given environment or scenario, is one way out of this dilemma. This means that if our bodies evolved millions of years ago to be used for hunting, foraging, walking, or running, then those of us without power should continue to do so. However, approximately four million years transpired between the time our forefathers first began to descend from the trees and the time they began to use the most basic of tools. Evolution is a slow process that is unlikely to occur in a single lifetime, but its impacts are likely to last generations.

But why should we have to wait to use all of the amazing technologies created by the brightest among us? What about a revolution that ensures equitable access to technology regardless of class, caste, location, religion, or race? At the very least, revolution gives us a chance to succeed in this lifetime, but it is likely to be overturned by power and authority.

The answer could be a combination of the two. As we care for the ingenious human body during difficult times of languishing in front of a screen all day, we must also drive politics forward to make us equal creatures who can taste a bit of both.