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GIORGIO A. TSOUKALOS:
Right now, we are inventing

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all these
different technologies,

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with which we could actually
make ourselves

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superhumans
with super intelligence.

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DAVID WILCOCK: The potentials
are quite extreme.

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You could eventually
have printable noses,

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ears, lungs, kidneys.

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KEVIN WARWICK:
The big question is immortality.

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Dying, is it something
we have to do?

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WILLIAM HENRY: I'm convinced
that the engineers at MIT

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are looking back into the
ancient examples of the gods.

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DAVID CHILDRESS:
You've got to wonder,

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are extraterrestrials
somehow guiding us,

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and manipulating us

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into this new future,
and this new human

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that we are destined to be?

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NARRATOR:
Since the dawn of civilization,

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mankind has credited
its origins to gods

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and other visitors
from the stars.

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What if it were true?

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Did extraterrestrial beings

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really help
to shape our history?

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And if so, might their ultimate
plan be revealed...

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with the rise
of the Next Humans?

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Â♪ Â♪

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NARRATOR:
Mountain View, California.

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August, 1962.

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At NASA's Ames Research Center,

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the newly formed Division of
Biotechnology and Human Research

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begins a study on the
possibility of exploring space

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with technologically-enhanced
humans,

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otherwise known as cyborgs.

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Ten months later,
they release a report

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called "The Cyborg Study:
Engineering Man for Space."

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In it, they propose that
astronauts will require

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artificial organs
and pharmaceuticals

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to survive in the harshest
environments of deep space...

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...as we explore
beyond our solar system.

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While the program
was quickly abandoned

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due to the lack
of available technology,

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it helped usher in a new era
of scientific research focused

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on augmenting the human species
into a new stage of evolution:

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the Transhuman.

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WARWICK:
Transhumanism is the use

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of technology by humans,

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to enhance the physical,
psychological,

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and most of all,
intellectual capabilities.

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We transhumanists want to use
science and technology

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to self-direct our evolution.

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There are lots
of transhumanists now

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that don't even consider
themselves transhuman--

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for example,
people who have pacemakers,

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or cochlear implants,
or hip replacements.

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These are technologies
that we're using,

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and that is beyond human.

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JONATHAN YOUNG: The idea
of their being a transhuman

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is actually a very old notion,

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and it stems from our longing
for immortality.

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so there were attempts
to extend human life.

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SCOTT: Transhumanism has been
thought of for a very long time,

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throughout mythology.

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From Gilgamesh's
search for immortality,

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to alchemy...

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...to the search
for the fountain of life.

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Really, the quest to overcome
what it means to be human,

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to see if we can live forever,

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that has been the quest
for a very long time.

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IfRRATOR:
Although the notion of modifying

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the body with technology

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has been around
for thousands of years,

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transhumanists say
the 21st century

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will radically change
what it means to be a human...

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...when we begin
to genetically engineer

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an entirely
new generation of humans.

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April 22, 2015.

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Guangzhou, China.

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Geneticists
at the Sun Yat-Sen University

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make history
as the first team in the world

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to genetically modify
a human embryo.

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Using a gene editing technique
known as CRISPR-Cas9,

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the scientists were able
to correct the gene defect

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that causes beta-thalassemia,
a blood disease,

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by snipping out and replacing
portions of the DNA

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in the fertilized egg.

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By using a new technology
called CRISPR,

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scientists are able to actually
cut into the DNA

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and replace parts of the DNA

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with genetically-modified
proteins.

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This allows us to literally
transform who we are.

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WARWICK:
When we look at DNA changing,

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it can be used
not just to overcome problems,

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but to improve your looks, maybe
change the color or your hair,

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or your eyes, or perhaps

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even more importantly,
change your intellectual

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or physical abilities.

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NARRATOR: Will the
modification of human embryos

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soon lead to a wave

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of what futurists call
"designer babies,"

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children whose physical features

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and mental capabilities

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were selected by their parents.

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Many believe that not only
is this a possibility,

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but that the very definition

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of a parent
may soon change as well.

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The UK is on its way to becoming
the first country

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to legalize
the creation of babies

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from three different people.

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And a large majority
of the House of Commons

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voted in favor
of the controversial

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"Three Parent In Vitro
Fertilization," or TPIVF.

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The British government
officially declared it legal,

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so actual children
have been born

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that have DNA
from three different parents.

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I think it is quite possible,
in the future,

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that it won't be just two

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or three parents
that the child has,

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but could be any number.

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That sounds
like science fiction,

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but it's actually something
the Japanese scientists

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are working on right now.

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And what that would entail

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is using an artificial womb.

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(heart beating, baby fussing)

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Actually gestating the child

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within that artificial womb.

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Now, you can imagine,
if we can get to this stage,

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it doesn't matter
who... who the parents are.

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You could have a community
of people with the best genes

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contributing
to making that child.

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And that is really the future
that is in front of us.

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NARRATOR:
Is it possible

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we could synthetically create
human beings,

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picking and choosing
genetic traits

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from any number of donors?

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Could the characteristics
of a person

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soon be limited only
by our imaginations?

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Ancient astronaut theorists
say yes,

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and suggest an even more
incredible possibility:

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that we are not the first
to do this.

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Luxor, Egypt.

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Here in the Deir el-Bahari
mortuary temple

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lies the burial chamber
of Hatshepsut,

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one of the only queens
to ever become a pharaoh.

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And on the frescoed walls
of this tomb is a scene

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portraying Hatshepsut's
conception

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at the hands of divine beings.

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On the walls of Queen
Hatshepsut's mortuary temple,

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it says... that...
a long time ago...

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...God Amon came
to Hatshepsut's mother,

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Ahmose, in her sleep,

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and with the power of God Anum,

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and with the key of ankh
in his hand,

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he created baby Hatshepsut.

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He uses the ankh...

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...that key-shaped tool,

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to give life, to create a human.

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GIORGIO A. TSOUKALOS:
Any device that can give life

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upon something would have
to appear as magical...

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...so you have to wonder
who were these gods

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that they were talking about?

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What we have in this story

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is actually the
immaculate conception of

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Hatshepsut, and it is clear
that this is the story

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of an extraterrestrial
intervention in the creation

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of a star child, Hatshepsut.

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So, we appear to be dealing
with some sort of a technology,

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a DNA-based technology

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that can manifest human
bodies or alter human DNA.

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NARRATOR: Could Hatshepsut have
been genetically engineered

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by otherworldly beings?

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And is it possible that
humans are just now starting

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to unlock the incredible
potential hidden within us

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by our extraterrestrial
creators,

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as ancient astronaut
theorists propose?

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Perhaps further clues can
be found in our own attempts,

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not in creating life,
but in reversing death.

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NARRATOR:
State College, Pennsylvania.

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October 15, 2015.

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Dr. Gong Chen and
a team of biologists

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from the Life
Sciences Department

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at Penn State University

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reveal research on
a cocktail of specialized drugs

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designed to convert
non-neuronal cells in the brain,

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called glial cells,
into neurons.

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90% of our brain is made up
of what's called glial cells.

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These cells are just
a support mechanism

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for the neurons themselves.

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WARWICK:
What we can do at the moment

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is to take glial cells
from the brain

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and to use different
chemicals, essentially,

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to alter the functioning
of the glial cells.

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Chemicals will cause them

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to become fresh neurons.

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Gong Chen's belief
for this research is that

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things like severe brain trauma,

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Parkinson's disease,
and Alzheimer's could actually

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be effectively
transformed and healed.

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NARRATOR: Could degenerative
brain disorders

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like Parkinson's and Alzheimer's

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be cured by a simple
chemical injection?

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And if so, could we eventually
rid the brain

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of neurological
diseases entirely?

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Transhumanists believe
the therapeutic uses

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for this incredible discovery

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are only a small part
of the bigger picture.

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In the future, we could
see using that technology

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to increase our intelligence
to a, to a superhuman state.

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Now imagine, because the brain
is only ten percent neurons,

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imagine if we could

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increase the brain's
capacity to 35%.

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That could change everything.

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I mean, we could become
a super intelligent species.

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Could you, in fact,
advance the human IQ,

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perhaps to such a degree

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that you might have
people walking around now

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with a 1,000 IQ?

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NARRATOR:
Could Dr. Chen's research

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lead us to an exponential
increase of the human intellect?

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And if so, will we
seem like primates

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to the people of tomorrow?

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Transhumanists suggest that if
we can create new brain cells,

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we could potentially reproduce
all of the body's cells,

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which would have
profound implications.

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WARWICK:
The big question is immortality.

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Dying, is it something
we have to do?

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Cells die away, but if we can
start replacing the cells,

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and if we can
replace brain cells

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and keep the functioning
of the brain going,

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then it does, potentially,

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really extend life,
in theory, forever.

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Some people, like Ray Kurzweil,

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have suggested by 2045
we'll be able to do that.

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NARRATOR:
Ray Kurzweil

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is Google's Director
of Engineering,

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a transhumanist, prolific
author and inventor.

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He believes, in the near future,

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humans will be able to extend
their lives indefinitely.

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To reach that point,
he maintains

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a daily diet of over 100

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different body and
mind enhancing pills,

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called nootropics.

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Nootropics are essentially
drugs of one kind or another,

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chemicals if you like,
that can change the way

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most of the body functions,

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but particularly how
the brain functions.

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SCOTT:
Choline, for example,

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helps with memory, and so,
people are using

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these nootropics
to enhance their memory,

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to have better recall,
to have better focus.

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You're starting to see
nootropics pop up everywhere,

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especially in Silicon Valley.

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In the future, the idea

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00:14:24,898 --> 00:14:27,866
of enhancing the cognitive
ability in the human being

254
00:14:27,968 --> 00:14:29,768
is going to be
sort of commonplace.

255
00:14:33,340 --> 00:14:35,273
NARRATOR:
Kurzweil and others predict

256
00:14:35,375 --> 00:14:39,611
nootropics will become a new
multi-billion dollar industry

257
00:14:39,713 --> 00:14:43,114
as people turn to supplements
to enhance their bodies

258
00:14:43,217 --> 00:14:45,483
and prolong their lives.

259
00:14:45,586 --> 00:14:48,853
But ancient astronaut
theorists believe that,

260
00:14:48,956 --> 00:14:50,855
like genetic manipulation,

261
00:14:50,924 --> 00:14:56,294
evidence of nootropic use can
be found thousands of years ago.

262
00:14:56,396 --> 00:14:59,497
Dating back to
the fifth century BC,

263
00:14:59,600 --> 00:15:03,134
<i>the Hindu Sanskrit epic
known as The Mahabharata,</i>

264
00:15:03,237 --> 00:15:06,338
tells the story
of Samudra Manthana,

265
00:15:06,406 --> 00:15:09,474
a celestial battle
between the gods

266
00:15:09,576 --> 00:15:13,378
for a rare substance
that grants immortality.

267
00:15:16,750 --> 00:15:22,420
The "Samudra Manthana" means
the "churning of the ocean."

268
00:15:22,522 --> 00:15:26,091
And in this case,
the ocean is visualized

269
00:15:26,193 --> 00:15:28,260
as a cosmic sea of milk.

270
00:15:28,362 --> 00:15:31,963
It is, in essence,
the Milky Way itself.

271
00:15:32,065 --> 00:15:36,101
There were two primary forces
at odds in the universe.

272
00:15:36,203 --> 00:15:38,136
There were the Asuras...

273
00:15:38,238 --> 00:15:39,638
and they were at odds

274
00:15:39,740 --> 00:15:43,575
with a new order of gods--
the Devas.

275
00:15:45,979 --> 00:15:48,713
The gods went to Lord Vishnu
and Vishnu said,

276
00:15:48,815 --> 00:15:51,683
why don't you try
to cooperate with them?

277
00:15:51,752 --> 00:15:54,619
At the very depths of the ocean,

278
00:15:54,721 --> 00:15:57,756
there is a substance
called Amrita,

279
00:15:57,824 --> 00:16:00,225
a divine nectar
of immortality.

280
00:16:00,327 --> 00:16:02,294
Churn the cosmic ocean of milk,

281
00:16:02,396 --> 00:16:05,664
and it will yield forth
the nectar of immortality,

282
00:16:05,766 --> 00:16:07,532
and you can share it.

283
00:16:07,634 --> 00:16:10,935
YOUNG: The gods and the demons
start churning,

284
00:16:11,038 --> 00:16:13,138
in the heavens, the Milky Way,

285
00:16:13,240 --> 00:16:17,175
and what is produced
by this is an elixir,

286
00:16:17,277 --> 00:16:19,511
an elixir
that can grant immortality.

287
00:16:19,613 --> 00:16:22,247
Well, there was
a terrible war now,

288
00:16:22,349 --> 00:16:25,016
because everyone wanted this.

289
00:16:25,118 --> 00:16:28,019
CHILDRESS: In order to win
the battle for the gods,

290
00:16:28,121 --> 00:16:30,855
they decide they need
this amrita,

291
00:16:30,957 --> 00:16:32,891
this elixir of life.

292
00:16:32,993 --> 00:16:37,262
So you have to wonder if this
story isn't about some kind of

293
00:16:37,364 --> 00:16:39,731
extraterrestrial war in heaven,

294
00:16:39,833 --> 00:16:44,469
where aliens are fighting
over nootropics.

295
00:16:49,776 --> 00:16:52,177
NARRATOR: Could the story
of the Samudra Manthana

296
00:16:52,279 --> 00:16:55,513
be an ancient account
of a celestial battle

297
00:16:55,615 --> 00:16:57,482
over a highly advanced
nootropic?

298
00:16:59,119 --> 00:17:02,520
Ancient astronaut theorists
say yes,

299
00:17:02,622 --> 00:17:05,690
and point to legends
of immortality elixirs

300
00:17:05,792 --> 00:17:10,428
throughout antiquity.

301
00:17:10,530 --> 00:17:13,198
The ancients had many stories
of immortality--

302
00:17:13,300 --> 00:17:15,100
that it was touchable
or reachable.

303
00:17:16,570 --> 00:17:20,705
The Chinese had
the peaches of immortality.

304
00:17:20,807 --> 00:17:23,775
The Greeks had ambrosia.

305
00:17:23,877 --> 00:17:27,812
The Mesopotamians
had the idea of "soma."

306
00:17:27,881 --> 00:17:32,117
In the Biblical tradition,
there is the tree of life.

307
00:17:32,219 --> 00:17:36,354
There is something that you
can ingest and gain immortality.

308
00:17:38,058 --> 00:17:39,257
CHILDRESS:
This quest has been going on

309
00:17:39,359 --> 00:17:40,925
for thousands of years,

310
00:17:41,027 --> 00:17:44,629
around the world,
by many different cultures.

311
00:17:44,731 --> 00:17:48,032
This quest
for these smart drugs,

312
00:17:48,135 --> 00:17:52,036
that will enhance our lifestyle
and our mental clarity.

313
00:17:52,139 --> 00:17:54,038
So you have to wonder,

314
00:17:54,141 --> 00:17:57,842
was this nootropic drug

315
00:17:57,944 --> 00:18:00,945
some kind of
extraterrestrial elixir

316
00:18:01,047 --> 00:18:02,881
that was well-known
in ancient times?

317
00:18:07,421 --> 00:18:08,887
NARRATOR:
Could ancient accounts

318
00:18:08,989 --> 00:18:12,690
of elixirs of immortality
really be descriptions

319
00:18:12,793 --> 00:18:16,194
of extraterrestrial nootropics?

320
00:18:16,296 --> 00:18:18,830
And might it soon be possible

321
00:18:18,932 --> 00:18:21,466
to unlock
our full human potential

322
00:18:21,568 --> 00:18:24,335
simply with the
right potion or pill,

323
00:18:24,438 --> 00:18:27,472
perhaps fulfilling a destiny

324
00:18:27,574 --> 00:18:30,575
to become like
our alien ancestors?

325
00:18:30,677 --> 00:18:34,379
Ancient astronaut theorists
say yes,

326
00:18:34,481 --> 00:18:37,081
and suggest molecular chemistry

327
00:18:37,184 --> 00:18:40,318
is only the beginning
of the human upgrade.

328
00:18:46,993 --> 00:18:49,127
WILCOCK:
Nano-machines could actually

329
00:18:49,229 --> 00:18:50,728
heal the wounds in our bodies.

330
00:18:50,831 --> 00:18:54,833
STOCK: The possibility
of reversing human aging,

331
00:18:54,935 --> 00:18:56,935
is not a very big stretch.

332
00:19:02,926 --> 00:19:06,494
NARRATOR:
November 17, 2015.

333
00:19:09,532 --> 00:19:11,132
A team of researchers

334
00:19:11,201 --> 00:19:14,869
from North Carolina State
University, and Rice University,

335
00:19:14,938 --> 00:19:17,705
unveil the first motor-driven,

336
00:19:17,807 --> 00:19:20,108
submersible nanomachines
ever created.

337
00:19:23,646 --> 00:19:28,549
Molecular nano-technology
is the idea

338
00:19:28,651 --> 00:19:31,886
of building devices, machines,

339
00:19:31,988 --> 00:19:34,055
at a molecular scale.

340
00:19:34,124 --> 00:19:38,993
"Nano" refers to
a billionth of a meter,

341
00:19:39,095 --> 00:19:40,461
so, very, very small.

342
00:19:40,563 --> 00:19:42,463
We're getting down
to atomic scale.

343
00:19:45,201 --> 00:19:48,836
NARRATOR:
Measuring only 244 atoms across,

344
00:19:48,938 --> 00:19:51,606
these miniature robots
are designed

345
00:19:51,708 --> 00:19:53,274
to deliver specialized medicines

346
00:19:53,343 --> 00:19:56,210
throughout the body,
using the bloodstream.

347
00:19:56,279 --> 00:20:01,048
Scientists have created biobots
that are the first of its kind.

348
00:20:01,151 --> 00:20:04,352
These tiny little bio hybrids
and bots are capable

349
00:20:04,454 --> 00:20:07,321
of tying to viscous material
through our bodies.

350
00:20:07,423 --> 00:20:09,290
SCOTT: They take
submersible nanomachines

351
00:20:09,359 --> 00:20:11,058
that can be controlled
with UV light,

352
00:20:11,161 --> 00:20:14,061
and using the UV light,
they can control

353
00:20:14,097 --> 00:20:16,531
where these nanomachines
take nutrients

354
00:20:16,633 --> 00:20:19,000
and take medicines
into the body.

355
00:20:20,436 --> 00:20:21,669
WARWICK:
As long as we have a way

356
00:20:21,738 --> 00:20:24,038
of controlling them
from the outside,

357
00:20:24,107 --> 00:20:26,474
they can move around
very, very quickly,

358
00:20:26,543 --> 00:20:29,277
perform a function--
i-if we're looking

359
00:20:29,379 --> 00:20:31,179
at operating on a cancer,

360
00:20:31,281 --> 00:20:33,147
then, potentially, they could do

361
00:20:33,249 --> 00:20:35,783
that operation for you,
from within.

362
00:20:40,690 --> 00:20:44,225
WILCOCK: This could
lead to huge advances

363
00:20:44,327 --> 00:20:47,395
in medicine, in healing,

364
00:20:47,497 --> 00:20:50,998
leading to nanomachines
that could actually

365
00:20:51,100 --> 00:20:52,500
heal the wounds in our bodies,

366
00:20:52,602 --> 00:20:55,803
close things up much faster,

367
00:20:55,905 --> 00:20:59,140
repair damaged tissue,
extend our lifespan,

368
00:20:59,242 --> 00:21:04,545
and literally bring us into
a new level of human evolution.

369
00:21:08,418 --> 00:21:10,184
NARRATOR:
Transhumanists believe

370
00:21:10,253 --> 00:21:11,986
our bodies will soon be home

371
00:21:12,088 --> 00:21:15,022
to swarms of nanomachines,

372
00:21:15,124 --> 00:21:18,226
that will both heal,
and also warn of disease.

373
00:21:20,630 --> 00:21:22,029
And some propose

374
00:21:22,131 --> 00:21:25,333
this technology
is advancing so rapidly

375
00:21:25,401 --> 00:21:26,634
that it will not just be

376
00:21:26,703 --> 00:21:29,036
future generations
that will live tens

377
00:21:29,138 --> 00:21:31,973
or even hundreds
of years longer,

378
00:21:32,075 --> 00:21:35,042
but people who are alive today.

379
00:21:35,144 --> 00:21:39,747
STOCK: The possibility
of reversing human aging,

380
00:21:39,849 --> 00:21:42,650
as opposed to just
slowing it down,

381
00:21:42,752 --> 00:21:44,685
is not a very big stretch.

382
00:21:44,787 --> 00:21:49,390
So if you understand aging
and the fundamentals

383
00:21:49,492 --> 00:21:52,793
of the processes
that are leading to it,

384
00:21:52,896 --> 00:21:55,463
it would be quite possible,
both to slow it,

385
00:21:55,531 --> 00:21:59,066
and it would also be possible
to reverse it.

386
00:22:03,773 --> 00:22:05,640
SCOTT:
An example of this is a study

387
00:22:05,742 --> 00:22:06,974
that has gone on at Harvard,

388
00:22:07,076 --> 00:22:10,144
by reversing
the muscle tissue in mice.

389
00:22:12,248 --> 00:22:15,783
We have actually reversed
the age in these mice.

390
00:22:17,587 --> 00:22:18,686
And so, if we can do that

391
00:22:18,788 --> 00:22:21,422
in the laboratory setting,

392
00:22:21,524 --> 00:22:23,157
it's only a matter of time

393
00:22:23,226 --> 00:22:26,127
before we're able to reverse
our own aging process.

394
00:22:28,231 --> 00:22:30,498
NARRATOR: Could millions of
microscopic robots

395
00:22:30,600 --> 00:22:33,701
soon be swimming
in our bloodstreams,

396
00:22:33,803 --> 00:22:35,736
augmenting our immune system,

397
00:22:35,805 --> 00:22:39,240
and even reversing the aging
process entirely,

398
00:22:39,309 --> 00:22:41,242
as transhumanists believe?

399
00:22:43,146 --> 00:22:45,379
Ancient astronaut
theorists suggest

400
00:22:45,481 --> 00:22:48,749
that if such
a transformation does occur,

401
00:22:48,851 --> 00:22:51,185
it may be a sign
that we're evolving

402
00:22:51,287 --> 00:22:54,221
to become more
like our alien ancestors.

403
00:23:00,296 --> 00:23:03,798
As evidence, they point
to the Sumerian King List,

404
00:23:03,866 --> 00:23:06,133
a series of stone tablets

405
00:23:06,235 --> 00:23:09,670
that are believed to be
over 4,000 years old,

406
00:23:09,772 --> 00:23:11,372
and record the reigns

407
00:23:11,474 --> 00:23:13,507
of ancient Mesopotamian kings

408
00:23:13,576 --> 00:23:17,311
that ruled for upwards
of 43,000 years.

409
00:23:20,216 --> 00:23:21,449
HENRY:
The Sumerian Kings List

410
00:23:21,484 --> 00:23:24,552
was handed down
to humanity by the gods.

411
00:23:24,654 --> 00:23:27,421
What's extraordinary is that
the reigns of these kings

412
00:23:27,490 --> 00:23:29,690
last into the
thousands of years.

413
00:23:29,759 --> 00:23:31,525
These people weren't
making allegorical

414
00:23:31,627 --> 00:23:32,860
or metaphorical statements,

415
00:23:32,962 --> 00:23:35,363
these were accurate
historical records.

416
00:23:37,400 --> 00:23:38,666
CHILDRESS:
Ancient texts,

417
00:23:38,768 --> 00:23:41,402
including the Bible
and the Sumerian texts,

418
00:23:41,471 --> 00:23:43,471
talk about ancient kings

419
00:23:43,573 --> 00:23:47,608
and other people living
incredibly long life spans.

420
00:23:47,710 --> 00:23:52,747
Methuselah, who was supposedly
the father of Noah,

421
00:23:52,849 --> 00:23:55,649
was said to have lived
for 969 years.

422
00:23:58,554 --> 00:24:00,221
JASON MARTELL:
When we look into the past,

423
00:24:00,289 --> 00:24:02,223
there's a clear record
of people who have lived

424
00:24:02,291 --> 00:24:05,793
a much longer life span
than what we have today.

425
00:24:05,895 --> 00:24:07,995
We have to wonder if
these beings weren't given

426
00:24:08,097 --> 00:24:10,798
or had access to
some type of nanotechnology.

427
00:24:12,568 --> 00:24:14,101
And it fuels the idea
and understanding,

428
00:24:14,203 --> 00:24:17,471
and our drive today,
to be like the gods.

429
00:24:20,376 --> 00:24:22,810
CHILDRESS: And this
important nanotechnology

430
00:24:22,912 --> 00:24:25,846
is something that
extraterrestrials

431
00:24:25,915 --> 00:24:29,917
and other advanced civilizations
would already have.

432
00:24:31,654 --> 00:24:33,220
And it would only
make sense that,

433
00:24:33,289 --> 00:24:36,557
if extraterrestrials
are coming to our planet,

434
00:24:36,659 --> 00:24:39,827
they would have brought
this nanotechnology with them.

435
00:24:44,000 --> 00:24:45,599
NARRATOR:
Might our research

436
00:24:45,701 --> 00:24:49,804
into nanotechnology, nootropics
and genetic engineering

437
00:24:49,906 --> 00:24:53,707
ascend us to the level
of extraterrestrials

438
00:24:53,810 --> 00:24:57,011
that came to Earth
thousands of years ago,

439
00:24:57,080 --> 00:25:00,281
as ancient astronaut
theorists suggest?

440
00:25:02,718 --> 00:25:05,386
Perhaps further clues
can be found

441
00:25:05,455 --> 00:25:08,756
by examining the technology
that is being developed

442
00:25:08,825 --> 00:25:11,892
to upgrade not just our blood,

443
00:25:11,994 --> 00:25:14,962
but even our flesh.

444
00:25:18,434 --> 00:25:20,801
SCOTT: We can use the power of
our thoughts to control

445
00:25:20,903 --> 00:25:22,436
avatar robots.

446
00:25:23,906 --> 00:25:26,107
HENRY: The engineers at MIT
are looking back

447
00:25:26,175 --> 00:25:28,809
into the ancient examples
of the gods.

448
00:25:35,160 --> 00:25:36,993
NARRATOR:
New York City.

449
00:25:37,095 --> 00:25:41,164
May 4, 2015.

450
00:25:41,266 --> 00:25:44,500
At TechCrunch Disrupt New York,

451
00:25:44,602 --> 00:25:47,370
an annual new technologies
conference,

452
00:25:47,438 --> 00:25:49,939
U.S. biotech startup BioBots

453
00:25:50,008 --> 00:25:54,076
launches a desktop 3D printer
for biomaterials...

454
00:25:55,980 --> 00:25:59,448
...which they use to print
a replica of Van Gogh's ear.

455
00:26:01,352 --> 00:26:03,586
Instead of plastic,

456
00:26:03,688 --> 00:26:06,322
special ink is combined
with biomaterials--

457
00:26:06,424 --> 00:26:09,292
like collagen
and cultured cells--

458
00:26:09,360 --> 00:26:12,795
to build living tissue
and human organs.

459
00:26:16,634 --> 00:26:18,901
So, right now,
we're just at the beginning

460
00:26:18,970 --> 00:26:21,137
of understanding
how to 3D-print organs.

461
00:26:23,441 --> 00:26:25,208
It's a process called
"biofabrication."

462
00:26:25,310 --> 00:26:29,212
So BioBots has created
a biofabrication 3D printer

463
00:26:29,314 --> 00:26:33,049
that can print artificial tissue
and small organs.

464
00:26:34,352 --> 00:26:36,452
In the future,
what we're going to see

465
00:26:36,521 --> 00:26:38,120
are 3D printers that are

466
00:26:38,223 --> 00:26:41,524
bio-fabricating our bodies
and our organs.

467
00:26:44,295 --> 00:26:46,896
WILCOCK:
You could eventually have

468
00:26:46,965 --> 00:26:49,165
printable noses, lungs,

469
00:26:49,234 --> 00:26:52,335
ears, kidneys...

470
00:26:52,437 --> 00:26:55,071
and, in certain ways,

471
00:26:55,139 --> 00:26:57,173
this technology is so extreme

472
00:26:57,242 --> 00:26:59,141
that it could make it
democratic.

473
00:26:59,244 --> 00:27:01,010
It could make it inexpensive.

474
00:27:01,112 --> 00:27:05,147
So in the hands of skilled,
trained medical professionals,

475
00:27:05,250 --> 00:27:06,849
it could be possible
in the future

476
00:27:06,951 --> 00:27:10,586
to 3D print organs for people

477
00:27:10,688 --> 00:27:13,055
out of their own
genetic material.

478
00:27:19,063 --> 00:27:20,930
NARRATOR:
Transhumanists believe

479
00:27:21,032 --> 00:27:24,500
we may soon transcend
our biological limitations,

480
00:27:24,602 --> 00:27:28,871
as we embed machines
directly into our own bodies.

481
00:27:31,109 --> 00:27:34,910
DARPA, the agency of
the U.S. Department of Defense

482
00:27:35,013 --> 00:27:37,980
responsible for the development
of emerging technologies

483
00:27:38,049 --> 00:27:40,049
for use by the military...

484
00:27:40,151 --> 00:27:44,920
is currently designing neural
implants that will improve

485
00:27:45,023 --> 00:27:49,558
cognitive speed and
memory retention in soldiers.

486
00:27:49,661 --> 00:27:52,028
And in 2014,

487
00:27:52,130 --> 00:27:56,332
scientists at Seoul National
University in South Korea

488
00:27:56,401 --> 00:28:00,102
unveiled research on
synthetic "smart skin"--

489
00:28:00,204 --> 00:28:02,972
lifelike ultra-thin
crystalline silicon

490
00:28:03,041 --> 00:28:06,075
designed to cover
prosthetic limbs,

491
00:28:06,177 --> 00:28:09,745
giving the user all of the
sensations of a natural limb.

492
00:28:12,917 --> 00:28:16,185
They have now developed a-a skin

493
00:28:16,287 --> 00:28:19,455
which has touch senses
embedded in it

494
00:28:19,557 --> 00:28:21,657
with a very fine matrix,

495
00:28:21,759 --> 00:28:25,895
which can be put
around a prosthetic.

496
00:28:25,997 --> 00:28:29,165
So you can actually feel

497
00:28:29,267 --> 00:28:30,533
what that arm is feeling

498
00:28:30,635 --> 00:28:32,335
or you can touch the floor,

499
00:28:32,403 --> 00:28:36,539
feel whether it's hot or cold,
or applying pressure.

500
00:28:36,641 --> 00:28:37,940
SCOTT:
Future artificial limbs

501
00:28:38,042 --> 00:28:39,875
will look just like our skin,

502
00:28:39,944 --> 00:28:41,577
look just like our hands
and our legs.

503
00:28:41,679 --> 00:28:43,512
It's going to affect
the entire world.

504
00:28:43,614 --> 00:28:44,947
We're going to see people

505
00:28:45,016 --> 00:28:47,249
using smart prosthetics

506
00:28:47,352 --> 00:28:48,951
that are added to the body,

507
00:28:49,020 --> 00:28:52,688
that can be controlled
directly through the brain.

508
00:28:52,757 --> 00:28:56,859
And that really is
the future of prosthetics.

509
00:28:56,928 --> 00:29:00,363
WARWICK:
I can speak from experience,

510
00:29:00,465 --> 00:29:02,098
because I've had one myself--

511
00:29:02,200 --> 00:29:05,701
our implants that link
either into the brain

512
00:29:05,803 --> 00:29:08,371
or into the human
nervous system--

513
00:29:08,473 --> 00:29:10,473
and what I had was

514
00:29:10,575 --> 00:29:14,443
100 small electrodes...

515
00:29:14,545 --> 00:29:16,645
fired into my nervous system

516
00:29:16,748 --> 00:29:19,582
to link my nervous system
with a computer.

517
00:29:19,650 --> 00:29:23,386
It was a bit like plugging
a plug into an electric socket,

518
00:29:23,454 --> 00:29:26,489
but the socket was
my nervous system.

519
00:29:26,557 --> 00:29:29,325
I went to Columbia University
in New York,

520
00:29:29,427 --> 00:29:32,061
we plugged my nervous system
into the Internet,

521
00:29:32,163 --> 00:29:36,365
and I controlled a robot hand
from my brain signals.

522
00:29:36,467 --> 00:29:38,467
You can extend
your nervous system

523
00:29:38,569 --> 00:29:40,436
by simply plugging into it.

524
00:29:43,107 --> 00:29:45,608
SCOTT: If we can use
just the power of our thought

525
00:29:45,710 --> 00:29:49,278
to control artificial limbs...

526
00:29:49,380 --> 00:29:51,180
we can eventually, one day,

527
00:29:51,282 --> 00:29:55,284
use the power of our thoughts
to control avatar robots.

528
00:29:55,353 --> 00:29:58,320
(whirring)

529
00:29:58,423 --> 00:30:01,023
I think we're going to see
that kind of technology

530
00:30:01,092 --> 00:30:03,492
used to control avatars
on the Moon;

531
00:30:03,594 --> 00:30:06,028
we're going to see that kind of
technology to control

532
00:30:06,097 --> 00:30:08,464
robotic humanoid avatars
on Mars.

533
00:30:13,171 --> 00:30:16,005
NARRATOR: Could we one day
venture into the cosmos,

534
00:30:16,073 --> 00:30:18,040
not with our bodies,

535
00:30:18,142 --> 00:30:22,545
but by wirelessly controlling
robotic avatars?

536
00:30:22,613 --> 00:30:27,082
And is it possible
that extraterrestrials

537
00:30:27,185 --> 00:30:29,318
have utilized
these same technologies

538
00:30:29,420 --> 00:30:32,221
to explore Earth
in the distant past?

539
00:30:35,159 --> 00:30:38,227
Ancient astronaut
theorists say yes,

540
00:30:38,329 --> 00:30:42,298
and point to technologies
currently in development at MIT

541
00:30:42,400 --> 00:30:45,468
that strongly resemble
those in ancient accounts

542
00:30:45,536 --> 00:30:48,504
of gods who descended
from the sky.

543
00:30:51,075 --> 00:30:53,776
At the Massachusetts Institute
of Technology's

544
00:30:53,878 --> 00:30:56,212
Institute for
Soldier Nanotechnologies,

545
00:30:56,314 --> 00:31:00,115
they are developing a new
smart skin for our soldiers

546
00:31:00,218 --> 00:31:03,252
that would make them resistant
to ballistic attack

547
00:31:03,354 --> 00:31:06,889
or chemical attack and also
would instantly self-repair.

548
00:31:08,426 --> 00:31:10,526
This is absolutely
extraordinary,

549
00:31:10,595 --> 00:31:13,262
because in the ancient texts,
we learn of the gods

550
00:31:13,331 --> 00:31:16,532
who wore a similar skin that
seemed to make them impervious

551
00:31:16,601 --> 00:31:18,501
to any kind of human weaponry.

552
00:31:18,603 --> 00:31:20,703
They couldn't die.

553
00:31:23,140 --> 00:31:24,573
Now when I hear stories

554
00:31:24,675 --> 00:31:27,743
of semi-divine beings,
such as Hercules,

555
00:31:27,845 --> 00:31:32,615
with his impenetrable lion skin,

556
00:31:32,683 --> 00:31:35,217
or in the Sanskrit Mahabharata,

557
00:31:35,319 --> 00:31:39,455
the story of Karna
and his impenetrable armor,

558
00:31:39,557 --> 00:31:41,357
I have to ask the question

559
00:31:41,425 --> 00:31:44,860
whether or not these were all
misunderstood technologies.

560
00:31:48,699 --> 00:31:51,100
NARRATOR:
Could the self-repairing skin

561
00:31:51,135 --> 00:31:53,235
being developed at MIT

562
00:31:53,304 --> 00:31:54,703
be the same technology

563
00:31:54,772 --> 00:31:57,273
our ancestors wrote about

564
00:31:57,375 --> 00:32:00,476
when they described divine
beings that were invincible?

565
00:32:02,313 --> 00:32:05,247
And are we on the verge
of this incredible biological

566
00:32:05,316 --> 00:32:08,651
and evolutionary leap
ourselves?

567
00:32:08,753 --> 00:32:11,520
Some believe
that mankind's next step

568
00:32:11,589 --> 00:32:14,290
is not in augmenting
our bodies with machines,

569
00:32:14,392 --> 00:32:18,227
but in becoming
the machines ourselves.

570
00:32:21,032 --> 00:32:22,631
HEATHER BERLIN:
We can download every connection

571
00:32:22,733 --> 00:32:26,302
that we have in our brain
onto a computer.

572
00:32:26,404 --> 00:32:29,038
STOCK: These are the kinds
of powers that would have been

573
00:32:29,140 --> 00:32:31,407
viewed as god-like
at one previous time.

574
00:32:36,989 --> 00:32:39,189
NARRATOR:
Geneva, Switzerland.

575
00:32:39,258 --> 00:32:43,227
2013.

576
00:32:43,329 --> 00:32:47,598
Henry Markram founds
the Human Brain Project--

577
00:32:47,700 --> 00:32:51,168
a ten-year scientific venture
funded by the EU,

578
00:32:51,237 --> 00:32:54,271
involving hundreds
of researchers

579
00:32:54,340 --> 00:32:58,775
from 135 institutions
in 26 countries.

580
00:32:58,878 --> 00:33:02,913
The goal of this project is to
create a fully simulated model

581
00:33:02,982 --> 00:33:07,217
of the human brain
inside a computer.

582
00:33:08,787 --> 00:33:11,522
A lot of people are really
excited about the idea of:

583
00:33:11,590 --> 00:33:13,657
if we could
map out the structure

584
00:33:13,759 --> 00:33:15,159
of the human brain,

585
00:33:15,227 --> 00:33:17,494
neuron for neuron,
and every connection,

586
00:33:17,596 --> 00:33:19,796
then we can download
every connection

587
00:33:19,865 --> 00:33:21,331
that we have in our brain,

588
00:33:21,433 --> 00:33:24,868
all that information,
onto a computer.

589
00:33:28,240 --> 00:33:31,008
NARRATOR:
The Human Brain Project is only

590
00:33:31,110 --> 00:33:33,710
one of a number
of brain-mapping ventures.

591
00:33:33,779 --> 00:33:36,947
The next great American project,
and that's what we're calling

592
00:33:37,016 --> 00:33:38,549
the BRAIN Initiative.

593
00:33:38,651 --> 00:33:42,219
NARRATOR:
In 2013, President Barack Obama

594
00:33:42,321 --> 00:33:45,189
unveiled a $4.5 billion project

595
00:33:45,291 --> 00:33:47,691
called the BRAIN Initiative.

596
00:33:50,229 --> 00:33:52,162
And Microsoft co-founder
Paul Allen

597
00:33:52,231 --> 00:33:55,599
has invested
over $500 million

598
00:33:55,668 --> 00:33:59,403
in the Allen Institute
for Brain Science.

599
00:33:59,505 --> 00:34:01,805
Futurists speculate that if

600
00:34:01,907 --> 00:34:03,640
these initiatives are
successful,

601
00:34:03,742 --> 00:34:06,677
the implications
could be profound.

602
00:34:12,051 --> 00:34:13,884
SCOTT:
Imagine having every piece

603
00:34:13,953 --> 00:34:16,587
of knowledge that every human
has ever collected.

604
00:34:18,958 --> 00:34:20,724
And if you crunch that down

605
00:34:20,759 --> 00:34:23,360
into a digital consciousness...

606
00:34:23,462 --> 00:34:26,630
that's going
to unlock everything.

607
00:34:32,938 --> 00:34:34,705
We can know things
about the world

608
00:34:34,807 --> 00:34:36,473
and about life

609
00:34:36,575 --> 00:34:39,977
that no individuals have
ever previously known,

610
00:34:40,079 --> 00:34:44,648
because they're all
from the aggregation

611
00:34:44,750 --> 00:34:47,818
of all of human knowledge
that's going together.

612
00:34:47,853 --> 00:34:50,387
So these are the kinds of powers
that would have been

613
00:34:50,489 --> 00:34:54,057
viewed as god-like
in previous eras.

614
00:34:59,164 --> 00:35:00,530
NARRATOR:
Could we be on the verge

615
00:35:00,633 --> 00:35:03,600
of creating
a superhuman intelligence,

616
00:35:03,669 --> 00:35:06,670
able to outperform
a human at any task?

617
00:35:08,107 --> 00:35:09,873
And if so,

618
00:35:09,975 --> 00:35:13,477
are we at risk of being replaced
by machines entirely?

619
00:35:15,881 --> 00:35:17,581
Transhumanists believe

620
00:35:17,650 --> 00:35:20,784
what lies ahead
could actually be a merging

621
00:35:20,886 --> 00:35:23,353
of man and machine.

622
00:35:28,560 --> 00:35:31,962
WARWICK: If we can map
the human brain into technology,

623
00:35:32,064 --> 00:35:34,898
then I could take your brain

624
00:35:35,000 --> 00:35:37,734
or somebody else's brain

625
00:35:37,836 --> 00:35:41,505
and copy it into a computer.

626
00:35:41,607 --> 00:35:45,976
A technological one that could
potentially live forever.

627
00:35:49,081 --> 00:35:51,815
WILCOCK: What happens
if we gain the ability

628
00:35:51,917 --> 00:35:55,319
to upload our consciousness
into some sort

629
00:35:55,421 --> 00:35:59,089
of cloud virtual Internet
technology?

630
00:36:00,893 --> 00:36:05,796
It's not that far from the
spectrum of a realizable goal,

631
00:36:05,898 --> 00:36:09,733
because we're already seeing
neurological implants

632
00:36:09,802 --> 00:36:12,736
that can be put into the brain,
that can be used

633
00:36:12,805 --> 00:36:15,706
to control the movement
of an artificial arm.

634
00:36:17,776 --> 00:36:20,077
What happens
if those neural implants

635
00:36:20,145 --> 00:36:21,978
can actually take
the true essence

636
00:36:22,081 --> 00:36:24,548
of what it means
to be conscious,

637
00:36:24,616 --> 00:36:27,517
and break that down into
some sort of pure information

638
00:36:27,619 --> 00:36:31,421
that could live apart
from a biological substrate?

639
00:36:32,991 --> 00:36:35,792
It could make itself
far more massive,

640
00:36:35,894 --> 00:36:37,160
far more intelligent,

641
00:36:37,262 --> 00:36:40,430
than any human
ever had been before.

642
00:36:45,437 --> 00:36:47,070
NARRATOR:
Could extraterrestrials have

643
00:36:47,172 --> 00:36:50,107
steered our evolution
towards technology,

644
00:36:50,175 --> 00:36:54,811
so that we may merge man
directly with machine,

645
00:36:54,880 --> 00:36:57,781
eliminating
our biological restraints?

646
00:36:59,351 --> 00:37:02,886
And if so, might our futures
lie entirely

647
00:37:02,988 --> 00:37:07,624
in a digital realm of silicon
and bits of code?

648
00:37:07,693 --> 00:37:10,894
Many believe the answer lies
not in what we are becoming,

649
00:37:10,963 --> 00:37:14,030
but where we are going.

650
00:37:14,133 --> 00:37:18,969
CHILDRESS: It won't be long
before mankind has reached

651
00:37:19,071 --> 00:37:21,772
the point where we have

652
00:37:21,874 --> 00:37:24,107
the technology
and the artificial intelligence

653
00:37:24,209 --> 00:37:25,976
to leave our planet

654
00:37:26,078 --> 00:37:29,880
and go into space, just like
extraterrestrials before us.

655
00:37:32,117 --> 00:37:35,085
So you've got to wonder:
are extraterrestrials

656
00:37:35,154 --> 00:37:37,988
somehow guiding us
and manipulating us

657
00:37:38,056 --> 00:37:40,490
into this new future,

658
00:37:40,592 --> 00:37:44,227
and this new human,
that we are destined to be?

659
00:37:47,833 --> 00:37:50,867
NARRATOR: Is it possible that
extraterrestrials have led us

660
00:37:50,969 --> 00:37:53,437
to a post-biological future,

661
00:37:53,505 --> 00:37:57,240
so that we can rejoin them
in the cosmos?

662
00:37:57,309 --> 00:38:01,611
And if so, might they have
used these same technologies

663
00:38:01,680 --> 00:38:04,581
to visit Earth
in the distant past?

664
00:38:08,053 --> 00:38:11,221
Ancient astronaut theorists
say yes,

665
00:38:11,323 --> 00:38:13,023
and look to NASA's
own attempts

666
00:38:13,125 --> 00:38:15,025
at re-engineering man

667
00:38:15,127 --> 00:38:17,594
for space.

668
00:38:23,494 --> 00:38:26,462
NARRATOR:
New York City, 1961.

669
00:38:28,532 --> 00:38:31,567
Psychopharmacologist
Nathan S. Kline

670
00:38:31,635 --> 00:38:34,870
and cybernetic mathematician
Manfred Clynes

671
00:38:34,972 --> 00:38:37,973
co-publish a paper
about human space travel

672
00:38:38,075 --> 00:38:42,077
entitled "Drugs, Space,
and Cybernetics."

673
00:38:44,181 --> 00:38:46,915
The two coin
the term "cyborg"--

674
00:38:46,984 --> 00:38:49,785
an enhanced human being
specifically doctored

675
00:38:49,887 --> 00:38:51,987
to survive in extraterrestrial
environments

676
00:38:52,089 --> 00:38:54,156
without a space suit.

677
00:38:56,560 --> 00:38:59,561
In their paper,
they detailed various ways

678
00:38:59,663 --> 00:39:02,698
in which to modify
the human body for survival

679
00:39:02,800 --> 00:39:06,435
beyond Earth, and later
served as the inspiration

680
00:39:06,537 --> 00:39:10,572
for NASA's study
"Engineering Man for Space."

681
00:39:13,644 --> 00:39:17,012
TSOUKALOS: Our bodies are
not suited for living in space.

682
00:39:17,114 --> 00:39:21,383
After only a few days, we
experience muscle and bone loss.

683
00:39:21,452 --> 00:39:24,887
One has to wonder
if extraterrestrials

684
00:39:24,989 --> 00:39:27,523
experience the same type
of problems.

685
00:39:29,026 --> 00:39:32,194
I do think that any beings
that are able

686
00:39:32,263 --> 00:39:36,698
to cross the cosmos
and visit this planet

687
00:39:36,800 --> 00:39:41,069
will have learned how
to self-direct their evolution,

688
00:39:41,172 --> 00:39:43,438
to survive in deep space

689
00:39:43,541 --> 00:39:45,541
for extraordinarily
long periods of time.

690
00:39:45,643 --> 00:39:48,477
Those beings,
more than likely,

691
00:39:48,579 --> 00:39:50,245
will be, at least,
bio-digital,

692
00:39:50,347 --> 00:39:52,981
meaning that they have merged
with their technologies.

693
00:39:53,083 --> 00:39:55,651
Or they will be
pure digital beings.

694
00:39:55,753 --> 00:39:59,388
These may be robots
or cyborgs.

695
00:40:06,230 --> 00:40:08,630
NARRATOR: Could
extraterrestrials have used

696
00:40:08,732 --> 00:40:13,235
the same cyborg technologies
we are just now developing?

697
00:40:14,738 --> 00:40:17,973
If so, might our push
towards transhumanism

698
00:40:18,075 --> 00:40:21,543
really be inspired
by an innate desire

699
00:40:21,645 --> 00:40:24,580
to travel further into space...

700
00:40:24,682 --> 00:40:26,915
and seek out our creators?

701
00:40:30,821 --> 00:40:33,755
There has been
a consistent path towards

702
00:40:33,857 --> 00:40:36,158
the fusion of human and machine

703
00:40:36,260 --> 00:40:38,060
throughout all of our history--

704
00:40:38,162 --> 00:40:40,896
this idea that we could
somehow advance ourselves

705
00:40:40,965 --> 00:40:43,031
for the betterment
of humankind

706
00:40:43,133 --> 00:40:44,733
through this merger

707
00:40:44,835 --> 00:40:48,470
of technology and biology.

708
00:40:48,572 --> 00:40:50,239
CHILDRESS:
I think that what will happen

709
00:40:50,341 --> 00:40:54,142
is that our biological bodies

710
00:40:54,211 --> 00:40:56,245
will be able to be perfected,

711
00:40:56,347 --> 00:40:59,214
any imperfections corrected.

712
00:40:59,316 --> 00:41:02,084
Our mental abilities
and lifespan

713
00:41:02,186 --> 00:41:04,620
will be enhanced considerably.

714
00:41:04,722 --> 00:41:08,323
And we will be ready, ourselves,
to go into space

715
00:41:08,425 --> 00:41:12,427
and ultimately join
our creators in the stars.

716
00:41:17,234 --> 00:41:20,135
NARRATOR: Is it possible
extraterrestrials left us

717
00:41:20,237 --> 00:41:22,170
with the tools
to mold ourselves

718
00:41:22,273 --> 00:41:24,973
into a truly
transhuman species...

719
00:41:27,211 --> 00:41:28,810
...one without any limits,

720
00:41:28,912 --> 00:41:32,748
capable of traveling
the stars at will?

721
00:41:32,850 --> 00:41:36,685
Or could nanomachines,
artificial intelligence,

722
00:41:36,787 --> 00:41:41,390
and the digital revolution
render humans obsolete?

723
00:41:41,492 --> 00:41:45,294
Our lives and the very nature
of our existence

724
00:41:45,396 --> 00:41:48,964
may balance on this choice,

725
00:41:49,066 --> 00:41:53,402
a choice that is coming
much sooner than we think.

726
00:41:53,504 --> 00:41:56,505
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727
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