What if humans evolved to consume abundant nuclear energy instead of food?
What happens if humans suddenly evolved into beings that harness energy consumption capabilities beyond our imagination. In this article, we discuss a theoretical and futuristic scenario in which humans consumed abundant nuclear energy instead of food.
Consequence of scarce energy on Earth...
Our planet only receives a limited amount of sunlight, which is insignificant compared to the near infinite energy resources available in outer space. Earth receiving a maximum sunlight of 12 hours has profoundly shaped how living beings evolved. In contrast, there is a near infinite availability of hydrogen, the element that fuels the stars and lights up the night sky.
Life has also adapted accordingly to take advantage of the available resource. For example, plants adapted photosynthesis, a method of utilising chemistry to convert rearrange carbon dioxide and water to form consumable energy molecule glucose. At night, these molecules are used to perform respiration.
Animals have also evolved their own way. Although animals can't produce their own food, they consume food created by plants. This allows them to indirectly take advantage of the energy from the sun.
Although everything worked out well for the species on Earth. An abundance of energy would have shaped the species on Earth very differently. For example, a reason life on Earth have rigid structures such as bones is to conserve energy while allowing movement. If there was a process that increased the available energy in the body, there could be a species that directly evolved to be gel-like and human sized while moving like bacteria.
Humans are also shaped by energy. One differentiating factor of humans and other beings is their sophisticated cognitive ability. This can be traced back to the invention of fire and cooking. By cooking raw meat, more nutrients were unlocked. This was essential for cognitive growth and intelligence. If just by cooking, humans adapted this level of growth, imagine what would happen if humans could harness limitless energy as found in stars.
What if humans evolved to consume abundant nuclear energy instead of food in the near future?
- Humans no longer need food for their energy needs, as they can directly synthesis matter out of nuclear energy
- Consuming and eating food would only be for fun, or to remember our origins. We would be capable of processing enormous nuclear energy for our body's cellular functions. We could harness nanotechnology to create body cells and replace chemistry based cells. These new cells would use more robust and new elements to survive the vastness of space (discussed later).
- A surge in intelligence
- As energy is unlimited, a new type of nervous system would be created. This brain would be powered by nanotechnology and be capable of light speed connectivity between cells (as found in fibre optics). Our current cells are powered by chemicals and action potentials, which is much slower than the speeds of fibre optics and hence, limits our intelligence.
- Technological singularity achieved
- With near unlimited intelligence, we would be capable of processing massive amounts of information and running infinite dimensions of physics simulations with ease. This is as easy as calculating what 2 +2 is in our head. With such capability, we would be able to compute every physics scenario in our physical universe and be able to understand and create nearly anything, and achieving a potential technological singularity.
- Humans are a more adapted species for outer space, and beyond
- It is no surprise that humans are physiologically adapted to be Earth bound beings. Our bones weaken in zero gravity environments, and we need to be locked in a suitable atmosphere inside a metallic tin can. However, if we were to become beings beyond Earth, our bodies need to be adapted for any type of environment that space presents us, whether the emptiness of space or the dense gravity of Jupiter, our body would have to handle it all.
Conclusion
In conclusion, unlocking vast amounts of energy and correctly harnessing it would turn us into god-like beings. My question is, what if another species has already achieved something like this....
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