Lateline · ABC NewsTranshuman: Part 1Broadcast Thursday, 23 February 2017 · Reporter: Margot O'Neill← Full Lateline episode — Thursday, 23 February 2017Watch LatelineVideo of this Lateline story, as originally broadcast.PETER XING, TRANSHUMANISM, AUSTRALIA: We have always been growing up to say: you were born, you live, you have a family and then you pass away and leave it to the next generation.I think what transhumanism is doing is challenging that narrative. Transhumanism to a primary school student would be essentially saying, well let's give everyone superpowers, so like Superman, or Wolverine, that's the sort of thing that we can do that with science and technology. We are talking about the enhancement of the human condition using science and technology, so that could be currently what we're doing with our smart phones but actually building it in, within our human biology. There are three key components to transhumanism: there's super longevity which is looking to live long enough and to live forever potentially. There's super intelligence which is not just limited by the human brain, but trying to integrating us with artificial intelligence. And there is super well-being - all the values that we currently possess, how do we actually enhance those to be funnier, more loving to our families and to actually just enjoy our existence in this universe.What if it was tomorrow that you had to die and if there was something to stop it - what could you do? Would you actually go forward and try to prevent that?And most people would say they would, but somehow when it comes to around the average age of 80 that we currently conceive of: people start thinking, well maybe that is the rightful age to die. What science is doing is actually extending that concept throughout the years and people may say it is inherently selfish concept to try and live forever, but I think it's all about what can you do as a human ambition, whether it's to make your family happier, to be there to see your great-grandchildren, to actually accomplish your passions, not seeing your loved ones pass away? I think that is something worth fighting for.MEOW-LUDO MEOW-MEOW, TRANSHUMANIST & BIOHACKER: Currently I am 31, and I think with technology going in the exponential way it is going, I have a very good chance of living forever. I would be considered a grinder. I have a microchip in my thumb that allows me to communicate with my phone. This allows me to interact with technology in all sorts of different ways, such as activate and authenticate myself when dealing with machines. I imagine it at some point in the future everyone would have some level of augmentation. We think maybe it's strange I have a microchip in my hand, but do we think it is strange if somebody has a pacemaker, an IUD, a hip replacement. We have grinders around the world, doing all sorts of different things, putting a magnet underneath your finger to be able to feel magnetic fields. RICH LEE: These nerves grow around this magnet, and when its heels up, and then you wave your hand in front of an electronic device, or an electromagnetic field and the magnet twitches in response. You can feel it, because all of those nerves are growing around it, and it almost has a texture so now you are feeling magnetic fields. MEOW-LUDO MEOW-MEOW: There are other things, like augmenting our eyes to be able to see more parts of the spectrum. So maybe you can see certain polarisations of light, or into the ultra violet or infrared spectra.Traditionally, up until now, we have been modifying the environment to suit ourselves. Now, with technology, we are actually going to start modifying our bodies to suit the environment, so this'll be important when we do things like travel to Mars, we might make ourselves more radiation tolerant. PETER XING: What I think will keep us competitive is merging with technology, so rather than being put out of a job, what can we do to enhance our current capabilities, so say someone working in construction, can they augment their limbs to make themselves stronger? Rich Lee has been heavily augmenting himself and as a result of that has had his children taken away, so the first cyborg court case is going on. RICH LEE: Being able to hear through the walls was cool, being able to hear footsteps coming up behind me from yards away, that was kinda cool. MEOW-LUDO MEOW-MEOW: His wife took him to court and said he was mutilating his body and until the court case is decided as to whether it is enhancement or mutilation, he does not have full time access to his kids. PETER XING: There are also breakthroughs around 'CRISPR' technologies which is actually editing at the genetic level and it's all about understanding what our current human code is saying. How do we hack ourselves and how do we actually understand what we are biologically, and in the last couple of years we have seen scientists conduct research which extended the life of mice by say 30-40%. People are hacking themselves all over the world, such as Liz Parrish who is actually doing CRISPR editing on herself and she is actually seeing the results. MEOW-LUDO MEOW-MEOW: Elizabeth Parrish took a gene treatment and went to Colombia and administered it to herself, she may increase her lifespan by 24%. PETER XING: There is an lot of regulation out there that is currently slowing the innovation cycle, but I think with some of these, a right balance between the high regulatory environment and access to the ability to do the experiments - gets you a clinical trial faster. Topics:science and technology