Future Of The Human Race Entirely New Concept Of Life Advanced

Press, Volume C, Issue 29680, 25 November 1961, Page 8

Future Of The Human Race Entirely New Concept Of Life Advanced

[Specially Written for -The Preu” by COLIN S. L. K£AY, Phyetce Deportment Dnivenity of Canterbury] The erosion of human freedom has been one of the most marked characteristics of twentieth century social development. Each decade sees further restrictions hampering the freedom of action of the individual, leading, the pessimists tell us, to the state of affairs portrayed most brilliantly by George Orwell in “1954.” Clearly the future of humanity is dependent on social and political factors rather than the slow emergence of any physical evolutionary changes. The “super-being," so beloved of science fiction writers, is still nowhere in sight; although it is probable that human beings will develop their mental powers rather extensively during the next few centuries.

In the light of these remarks it would seem that our future cultural and intellectual progress is in danger of being thwarted by the world-wide trend toward conformity and loss of individuality. This trend, alas, cannot fail to gain strength in a world of conflicting ideologies spurred by the pressures of over-population and with the spectre of nuclear annihilation looming in the background. The optimists, on the other hand, see the future in a much more hopeful light. It is most refreshing to read "Social and Political Implications of the Ultimate Human Society” by D M. Cole, a scientist studying these problems for the American General Electric Company. Cole introduces an entirely new concept of life which is full of promise for mankind: ■'Macro-life,” a perpetuating, self-contained colony of several tens of thousands of human beings functioning as a closely knit team in order to survive. Macro-life will bear

the same relation to man as does man to the cells of his body. It will be a new life form of a gigantic size having for its cells individual human beings, plants, animals and machines. Next Major Step In Evolution The cells of a human body, when placed in a suitable nutrient medium, will live and reproduce • indefinitely because they are themselves living organisms. Each different type of cell has a certain capability: a vast organisation of myriad types of cell goes to make a human being whose level of existence is far above that of a single cell. Similarly, Macrolife will be essentially a new form of life as far advanced over human life as man is advanced beyond the single cell. It will be a new level in the organisation of living matter, according to Cole, and represents the next major step in evolution.

The first steps leading towards Macro-life will be the establishment of self-sustain-ing colonies on the moon and planets. The first of these colonies will be established within the next 20 years and will follow intensive research on closed ecological systems here on earth. Until recently the availability of the necessary rocket power has been in doubt, but the “moon race” seems to be answering that question. Extra-terrestrial Colonies With the settlement of ex- ' tra-terrestrial colonies sue- < cessfully demonstrated the ' logical next step will be to 1 establish colonies in space i itself, in units which have 1 been referred to as Macro- i life. The natural .habitat of i Macro-life will be the vast ' reaches of interplanetary i space in the region of the < asteroid or minor planet zone. ' Within this region conditions 1 are favourable for Macro-life

to live and multiply; the planetary fragments abounding in this zone will provide all the necessary raw materials in an accessible form. An advanced form of Macro-life is shown in the two illustrations. Outwardly each Macro-life entity would resemble a tiny asteroid about 20 miles long and 10 miles across. Inwardly it would be a complete world turned inside out. the hollow interior providing a living for 50,000 to 100,000 human beings in an almost Garden of Eden setting. A slow rotation of the inside out world would provide an artificial gravity about one-fifth as powerful as that of the earth, and the thick outer shell of bonded rock would provide protection from the hazards of meteors and cosmic rays. Solar and fusion power plants would provide light, heat (surprisingly little would be needed) and power for automated factories. In all other respects the world would be self-contained. * Multiplication Of Human Cells As the human ceils of Macro-life multiply, many of them would be busily engaged in the construction of another Macro-life unit, using materials mined from asteroidal bodies. The excess population of the parent world would give life to the new unit which would then split away from its parent and take up it* own independent existence. Macro-Life would ensure the survival of the human species well into the future, overcoming the restricted boundaries and limited potential of the mother planet. Earth. Cole maintains (and it .is impossible to disagree

with him) that if the mere struggle to keep its head above water at the moment is all that the human race can manage, then it will have slim chance for survival. The Macro-Life concept offers hope for mankind. It is realistic and at the present rate of expansion of human knowledge it is becoming more feasible every day. True, there would be considerable loss in freedom entailed if humans become cells in the closely controlled organisation of a Macro-Life society, but this would be offset by a tremendous sense of purpose and feeling of participation—two sentiments which are sadly lacking in the world today. It is possible to have such feelings in an intimate Macro-Life society of fewer than 100.000 people whereas they become stifled amid the teeming millions on earth. To many folk the concept of Macro-Life will have no appeal. They will prefer to work out their destiny here on this planet. Others will prefer to “wait and see.” In this connexion it is interesting to note that some evidence exists W’hich suggests that Macro-Life may have been tried before. Moons Of Mars Are Hollow The Soviet space scientist, Leonid Sedov, when he visited New Zealand two years ago, declared that the two tiny moons of Mars are hollow and are no more than 10,000.000 years old. These conclusions follow from recent highly accurate observations of their motion. Hollow moons do not occur naturally—whether or not they were constructed by an ancient Martian civilisation must remain a mystery until we can explore them. If, perchance, they are dead or leftover Macro-Life skeletons, their value to humanity will be priceless. It is fully realised that the

foregoing discussion is highly speculative. Even so, the idea of Macro-Life is a challenging one which cannot be lightly dismissed. It might even be true to say there is no previous scientific and social concept which holds as much promise for the future development of the human race. [Concluded]