But is there a way to logically design what the next logical step would be for our hands? — TiredThinker
Extendable wrists would be good. — Vera Mont
At least the women could slap them from a distance! Would it change the rules of boxing — universeness
Humans have already invented technologies that expand the precision & strength of hand movements. For example, surgeons routinely use robotics to do work that used to require the steady hands of doctors with exceptional eye-hand coordination, and years of training. So it seems that Culture has taken over from Nature the role of evolutionary innovator. :smile:We can do a great many things and there are few things we can't do that other animals can as far as dexterity so we generally don't think about our limits. But there must be something that could be different that could allow usto do even more? — TiredThinker
I assume — TiredThinker
Flashback to a scene in Caveman which is prohibitively off topic. — Vera Mont
But there must be something that could be different that could allow us to do even more? — TiredThinker
Here's the list of animals that have opposable thumbs: — T Clark
Evolutionary pressures aside, is a more advanced hand imaginable? — TiredThinker
So it seems that Culture has taken over from Nature the role of evolutionary innovator. — Gnomon
I agree. But I'd prefer to "engineer" man-made machines, and leave DNA-made machines as they are. Our physical limitations are partly due to our mental excellence in generalized multi-tasking, so we are not stuck in a single evolutionary niche. The girl is pretty, but she might not appreciate it if I tried to wrap my tentacles around her. Yuk! :joke:With intelligent hyper-evolution it would be possible to genetically re-engineer the human hand to have fingers with ball and socket joints instead of hinge joints; alternatively you can get rid of bones all together and have fingers like tentacles. — punos
But I'd prefer to "engineer" man-made machines, and leave DNA-made machines as they are. — Gnomon
The girl is pretty, but she might not appreciate it if I tried to wrap my tentacles around her. Yuk! :joke: — Gnomon
It would also be my preference except for perhaps genetic brain augmentation like increasing the size of the brain's visual cortex coupled with a Brain Machine Interface (BMI) would be sweet. The brain's capacity needs to also be increased to deal with higher bandwidth data coming in from a BMI. An enhanced visual cortex (the brain's GPU) for instance will increase our ability to process and understand complex models and run simulations in our minds eye. — punos
I can't desire any of that for myself. I have nothing against cyborgs in principle - up to the point where they're weaponized - but don't want to be one. — Vera Mont
Since natural genetics takes eons to effect change, and humans are aspirational & impatient, it seems quicker & easier & cheaper -- if not aesthetically better -- to outsource our physical improvements to geneless artificial bodies. According to Google, messy, bodily-fluid swapping, STD-fraught, progeny producing, emotionally contaminated human intercourse, is currently being countered by antiseptic sex dolls, that make no long-term demands on humans. No surgical enhancements necesssary. However, some imagination is required. :joke:Some genetic re-engineering may have to be done on humans at some point in order to counter the physical and mental effects of living and working in non-Earth environments for extended periods of time. Our ability to genetically re-engineer ourselves will be a new form of hyper-adaptation to extreme environments. — punos
I apologize for dampening your genetic dream, with practical considerations. — Gnomon
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