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Just as the groundwork for the internet was laid decades before its widespread use, many scientists believe the technologies that will usher in the era of human customisation and augmentation are being developed in labs today. Moving far beyond the prevention of genetic illness and advanced prosthetics for those who need them, these rapidly emerging technologies could – to borrow a phrase from Daft Punk – make it possible for anyone (with deep pockets) to be harder, better, faster, stronger. This delightful animation imagines the more bizarre enhancements future humans might desire, and hears the US engineer and ethicist Braden Allenby and biomedical engineer Conor Walsh consider how a coming wave of automation, robotics and biomedical enhancements could fundamentally alter the trajectory of our species – and even reframe what it means to be human.
Direction and Animation: Moth Studio
Website: Massive
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Rituals and celebrations
A beginner’s guide to a joyful Persian tradition of spring renewal and rebirth
3 minutes
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Politics and government
How it looked to Afghan women to see the Taliban return to power
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Metaphysics
Simple entities in universal harmony – Leibniz’s evocative perspective on reality
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Biography and memoir
Passed over as the first Black astronaut, Ed Dwight carved out an impressive second act
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The ancient world
The six priestesses who kept the flame of ancient Rome alight at risk of death
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Engineering
A close-up look at electronic paper reveals its exquisite patterns – and limitations
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Architecture
West Africa was once an architectural laboratory. Is it time for a revival?
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Work
A Swedish expat in the Philippines wonders: what’s up with people sleeping at work?
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Biography and memoir
The unique life philosophy of Abdi, born in Somalia, living in the Netherlands
29 minutes