Michael Bess

Within the lifetimes of most children today, bioenhancement is likely to become a basic feature of human society. Personalized pharmaceuticals will enable us to modify our bodies and minds in powerful and precise ways, with far fewer side effects than today’s drugs. New brain-machine interfaces will improve our memory and cognition, extend our senses, and confer direct control over an array of semi-intelligent gadgets. Genetic and epigenetic modification will allow us to change our physical appearance and capabilities, as well as to tweak some of the more intangible aspects of our being such as emotion, creativity or sociability.