All language subtitles for Ancient Aliens S11E03 The Next Humans

Right now, we are inventing

all these
different technologies,

with which we could actually
make ourselves

superhumans
with super intelligence.

The potentials
are quite extreme.

You could eventually
have printable noses,

ears, lungs, kidneys.

The big question is immortality.

Dying, is it something
we have to do?

I'm convinced
that the engineers at MIT

are looking back into the
ancient examples of the gods.

You've got to wonder,

are extraterrestrials
somehow guiding us,

and manipulating us

into this new future,
and this new human

that we are destined to be?

Since the dawn of civilization,

mankind has credited
its origins to gods

and other visitors
from the stars.

What if it were true?

Did extraterrestrial beings

really help
to shape our history?

And if so, might their ultimate
plan be revealed...

with the rise
of the Next Humans?

Ancient Aliens S11E03

THE NEXT HUMANS

Mountain View, California.

August, 1962.

At NASA's Ames Research Center,

the newly formed Division of
Biotechnology and Human Research

begins a study on the
possibility of exploring space

with technologically-enhanced
humans,

otherwise known as cyborgs.

Ten months later,
they release a report

called "The Cyborg Study:
Engineering Man for Space."

In it, they propose that
astronauts will require

artificial organs
and pharmaceuticals

to survive in the harshest
environments of deep space...

...as we explore
beyond our solar system.

While the program
was quickly abandoned

due to the lack
of available technology,

it helped usher in a new era
of scientific research focused

on augmenting the human species
into a new stage of evolution:

the Transhuman.

Transhumanism is the use

of technology by humans,

to enhance the physical,
psychological,

and most of all,
intellectual capabilities.

We transhumanists want to use
science and technology

to self-direct our evolution.

There are lots
of transhumanists now

that don't even consider
themselves transhuman--

for example,
people who have pacemakers,

or cochlear implants,
or hip replacements.

These are technologies
that we're using,

and that is beyond human.

The idea
of their being a transhuman

is actually a very old notion,

and it stems from our longing
for immortality.

so there were attempts
to extend human life.

Transhumanism has been
thought of for a very long time,

throughout mythology.

From Gilgamesh's
search for immortality,

to alchemy...

...to the search
for the fountain of life.

Really, the quest to overcome
what it means to be human,

to see if we can live forever,

that has been the quest
for a very long time.

IfRRATOR:
Although the notion of modifying

the body with technology

has been around
for thousands of years,

transhumanists say
the 21st century

will radically change
what it means to be a human...

...when we begin
to genetically engineer

an entirely
new generation of humans.

April 22, 2015.

Guangzhou, China.

Geneticists
at the Sun Yat-Sen University

make history
as the first team in the world

to genetically modify
a human embryo.

Using a gene editing technique
known as CRISPR-Cas9,

the scientists were able
to correct the gene defect

that causes beta-thalassemia,
a blood disease,

by snipping out and replacing
portions of the DNA

in the fertilized egg.

By using a new technology
called CRISPR,

scientists are able to actually
cut into the DNA

and replace parts of the DNA

with genetically-modified
proteins.

This allows us to literally
transform who we are.

When we look at DNA changing,

it can be used
not just to overcome problems,

but to improve your looks, maybe
change the color or your hair,

or your eyes, or perhaps

even more importantly,
change your intellectual

or physical abilities.

Will the
modification of human embryos

soon lead to a wave

of what futurists call
"designer babies,"

children whose physical features

and mental capabilities

were selected by their parents.

Many believe that not only
is this a possibility,

but that the very definition

of a parent
may soon change as well.

The UK is on its way to becoming
the first country

to legalize
the creation of babies

from three different people.

And a large majority
of the House of Commons

voted in favor
of the controversial

"Three Parent In Vitro
Fertilization," or TPIVF.

The British government
officially declared it legal,

so actual children
have been born

that have DNA
from three different parents.

I think it is quite possible,
in the future,

that it won't be just two

or three parents
that the child has,

but could be any number.

That sounds
like science fiction,

but it's actually something
the Japanese scientists

are working on right now.

And what that would entail

is using an artificial womb.

(heart beating, baby fussing)

Actually gestating the child

within that artificial womb.

Now, you can imagine,
if we can get to this stage,

it doesn't matter
who... who the parents are.

You could have a community
of people with the best genes

contributing
to making that child.

And that is really the future
that is in front of us.

Is it possible

we could synthetically create
human beings,

picking and choosing
genetic traits

from any number of donors?

Could the characteristics
of a person

soon be limited only
by our imaginations?

Ancient astronaut theorists
say yes,

and suggest an even more
incredible possibility:

that we are not the first
to do this.

Luxor, Egypt.

Here in the Deir el-Bahari
mortuary temple

lies the burial chamber
of Hatshepsut,

one of the only queens
to ever become a pharaoh.

And on the frescoed walls
of this tomb is a scene

portraying Hatshepsut's
conception

at the hands of divine beings.

On the walls of Queen
Hatshepsut's mortuary temple,

it says... that...
a long time ago...

...God Amon came
to Hatshepsut's mother,

Ahmose, in her sleep,

and with the power of God Anum,

and with the key of ankh
in his hand,

he created baby Hatshepsut.

He uses the ankh...

...that key-shaped tool,

to give life, to create a human.

Any device that can give life

upon something would have
to appear as magical...

...so you have to wonder
who were these gods

that they were talking about?

What we have in this story

is actually the
immaculate conception of

Hatshepsut, and it is clear
that this is the story

of an extraterrestrial
intervention in the creation

of a star child, Hatshepsut.

So, we appear to be dealing
with some sort of a technology,

a DNA-based technology

that can manifest human
bodies or alter human DNA.

Could Hatshepsut have
been genetically engineered

by otherworldly beings?

And is it possible that
humans are just now starting

to unlock the incredible
potential hidden within us

by our extraterrestrial
creators,

as ancient astronaut
theorists propose?

Perhaps further clues can
be found in our own attempts,

not in creating life,
but in reversing death.

State College, Pennsylvania.

October 15, 2015.

Dr. Gong Chen and
a team of biologists

from the Life
Sciences Department

at Penn State University

reveal research on
a cocktail of specialized drugs

designed to convert
non-neuronal cells in the brain,

called glial cells,
into neurons.

90% of our brain is made up
of what's called glial cells.

These cells are just
a support mechanism

for the neurons themselves.

What we can do at the moment

is to take glial cells
from the brain

and to use different
chemicals, essentially,

to alter the functioning
of the glial cells.

Chemicals will cause them

to become fresh neurons.

Gong Chen's belief
for this research is that

things like severe brain trauma,

Parkinson's disease,
and Alzheimer's could actually

be effectively
transformed and healed.

Could degenerative
brain disorders

like Parkinson's and Alzheimer's

be cured by a simple
chemical injection?

And if so, could we eventually
rid the brain

of neurological
diseases entirely?

Transhumanists believe
the therapeutic uses

for this incredible discovery

are only a small part
of the bigger picture.

In the future, we could
see using that technology

to increase our intelligence
to a, to a superhuman state.

Now imagine, because the brain
is only ten percent neurons,

imagine if we could

increase the brain's
capacity to 35%.

That could change everything.

I mean, we could become
a super intelligent species.

Could you, in fact,
advance the human IQ,

perhaps to such a degree

that you might have
people walking around now

with a 1,000 IQ?

Could Dr. Chen's research

lead us to an exponential
increase of the human intellect?

And if so, will we
seem like primates

to the people of tomorrow?

Transhumanists suggest that if
we can create new brain cells,

we could potentially reproduce
all of the body's cells,

which would have
profound implications.

The big question is immortality.

Dying, is it something
we have to do?

Cells die away, but if we can
start replacing the cells,

and if we can
replace brain cells

and keep the functioning
of the brain going,

then it does, potentially,

really extend life,
in theory, forever.

Some people, like Ray Kurzweil,

have suggested by 2045
we'll be able to do that.

Ray Kurzweil

is Google's Director
of Engineering,

a transhumanist, prolific
author and inventor.

He believes, in the near future,

humans will be able to extend
their lives indefinitely.

To reach that point,
he maintains

a daily diet of over 100

different body and
mind enhancing pills,

called nootropics.

Nootropics are essentially
drugs of one kind or another,

chemicals if you like,
that can change the way

most of the body functions,

but particularly how
the brain functions.

Choline, for example,

helps with memory, and so,
people are using

these nootropics
to enhance their memory,

to have better recall,
to have better focus.

You're starting to see
nootropics pop up everywhere,

especially in Silicon Valley.

In the future, the idea

of enhancing the cognitive
ability in the human being

is going to be
sort of commonplace.

Kurzweil and others predict

nootropics will become a new
multi-billion dollar industry

as people turn to supplements
to enhance their bodies

and prolong their lives.

But ancient astronaut
theorists believe that,

like genetic manipulation,

evidence of nootropic use can
be found thousands of years ago.

Dating back to
the fifth century BC,

the Hindu Sanskrit epic
known as The Mahabharata,

tells the story
of Samudra Manthana,

a celestial battle
between the gods

for a rare substance
that grants immortality.

The "Samudra Manthana" means
the "churning of the ocean."

And in this case,
the ocean is visualized

as a cosmic sea of milk.

It is, in essence,
the Milky Way itself.

There were two primary forces
at odds in the universe.

There were the Asuras...

and they were at odds

with a new order of gods--
the Devas.

The gods went to Lord Vishnu
and Vishnu said,

why don't you try
to cooperate with them?

At the very depths of the ocean,

there is a substance
called Amrita,

a divine nectar
of immortality.

Churn the cosmic ocean of milk,

and it will yield forth
the nectar of immortality,

and you can share it.

The gods and the demons
start churning,

in the heavens, the Milky Way,

and what is produced
by this is an elixir,

an elixir
that can grant immortality.

Well, there was
a terrible war now,

because everyone wanted this.

In order to win
the battle for the gods,

they decide they need
this amrita,

this elixir of life.

So you have to wonder if this
story isn't about some kind of

extraterrestrial war in heaven,

where aliens are fighting
over nootropics.

Could the story
of the Samudra Manthana

be an ancient account
of a celestial battle

over a highly advanced
nootropic?

Ancient astronaut theorists
say yes,

and point to legends
of immortality elixirs

throughout antiquity.

The ancients had many stories
of immortality--

that it was touchable
or reachable.

The Chinese had
the peaches of immortality.

The Greeks had ambrosia.

The Mesopotamians
had the idea of "soma."

In the Biblical tradition,
there is the tree of life.

There is something that you
can ingest and gain immortality.

This quest has been going on

for thousands of years,

around the world,
by many different cultures.

This quest
for these smart drugs,

that will enhance our lifestyle
and our mental clarity.

So you have to wonder,

was this nootropic drug

some kind of
extraterrestrial elixir

that was well-known
in ancient times?

Could ancient accounts

of elixirs of immortality
really be descriptions

of extraterrestrial nootropics?

And might it soon be possible

to unlock
our full human potential

simply with the
right potion or pill,

perhaps fulfilling a destiny

to become like
our alien ancestors?

Ancient astronaut theorists
say yes,

and suggest molecular chemistry

is only the beginning
of the human upgrade.

Nano-machines could actually

heal the wounds in our bodies.

The possibility
of reversing human aging,

is not a very big stretch.

November 17, 2015.

A team of researchers

from North Carolina State
University, and Rice University,

unveil the first motor-driven,

submersible nanomachines
ever created.

Molecular nano-technology
is the idea

of building devices, machines,

at a molecular scale.

"Nano" refers to
a billionth of a meter,

so, very, very small.

We're getting down
to atomic scale.

Measuring only 244 atoms across,

these miniature robots
are designed

to deliver specialized medicines

throughout the body,
using the bloodstream.

Scientists have created biobots
that are the first of its kind.

These tiny little bio hybrids
and bots are capable

of tying to viscous material
through our bodies.

They take
submersible nanomachines

that can be controlled
with UV light,

and using the UV light,
they can control

where these nanomachines
take nutrients

and take medicines
into the body.

As long as we have a way

of controlling them
from the outside,

they can move around
very, very quickly,

perform a function--
i-if we're looking

at operating on a cancer,

then, potentially, they could do

that operation for you,
from within.

This could
lead to huge advances

in medicine, in healing,

leading to nanomachines
that could actually

heal the wounds in our bodies,

close things up much faster,

repair damaged tissue,
extend our lifespan,

and literally bring us into
a new level of human evolution.

Transhumanists believe

our bodies will soon be home

to swarms of nanomachines,

that will both heal,
and also warn of disease.

And some propose

this technology
is advancing so rapidly

that it will not just be

future generations
that will live tens

or even hundreds
of years longer,

but people who are alive today.

The possibility
of reversing human aging,

as opposed to just
slowing it down,

is not a very big stretch.

So if you understand aging
and the fundamentals

of the processes
that are leading to it,

it would be quite possible,
both to slow it,

and it would also be possible
to reverse it.

An example of this is a study

that has gone on at Harvard,

by reversing
the muscle tissue in mice.

We have actually reversed
the age in these mice.

And so, if we can do that

in the laboratory setting,

it's only a matter of time

before we're able to reverse
our own aging process.

Could millions of
microscopic robots

soon be swimming
in our bloodstreams,

augmenting our immune system,

and even reversing the aging
process entirely,

as transhumanists believe?

Ancient astronaut
theorists suggest

that if such
a transformation does occur,

it may be a sign
that we're evolving

to become more
like our alien ancestors.

As evidence, they point
to the Sumerian King List,

a series of stone tablets

that are believed to be
over 4,000 years old,

and record the reigns

of ancient Mesopotamian kings

that ruled for upwards
of 43,000 years.

The Sumerian Kings List

was handed down
to humanity by the gods.

What's extraordinary is that
the reigns of these kings

last into the
thousands of years.

These people weren't
making allegorical

or metaphorical statements,

these were accurate
historical records.

Ancient texts,

including the Bible
and the Sumerian texts,

talk about ancient kings

and other people living
incredibly long life spans.

Methuselah, who was supposedly
the father of Noah,

was said to have lived
for 969 years.

When we look into the past,

there's a clear record
of people who have lived

a much longer life span
than what we have today.

We have to wonder if
these beings weren't given

or had access to
some type of nanotechnology.

And it fuels the idea
and understanding,

and our drive today,
to be like the gods.

And this
important nanotechnology

is something that
extraterrestrials

and other advanced civilizations
would already have.

And it would only
make sense that,

if extraterrestrials
are coming to our planet,

they would have brought
this nanotechnology with them.

Might our research

into nanotechnology, nootropics
and genetic engineering

ascend us to the level
of extraterrestrials

that came to Earth
thousands of years ago,

as ancient astronaut
theorists suggest?

Perhaps further clues
can be found

by examining the technology
that is being developed

to upgrade not just our blood,

but even our flesh.

We can use the power of
our thoughts to control

avatar robots.

The engineers at MIT
are looking back

into the ancient examples
of the gods.

New York City.

May 4, 2015.

At TechCrunch Disrupt New York,

an annual new technologies
conference,

U.S. biotech startup BioBots

launches a desktop 3D printer
for biomaterials...

...which they use to print
a replica of Van Gogh's ear.

Instead of plastic,

special ink is combined
with biomaterials--

like collagen
and cultured cells--

to build living tissue
and human organs.

So, right now,
we're just at the beginning

of understanding
how to 3D-print organs.

It's a process called
"biofabrication."

So BioBots has created
a biofabrication 3D printer

that can print artificial tissue
and small organs.

In the future,
what we're going to see

are 3D printers that are

bio-fabricating our bodies
and our organs.

You could eventually have

printable noses, lungs,

ears, kidneys...

and, in certain ways,

this technology is so extreme

that it could make it
democratic.

It could make it inexpensive.

So in the hands of skilled,
trained medical professionals,

it could be possible
in the future

to 3D print organs for people

out of their own
genetic material.

Transhumanists believe

we may soon transcend
our biological limitations,

as we embed machines
directly into our own bodies.

DARPA, the agency of
the U.S. Department of Defense

responsible for the development
of emerging technologies

for use by the military...

is currently designing neural
implants that will improve

cognitive speed and
memory retention in soldiers.

And in 2014,

scientists at Seoul National
University in South Korea

unveiled research on
synthetic "smart skin"--

lifelike ultra-thin
crystalline silicon

designed to cover
prosthetic limbs,

giving the user all of the
sensations of a natural limb.

They have now developed a-a skin

which has touch senses
embedded in it

with a very fine matrix,

which can be put
around a prosthetic.

So you can actually feel

what that arm is feeling

or you can touch the floor,

feel whether it's hot or cold,
or applying pressure.

Future artificial limbs

will look just like our skin,

look just like our hands
and our legs.

It's going to affect
the entire world.

We're going to see people

using smart prosthetics

that are added to the body,

that can be controlled
directly through the brain.

And that really is
the future of prosthetics.

I can speak from experience,

because I've had one myself--

our implants that link
either into the brain

or into the human
nervous system--

and what I had was

100 small electrodes...

fired into my nervous system

to link my nervous system
with a computer.

It was a bit like plugging
a plug into an electric socket,

but the socket was
my nervous system.

I went to Columbia University
in New York,

we plugged my nervous system
into the Internet,

and I controlled a robot hand
from my brain signals.

You can extend
your nervous system

by simply plugging into it.

If we can use
just the power of our thought

to control artificial limbs...

we can eventually, one day,

use the power of our thoughts
to control avatar robots.

(whirring)

I think we're going to see
that kind of technology

used to control avatars
on the Moon;

we're going to see that kind of
technology to control

robotic humanoid avatars
on Mars.

Could we one day
venture into the cosmos,

not with our bodies,

but by wirelessly controlling
robotic avatars?

And is it possible
that extraterrestrials

have utilized
these same technologies

to explore Earth
in the distant past?

Ancient astronaut
theorists say yes,

and point to technologies
currently in development at MIT

that strongly resemble
those in ancient accounts

of gods who descended
from the sky.

At the Massachusetts Institute
of Technology's

Institute for
Soldier Nanotechnologies,

they are developing a new
smart skin for our soldiers

that would make them resistant
to ballistic attack

or chemical attack and also
would instantly self-repair.

This is absolutely
extraordinary,

because in the ancient texts,
we learn of the gods

who wore a similar skin that
seemed to make them impervious

to any kind of human weaponry.

They couldn't die.

Now when I hear stories

of semi-divine beings,
such as Hercules,

with his impenetrable lion skin,

or in the Sanskrit Mahabharata,

the story of Karna
and his impenetrable armor,

I have to ask the question

whether or not these were all
misunderstood technologies.

Could the self-repairing skin

being developed at MIT

be the same technology

our ancestors wrote about

when they described divine
beings that were invincible?

And are we on the verge
of this incredible biological

and evolutionary leap
ourselves?

Some believe
that mankind's next step

is not in augmenting
our bodies with machines,

but in becoming
the machines ourselves.

We can download every connection

that we have in our brain
onto a computer.

These are the kinds
of powers that would have been

viewed as god-like
at one previous time.

Geneva, Switzerland.

2013.

Henry Markram founds
the Human Brain Project--

a ten-year scientific venture
funded by the EU,

involving hundreds
of researchers

from 135 institutions
in 26 countries.

The goal of this project is to
create a fully simulated model

of the human brain
inside a computer.

A lot of people are really
excited about the idea of:

if we could
map out the structure

of the human brain,

neuron for neuron,
and every connection,

then we can download
every connection

that we have in our brain,

all that information,
onto a computer.

The Human Brain Project is only

one of a number
of brain-mapping ventures.

The next great American project,
and that's what we're calling

the BRAIN Initiative.

In 2013, President Barack Obama

unveiled a $4.5 billion project

called the BRAIN Initiative.

And Microsoft co-founder
Paul Allen

has invested
over $500 million

in the Allen Institute
for Brain Science.

Futurists speculate that if

these initiatives are
successful,

the implications
could be profound.

Imagine having every piece

of knowledge that every human
has ever collected.

And if you crunch that down

into a digital consciousness...

that's going
to unlock everything.

We can know things
about the world

and about life

that no individuals have
ever previously known,

because they're all
from the aggregation

of all of human knowledge
that's going together.

So these are the kinds of powers
that would have been

viewed as god-like
in previous eras.

Could we be on the verge

of creating
a superhuman intelligence,

able to outperform
a human at any task?

And if so,

are we at risk of being replaced
by machines entirely?

Transhumanists believe

what lies ahead
could actually be a merging

of man and machine.

If we can map
the human brain into technology,

then I could take your brain

or somebody else's brain

and copy it into a computer.

A technological one that could
potentially live forever.

What happens
if we gain the ability

to upload our consciousness
into some sort

of cloud virtual Internet
technology?

It's not that far from the
spectrum of a realizable goal,

because we're already seeing
neurological implants

that can be put into the brain,
that can be used

to control the movement
of an artificial arm.

What happens
if those neural implants

can actually take
the true essence

of what it means
to be conscious,

and break that down into
some sort of pure information

that could live apart
from a biological substrate?

It could make itself
far more massive,

far more intelligent,

than any human
ever had been before.

Could extraterrestrials have

steered our evolution
towards technology,

so that we may merge man
directly with machine,

eliminating
our biological restraints?

And if so, might our futures
lie entirely

in a digital realm of silicon
and bits of code?

Many believe the answer lies
not in what we are becoming,

but where we are going.

It won't be long
before mankind has reached

the point where we have

the technology
and the artificial intelligence

to leave our planet

and go into space, just like
extraterrestrials before us.

So you've got to wonder:
are extraterrestrials

somehow guiding us
and manipulating us

into this new future,

and this new human,
that we are destined to be?

Is it possible that
extraterrestrials have led us

to a post-biological future,

so that we can rejoin them
in the cosmos?

And if so, might they have
used these same technologies

to visit Earth
in the distant past?

Ancient astronaut theorists
say yes,

and look to NASA's
own attempts

at re-engineering man

for space.

New York City, 1961.

Psychopharmacologist
Nathan S. Kline

and cybernetic mathematician
Manfred Clynes

co-publish a paper
about human space travel

entitled "Drugs, Space,
and Cybernetics."

The two coin
the term "cyborg"--

an enhanced human being
specifically doctored

to survive in extraterrestrial
environments

without a space suit.

In their paper,
they detailed various ways

in which to modify
the human body for survival

beyond Earth, and later
served as the inspiration

for NASA's study
"Engineering Man for Space."

Our bodies are
not suited for living in space.

After only a few days, we
experience muscle and bone loss.

One has to wonder
if extraterrestrials

experience the same type
of problems.

I do think that any beings
that are able

to cross the cosmos
and visit this planet

will have learned how
to self-direct their evolution,

to survive in deep space

for extraordinarily
long periods of time.

Those beings,
more than likely,

will be, at least,
bio-digital,

meaning that they have merged
with their technologies.

Or they will be
pure digital beings.

These may be robots
or cyborgs.

Could
extraterrestrials have used

the same cyborg technologies
we are just now developing?

If so, might our push
towards transhumanism

really be inspired
by an innate desire

to travel further into space...

and seek out our creators?

There has been
a consistent path towards

the fusion of human and machine

throughout all of our history--

this idea that we could
somehow advance ourselves

for the betterment
of humankind

through this merger

of technology and biology.

I think that what will happen

is that our biological bodies

will be able to be perfected,

any imperfections corrected.

Our mental abilities
and lifespan

will be enhanced considerably.

And we will be ready, ourselves,
to go into space

and ultimately join
our creators in the stars.

Is it possible
extraterrestrials left us

with the tools
to mold ourselves

into a truly
transhuman species...

...one without any limits,

capable of traveling
the stars at will?

Or could nanomachines,
artificial intelligence,

and the digital revolution
render humans obsolete?

Our lives and the very nature
of our existence

may balance on this choice,

a choice that is coming much sooner

than we think.

Ancient Aliens S11E03