Our Origin Story?

All superheroes have an origin story. Whether they get bitten by a radioactive spider, fall into some radioactive goo, or are born onto a soon-to-explode radioactive planet, they tend to acquire their superpowers by fate or accident. Today, scientists, medical researchers and engineers are blurring the lines between the human and the superhuman. Amputees with prosthetics can in some cases already outperform their totally purely-biological peers in competitive athletics. Prosthetics are in development which will be brain controlled and allow users to touch and feel. Genetic engineering is making the prospect of "designer babies" with intentionally augmented strength, intelligence or other features a near-term, rather than distant prospect. 3D printed organs could make the risk of organ failure in old-age a thing of the past. These and other developments paint the picture of humanity being on the brink of it's own superhero origin story.

Interestingly, in works of fiction it tends to be the supervillians who acquire their enhanced abilities through intentional effort. Perhaps this stems from a fear of our own nature - that power can corrupt us, especially if not everyone can 'upgrade' together. Perhaps it is simply a fear of the unknown - and the unknown risks of 'playing God." And perhaps it is linked to the fact that real-life history already has one foreboding example of a group that caused enormous suffering, driven by an ideology that hoped to create a "superior" race of humans.  

Will our "superhuman" future steal away our humanity or will our new abilities allow us to transcend the fears and neuroses that caused humanity so much anxiety, conflict and pain? Only time will tell.