According to author Ramez Naam, we are currently in the midst of a bionic revolution, even if most people don't realize it. Today, around 220,000 individuals worldwide walk around with cochlear implants, which are devices that turn sound waves into electrical impulses to restore hearing. Additionally, tens of thousands rely on deep brain stimulators to control diseases like Parkinson's.
Prosthetics have also vastly evolved. While early prostheses were largely inert pieces of wood, metal, or plastic, we are now entering a digital age with highly sophisticated limbs. Modern examples include a thought-controlled bionic leg used to climb the Willis Tower, and the i-limb Ultra, a hand with five independently articulating fingers that respond to mental commands.
In one incredible animal study, a monkey with a brain implant successfully controlled a robotic arm located 7,000 miles away by sending mental signals over the internet.
1. How do modern advanced prostheses, like the i-limb Ultra, differ from older, simple artificial limbs?
2. What did an animal study prove about distance and bionic control?
These new prostheses aren't just going to restore missing human abilities; they are going to enhance them and give us powers we never had before. Technology is expanding beyond limbs into the brain itself. In 2011, researchers created a "hippocampus chip" that successfully repaired damaged memory tissue in rats and even improved their ability to learn new things. A year later, specialized chips raised the intelligence scores of monkeys playing a picture-matching game.
The Ethical Question: If humans can eventually become smarter, sharper, and faster, who will benefit? Naam questions whether this will result in positive human innovation, or simply create another pressure to compete at work. Furthermore, there is deep concern over whether only the wealthy will be able to afford these cognitive and physical enhancements.
1. What was the result of implanting a "hippocampus chip" in rats?
2. Why does the author raise questions at the end of the text?
Tap or click each card to reveal the definition and an example.
implant (v.)
To place a device inside the body through surgery.
Example: The doctor will implant a computer chip into the patient's brain.
inert (adj.)
Unable to move or act; lacking power to move.
Example: Older artificial legs were just inert pieces of wood and plastic.
enhancement (n.)
Something that improves or adds to the quality or function of a subject.
Example: Bionic enhancements could make future humans faster and smarter.
integrity (n.)
Following a strict code of honest, ethical conduct.
Example: Many people care passionately about the integrity of the Olympics and ensuring fairness.
English contains many words that sound alike but are spelled differently. Using the wrong spelling can completely change your sentence's meaning! Let's look at a few examples from the text.
1. Which sentence uses the correct form of affect/effect?
2. Which sentence correctly uses it's and its?