World Ships: Feasibility and Rationale [pdf]
Why are we so certain we&#x27;ll be sending human bodies?<p>All of sci-fi is steeped in interstellar transportation of human bodies, each with human brains and human biological needs and handicaps. I just don&#x27;t get it.<p>There&#x27;s no forcing function to make us go to the stars, establish permanent habitats on Mars, etc. They&#x27;re not very hospitable or profitable enterprises.<p>I see us evolving human biology before we attempt this seriously. Genetically modified bodies that have different metabolisms, different mechanical gaits, changed oxygen metabolism.<p>Or perhaps we&#x27;ll have brain uploads, and exist ephemerally. Living matter isn&#x27;t ideal in outer space. We can always turn on biology again when we reach the destination - if we even want to.<p>Or maybe AGI just kills us.<p>In any case, I don&#x27;t see human forms doing any of this nonsense. I think people fantasize about the familiar things they can relate to. I see a fundamental mismatch between the human body and outer space that would be served by optimizing humans for the environment.