Forbes.com did a poll to find out what human body enhancements their readers would most like. The poll seems to be gone, but nanotechnology commentator Gregor Wolbring quotes it in his own column:
Smarter brain (403 votes – 29 %)
Wings (230 votes – 17 %)
Breathe underwater (147 votes – 11 %)
Stylish, furry tail (127 votes – 9%)
Don’t want to be human at all (103 votes – 8%)
Night vision (61 votes – 4%)
Extra arms (51 votes – 4%)
Fur (37 votes – 3%)
Eagle-eye vision (34 votes – 2%)
Perfect as is (34 votes – 2%)
Great speed (29 votes – 2%)
Better-protected genitals (26 votes – 2%)
More physical strength (17 votes – 1%)
Camouflage skin (13 votes – 1%)
Stronger sense of smell (10 votes – 1%)
Chitinous armor (9 votes – 1%)
Better balance (7 votes – 1%)
Acute hearing (6 votes – 0 %)
Fangs (6 votes – 0%)
Eyes on stalks (5 votes – 0%)
Horns (5 votes – 0%)
Pouch (3 votes – 0%)
Stronger sense of touch (2 votes – 0%)
Extreme height (2 votes – 0%)
Stronger sense of taste (0 votes – 0 %)
The poll seems to have assumed that synthetic biology would be the method of enhancement, but presumably the goals would not change if nanotech were the pathway instead. The top three goals — and some of the later ones — seem plausible as being desirable, though one wonders whether respondents understood just how big those wings would need to be without major reworking to get the mass down. And where is “Increased healthy lifespan”? That might well have won if listed. —Christine
