Extrasomatic Evolution

In this century humans are engrossed to solve the mystery of their existence, from cellular investigation to cosmic exploration. They are restless in finding solutions to the innumerable quintessential “why’s.” Cells of every species have been scrutinized diligently in the hope that they can provide answers to the missing link of our evolution. Stars, planets, galaxies and nebulas have been scoured painstakingly in the hope to obtain answers to the problems of our lone existence. Indeed, human curiosity set the energy and momentum of scientific breakthroughs to hurdle insurmountable achievements.

Today, I read the news about the creation of “Artificial Life” from the cellular level. "Creating protocells has the potential to shed new light on our place in the universe," Mark Bedau, chief operating officer of ProtoLife in Venice, claimed. Yes, they are planning to build life from the scratch, build life in cellular form. And what can we get? "This will remove one of the few fundamental mysteries about creation in the universe and our role.” Definitely! Once we figured out the basic workings of the cellular components, we can create minute working machines, something that will help us in our complicated existence. We can figure out the fundamental driving force of our life, our life force, organons, according to the classic naturalists. When this project will be successfully carried out, chiliads of day to day applications will be derived from it, from pharmaceutical to entertainment, and numerous scientific riddles will be given clear cut answers.

Upon reading the whole article and as I reflected on it, I realized that human beings are really serious to break their limitations of existence. They are tirelessly seeking for extensions of their organic capabilities from inorganic world. This is what we call extrasomatic evolution, utilization of non-biological and non-cellular elements to aide the organism in simplification (easy way to maximize resources) or continuation of its existence.

Now I am wondering if anyone here knows about our extrasomatic organs (as I simply call them). This is not the first wave of our scientific achievements that provide us comfort and aide in our existence. In fact, we have created a lot of extrasomatic organs since the beginning of human civilization, like for example technology. Clothes are also on of our basic sample of Homo sapiens extrasomatic organs. As far as I can remember we are the only species who can live in all extreme weather conditions and this because of the protective coverings we had invented.

Computers are considered as the extrasomatic organ of our brain. They help us to maximize our thinking capabilities, driving us to do daily processes that cannot be done by our less explored brain. They can do calculations beyond our imagination. Inevitably, they had been an integral part of our existence.

Human beings will really do everything to eliminate their physical frailties. They are keen to break all barriers set by nature, to give new meaning to existence, to life, to death and immortality.