In early 2021, The Atlantic published an article titled "Mars Is a Hellhole," criticizing Elon Musk's plans to colonize Mars. The article emphasized that Mars is inhospitable to humans and poses significant dangers, contrary to Musk's vision of establishing human habitation on the planet.
Despite this, astrophysicist Martin Rees, the author of "The End of Astronauts: Why Robots Are the Future of Exploration," said during a recent episode of Sam Harris' Making Sense podcast that people will embark on the journey if Elon Musk succeeds in constructing an affordable pathway.
Astrophysicist Envisions Mars Colonists Evolving into Advanced Cyborgs and Pioneering Interstellar Travel
Humans on Mars May Become Cyborgs in the Long-Term
Martin Rees envisions a scenario by the year 2100 where a small colony on Mars will predominantly consist of adventurous individuals, Nautilus reported. These pioneers would willingly bear the risks, financing their own journeys in pursuit of glory or a novel existence on the Red Planet.
However, Rees does not foresee the establishment of permanent research stations or military bases operated by national governments in the immediate future. Government space agencies, like NASA, will have shifted away from relying on taxpayer funding for costly missions that safeguard human astronauts during space exploration.
Instead, the focus will shift towards deploying advanced robotic technology for exploration, presenting a less risky and more affordable path with comparable scientific benefits. Consequently, most humans in space will likely be these daring colonists driven by the spirit of adventure.
Isolated from terrestrial regulatory bodies that might restrict radical experimentation, these intrepid settlers on Mars will leverage cutting-edge technology to transform themselves into genetically modified cyborgs, better adapted to survive Mars' harsh environment. Rees envisions that over time, these "crazy pioneers" could evolve into a distinct species.
However, Rees's projections do not end there. He suggests that the Martians might eventually abandon their organic, flesh-and-blood bodies, transitioning instead to electronic entities. Such a transformation would negate the need for a hospitable atmosphere or the constraints of Mars' gravity on their bones.
Rees believes that in this form, the Mars colonists could approach immortality and venture into interstellar space. He envisions a distant future where our descendants, influenced by the activities of these audacious adventurers on Mars, will spread throughout the Milky Way, initiating an era of space colonization.
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Cosmos Will Be Full of Robotic Life
In the future, Martians might transition from flesh-and-blood bodies to electronic ones, becoming nearly immortal and venturing into interstellar space. Rees predicts that humans' remote descendants, guided by these adventurous pioneers on Mars, will spread throughout the Milky Way.
If future electronic progeny encounter spacefaring beings, Rees believes they will likely encounter inorganic intelligence, leading to the idea that alien life could be electronic rather than biological.
Rees argues that humans may not detect these electronic life forms because we lack the understanding of their signatures, similar to how a radio engineer unfamiliar with modern communication methods may struggle to decode wireless signals.
Interestingly, this outcome would be ironic for Elon Musk, who values human life and aims to colonize Mars for the benefit of humanity. However, Rees's vision suggests that Mars settlers may embrace a future that diverges from traditional human characteristics, embracing machines as part of their identity. In this scenario, humans would become a transitional phase in the emergence of a new culture.
Biologist Scott Solomon also echoes this sentiment. He wrote in a previous article in Nautilus that colonizing Mars for long-term survival might alter the course of human evolution significantly. While it might be a necessary step for preserving the species in case of disasters on Earth, the colonization of Mars could fundamentally change us as a species, leading to lasting evolutionary consequences.
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