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The Catalog Of Correctable Omnipresent Human Flaws

composed by Edward Smith

first version published June 2005

date of the last update: March 2007

This reference may be copied and distributed freely.



PART 1: Corrections, Enhancements, Random Modifications,

And Impairments

All human bodies have numerous flaws which can be eliminated

by geneticly modifying the zygote. Those flaws exist because

their elimination was and is not necessary for the survival of the

human species. However, their elimination would greatly

increase the efficiency of our actions, and thus both our physical

prosperity and our quality of life.

A distinction must be made between corrections and

enhancements. Corrections are removals of negatives whereas

enhancements are additions of positives. The line between a

correction and an enhancement is not entirely defined, but most

modifications clearly fall on one side or the other.

A correction constitutes the replacement of an important trait

that had evolved away due to lack of necessity, or, more often,

the correction of a trait that had evolved wrongly due to

evolutionary expedience, except when the correction of such a

trait satisfies the criteria for being an enhancement. An

enhancement constitutes any augmentation of ones abilities that

are characterized as being competitive, other than the removal

of specific weaknesses, or any elaborate or unnatural addition.

Many examples of enhancements are: 1. enhancements, beyond

the removal of specific weaknesses, of muscle strength, muscle

disinhibition, muscle endurance, cardiovascular endurance,

physical skills, sensory breadth, sensory sensitivity, intelligence,

mental skills, appearance, speed of development, or ability to

feel pleasure, 2. the ability to extract energy from sunlight,

hydrocarbons, or other sources that are unnatural for animals,

3. chameleon-like color-changing ability or other camouflage,

4. echolocation ability (which is mostly applicable in the dark),

5. built-in phosphorescent light(s), 6. built-in fire lighter(s) (most

likely phosphoric and sulfuric), 7. functioning wings, claws, gills,

serpentine arms, cold-bloodedness, or any other useful

complex animal-like traits, 8. built-in weapons, 9. built-in armor

beyond the removal of any specific weaknesses. Obviously,

some of such enhancements would not even be practical,

especially since artificial non-biological objects can serve many

of those functions, though such artificial non-biological objects

are often expensive and in any case they depend upon a

technological industrial infrastructure and access to that

infrastructure.

Corrections and enhancements are both practical modifications.

It is notable that there are also possible modifications that are

not practical. Such modifications may be motivated by novelty,

and are likely to largely consist of alterations that mainly effect

appearance. Such modifications may be called 'random

modifications'. For such modifications, their regulation or lack

thereof is, for the most part, beyond the scope of this reference.

Also possible are modifications that serve to deliberately impair a

person. Such modifications may be called 'impairments'. There is

little motive for making such modifications. The only reason that

a person would make such modifications is to create an enemy

with inferior power, that oneself could have power over.



PART 2: Regulation Of Corrections And Enhancements

When modifying the human genome, it is important to first focus

on corrections rather than enhancements, the reason being that

corrections are limited in their scope (there are most likely only

40-70 possible corrections) and mostly benefit an individual by

themself, whereas enhancements are virtually unlimited in their

scope, are mostly beneficial to an individual in competition with

others, and/or are prone to abuse. Pursuing the latter traits may

thus touch off a rash of socially mutually-destructive genetic

competition if it is not clear that such enhancements must only

be made with the most rightful and socially responsible of

intentions, as characterized by the geneticly-determined

character of the enhanced beings, such that they have a fine,

clear, rightness-seeking abstract focus (caused by the H1, M1,

and M3 receptors in unmodified humans), which works in

opposition to both crude blind wrongness-seeking focus

(caused by the 5-HT2A, 5-HT2B, and 5-HT2C receptors in

unmodified humans) and ethically indifferent greed. Luckily

though, if a person is rational enough to support transhumanism,

then they are more likely to be rational enough to realize that

responsibility.

The various possible human modifications fall on a spectrum

between being a correction and being an enhancement (which

may be called the correction-enhancement spectrum), with

most possible modifications clearly falling on one side or the

other. The further a trait falls toward the enhancement end of the

spectrum, the more dangerous it is, and thus the more rightful it's

bearer's temperament must be. Likewise, impairment

modifications must never be made to humans of rightful

temperament. All corrections except for the creation of rightful

intent have at least a miniscule capacity for abuse, and some

have more capacity for abuse than others. Likewise, some

enhancements have more capacity for abuse than others. In

addition to the type of modification, some modifications have a

particular magnitude, such that a modification of the same type

but a higher magnitude is more abusable. Some modifications

have both a correction effect and an enhancement effect, such

that the 2 effects must be weighed against eachother, and for

such modifications, they should be considered corrections only

when they are made to a low degree; that is particularly true of

growth rate and regeneration. The elimination of death by aging is

also borderline between a correction and an enhancement,

whereas the elimination of the long-term deterioration by aging is

clearly a correction. It is therefore important to create a scale that

classifies modifications based upon their degree of abusability.

The creation of rightful intent does not belong on the scale

because it is the modification that prevents abuse.

Among the flaw corrections, the ones that have the least

abusability are those of hygeine and eliminating excess growth

and secretion. Such corrections, which can be classified as

'minimum abusability', and which are described later in this

reference, include: 'epidermal skin cell division, mouth cell

division, and sebum', 'hair shedding and pubic hair length', 'hair

and nail growth', 'anus hairs', 'saliva secretion', 'nail grain', 'palm

and sole water adhesion', 'fecal indole and skatole', 'sinus

access', and 'intestinal gas management'. Correcting such flaws

should therefore be of higher priority. Some flaw corrections that

have more abusability, and which can be classified as 'low

abusability' are those of autonomy, mobility, durability,

regeneration, and growth speed.

There are also different categories of modifications for both

correction and enhancement modifications, which can serve to

classify the modifications when making lists. Those categories

are: 1. biochemical, 2. gross physical, and 3. neurological. A

modification can fall under multiple categories to some extent,

especially if it is complex, but such traits should be classified

into the categories that they best fall under. Those categories

may also have subcategories where appropriate, such as

'growth', 'autonomy', 'mobility', 'durability', etcetera, though not

all modifications may fall into one of the subcategories. Some

corrections apply only to one gender.



PART 3: Species Names

Being as highly modified humans that can reproduce certainly

constitute a new taxonomic class, there should be specific

taxonomic names to distinguish significantly-modified humans

from unmodified or minimally-modified humans, and to

distinguish humans that have only been modified by significant

corrections from those that have been modified by significant

enhancements (with or without significant corrections also).

Taxonomic names, by custom, are latin, meaning that latin terms

should be used to describe the 3 human types. The most

appropriate latin taxonomic names for humans that are not

significantly-modified, significantly-corrected only, and

significantly-enhanced, respectively, are 'rudis', 'correctus', and

'altus', which mean in latin, respectively: 'rough, raw, or crude',

'corrected', and 'grown or improved'. As for the taxonomic level

of the names, humans that have been modified with significant

corrections have not gone substantially beyond natural human

form or natural human competitive capacity, nor do they have

any traits that primarily serve such functions, nor do they have a

virtually unlimited number of possible modifications, whereas

humans that have been modified with significant enhancements

do have those traits. It is therefore most appropriate for 'rudis'

and 'correctus' to distinguish between 2 homo sapien

subspecies, and for 'altus' to refer to a different species.



PART 4: Correctable Omnipresent Human Flaws

The reference below describes many of, and most likely the vast

majority of, geneticly-correctable omnipresent evolutionary

flaws of unmodified humans (descriptions begin with "In

unmodified humans,"), their corresponding corrected state

(descriptions begin with "In the corrected state," and use the

verb "will"), and any other relevant basic information. Closely

related flaws are described as a single flaw.

(If you don't want to read all of these details, skip to

the application section.)

The categories and subcategories of the flaw corrections are as

follows:

biochemical

excess growth and secretion

general growth

autonomy

not within a subcategory

gross physical

non-protective mobility

protective mobility

durability

internal accessibility

neurological

control

elimination of erratic neural activity

elimination of degradation

intent

The complete flaw correction descriptions are as follows:

category: BIOCHEMICAL

subcategory: excess growth and secretion

1. epidermal skin cell division, mouth cell division, and sebum:

In unmodified humans, skin cells of the epidermis, which are

called keratinocytes, like all human cells except for neurons,

constantly divide, and the older keratinocytes are constantly

pushed toward the surface and die as the younger keratinocytes

at the base of the epidermis replicate. On the skin surface, the

dead keratinocytes are either consumed by microbes (mostly

bacteria) directly on the skin, or they flake off as dust. In the

former case, moderately-toxic and foul-smelling volatile

metabolites are produced. In the latter case, dust fills the air and

threatens microbial infections in the mucous membranes of the

respiratory tract and reduces the oxygen supply to the blood,

which in turn raises blood pressure. Dead keratinocytes

constitute approximately 80 percent of indoor dust. However,

some dead keratinocytes are specialized such that they do not

decompose, but serve the useful function of comprising nails and

the outer layer of each hair, called the cuticle. Cells that

constitute the sebaceous glands divide, fill with sebum oil and

die, releasing the sebum oil, which is excreted.

Dihydrotestosterone receptors in the sebaceous glands increase

the growth and replication of sebum cells (and thus cause

increased sebum secretion), which, among the usual effects of

sebum, also causes itching. Bacteria convert the sebum into the

moderately-toxic volatile chemical propionic acid, which smells

like sour milk. The face, ears, and scalp produce a particularly

high level of sebum. However, a small amount of sebum may be

beneficial to the skin, but that amount is much lower than that

which is produced by the face, ears, scalp, and

dihydrotestosterone receptors. Many sebum glands on the face,

unlike the other sebum glands, are constructed very poorly with

narrow openings and large internal sebum stores, such that they

are prone to clogging and causing acne. The only way to

eliminate most of the dust and toxic chemicals is to constantly

wash them off with soap and water, and to do the same to the

clothes that one wears (which also requires keeping multiple sets

of clothing), which people do, and in so doing consume an

average of over an hour of time and a great deal of energy per

day. Also, the cells of the lining of the mouth, and especially the

cells of the tongue, constantly divide and are consumed by

microbes producing the same volatile chemicals as the

decomposed keratinocytes. Such chemicals constitute halitosis,

aka 'bad breath'. In the corrected state, keratinocytes will not

continually reproduce and die except in the case of their useful

functions in hair and nails, sebum production will be no higher in

particular regions of the body, dihydrotestosterone receptors

will not exist on sebaceous glands, poorly-constructed

acne-prone sebaceous glands will not exist, and cells of the

tongue and other parts of the interior of the mouth will not

continually reproduce and die. When the stratum corneum (the

outermost layer of the epidermis that consists of keratin-rich

keratinocytes) is worn down or damaged, the keratinocytes

immediately below the damage will quickly reproduce to repair

the damage.

2. hair shedding and pubic hair length:

In unmodified humans, hairs continually grow for a

biologically-determined period of time, fall out, then immediately

continue to grow again. As a result, a large number of hairs are

shed. That is only slightly true of the hairs of the top of head and

a full beard though, as such hairs grow continuously and shed

rarely ever or never. With the exceptions of the hair of the top

of heads and full beards, the environment is being constantly

contaminated with shed hairs, which typically harbor bacteria as

well. Also, shed eyelashes and eyebrows often fall into the eye

and cause damage and resulting pain. Beard hairs are the

fastest-growing hairs on the body, and trimming, shaving, or

plucking the beard hairs is time-consuming. Pubic hairs of the

armpit, genital region, and chest are impractically long and are

prone to contamination. In the corrected state, hairs, with the

possible exception of the hairs of the top of the head, will

continue to grow until they are at full length, as gauged by the

width of the hair at the base, at which point they will not shed.

Plucked hairs will regrow. Hairs of the beard (when applicable),

armpit, genital region, and chest (when applicable), will be short

hairs of no longer than 3/8ths of an inch (about 9 millimeters),

and they will be exclusively soft hairs like the hairs of most of the

body, as opposed to thick bristles.

3. hair and nail growth:

In unmodified humans, scalp hair, beard hair, finger nails, and

toe nails grow constantly and at a slow rate. Because of that,

they often grow when growth is not desired, and they often

grow too slow when growth is desired, and they must be often

cut when they grow past their desired length. The different hairs

of an area do not grow all at the same time, but at different

times, such that some hairs temporarily grow while others

temporarily do not. The subject of the hair of most of the body

is already covered by the modification regarding hair shedding.

In the corrected state, there will be related efferent and afferent

nerves in the scalp, face, finger tips, and toe tips that allow the

motor cortex of the cerebrum to directly start or halt the growth,

respectively, of the scalp hair, beard hair, finger nails, and toe

nails. The afferent nerves will produce a feedback sensation

when a shift in mode has occurred, such that the specific

sensation indicates the specific mode, and the frontal lobe may

probe any of those regions at any time to sense what mode they

are in. When hair growth is switched on, all hairs will grow at

any given time, such that hair growth will be much faster than in

unmodified humans.

4. anus hairs:

In unmodified humans, there is a large number of hairs that

surround the anus, and those hairs are of similar length to the

pubic hair of the armpits or genitals. As a result, after humans

defecate, feces is caught in the hairs unless it is thoroughly

washed out, such that it increases the amount of volatile

moderately toxic chemicals in the air, and increases the spread

of disease-causing intestinal bacteria. In the corrected state,

there will be no hairs that grow on the skin within 1 inch (32

millimeters) of the anus.

5. saliva secretion:

In unmodified humans, there are 3 major sets of glands of the

slime called saliva, those being the sublingual gland, the

submaxillary gland, and the parotid gland. There are 2

components of saliva, which are the bubbly watery substance

serous, which contains digestive enzymes, especially amylase,

and the thick bubble-free substance mucus, which is a solution

of the glycoprotein mucin. The sublingual glands produce mostly

mucus, whereas the submaxillary and parotid glands produce

mostly serous. Humans constantly produce and swallow saliva.

Saliva serves the purpose of washing away the substances in

the mouth that microbes feed and reproduce upon. Microbes in

the mouth feed and reproduce on 2 substances, which are

pieces of food and dead cells of the interior of the mouth. Due

to the other genetic modification of preventing the continual

division and death of cells of the interior of the mouth, the latter

substance will no longer be a problem. Plain water is sufficient

to clean pieces of food from the mouth. In the corrected state,

the saliva glands will have the ability to secrete pure water in

addition to serous and mucus. The degree of secretion of each

of the 3 different types of saliva will be directly controlled by the

frontal cortex (the thinking part of the brain).

subcategory: general growth

6. growth rate:

In unmodified humans, growth is extremely slow, such that,

after conception, completing the vast majority of one's growth

consumes approximately 19 years (this includes the 9 months of

gestation), and completing the myelination and development of

the prefrontal cortex and completing the development of the

musculature consumes at least 5 more years. That is over one

quarter of the average lifespan of an unmodified human, and

over one third of the non-senescent lifespan. In the corrected

state, the amount of time designated for growth will be drasticly

lower than that of unmodified humans. Obviously, this

modification can be used for rapid reproduction, an abusable

ability, so to balance the advantages with the dangers, the

correction will only constitute a moderate reduction in growth

time, cutting total growth time by about 2/3rds and cutting

gestation time by about 1/3. Gestation growth time, and

especially that of early gestation, probably can not be reduced

as much as post-birth growth time, the reason being that the

majority of developmental organization, which may be delicate,

occurs during gestation, and gestation time is already very short

relative to post-birth growth time.

7. scarring:

In unmodified humans, when the flesh is damaged, it repairs

itself but does so crudely and poorly, leaving a scar. The tissue

of a scar is more breakable and less elastic than the original

tissue. That is in part due to the collagen fibers of the dermis of

scars being straight, tight, and brittle, as opposed to the original

tissue, in which they are more winding and elastic. In the

corrected state, scars will heal completely, such that their tissue

is indistinguishable from the original flesh that they replaced.

The complete healing of scars is a type of regeneration. Unlike

other types of regeneration, the complete healing of scars is

biologically relatively simple, and scars are more common than

other types of permanent physical damage.

8. regeneration:

In unmodified humans, when a body part is cut off or destroyed,

it does not regrow, with few exceptions, such as the liver and

the finger tips. In the corrected state, any amputated or

destroyed body part will regenerate completely, and without

being inferior to the original part. Amphibians can regrow

amputated parts, so the ability to regenerate is not only possible,

but it is natural in some animals. Regrowing lost parts would of

course require embryo-like action. It may be that embryological

development only works because the cells thereof are relatively

unspecialized, such that the genetic modifications must allow the

developmental genes to direct the development of specialized

cells. Regeneration, like accelerated growth, has an abusable

enhancement effect as well as it's correction effect. Therefore,

the damage must regenerate slowly, so as to eliminate much of

the potential for abuse.

9. age-induced degradation and death:

In unmodified humans, all cells except for neurons (which

depend upon glial cells to function) constantly divide, which

results in one of the two daughter cells having a shortened

DNA code due to the copying process, and the other cell

being programmed to shortly die. Repeating non-coding genetic

sequences called telomeres are at the ends of the entire genetic

code of each chromosome, such that DNA replication damages

the telomeres before it damages coding DNA, meaning that the

telomeres protect the DNA. Over time, the telomeres are used

up and coding DNA is damaged, resulting in age-related

degradation and eventually death. In germ cells (sperm and

eggs), the telomeres are restored by the telomerase-TERT

(TERT is an abbreviation for telomere reverse transcriptase)

protein complex. Progressive gene destruction via cell

replication is not the only cause of age-related degradation.

There is also the fact that the brain becomes saturated with

memories and pieces of learned information (both of which

consist of neuron-to-neuron connections) over time, the

majority of which are probably useless or nearly-useless for

one's current or future situations, and those memories are never

erased completely. There is also the fact that microscopic

cracks in the teeth that accumulate with time create deposits of

enamel (pure hydroxyapatite crystal, which is hard but brittle)

within the dentin (collagen fibers saturated with hydroxyapatite,

which is softer but not brittle), which causes the teeth to

become more brittle. That may be called 'tooth scarring', and it

is an issue of both aging and regeneration, and there may also

be other forms of cumulative scarring that cause elements of

aging. There may also be parts of the body that do not cease

growing after their appropriate growth is complete, but rather

continue to grow at a very slow rate, such that they become

enlarged with age. The ears may be one of such parts. Continual

growth may also be the cause of wrinkles, due to the skin

continuing to grow. Automatic age-induced death serves a

useful evolutionary purpose, though age-induced degeneration

doesn't, except insofar as it is conducive to death. Automatic

age-induced death serves the evolutionary purpose of

destroying old genetic combinations so as to decrease the

consumption of resources which can be consumed by newer

genetic combinations, which are typically better evolved. That is

usually beneficial to the group, but some older individuals have

better genes than the average young person, such that some

high-quality older genomes are wasted, and some younger

individuals have worse genes than the average old person, such

that some low-quality younger genomes are wastefully

supported. There is also the fact that growing a new human to

replace a dead or senescent one consumes a vast amount of

growth time, food, money, and time and energy for education

and learning to talk. Death, by the way, is not a form of

conscious harm as suffering is. Only memory creates the illusion

of a single chronicly-coherent self. Due to the fact that a

person's sensations of the past and future moments are not the

same as those of the present moment, and the fact that

pharmaceuticals can alter a person's fundamental intent (which

consists of fundamental abstract perceptions), the conscious self

exists in the moment and dies with the passing of every moment.

Death is the loss of the physical body, the information stored

within the brain, and the neurological traits that create conscious

selves of a particular fundamental intent. In the corrected state,

no forms of age-induced degeneration or age-induced death will

occur, including, but not limited to, telomere shortening,

accumulation of unerasable memories and learned pieces of

information, cumulative scarring in dentin or elsewhere, or

continual growth of tissues after their appropriate size has been

attained. Cells will not divide continually as they do in

unmodified humans, but rather they will only divide for the

purposes of growth and regeneration. The reduced cell division

will also reduce the body's demands for energy and protein. All

human cells will express telomerase and TERT anyway, such

that growth and regeneration will not shorten the telomeres. All

of those modifications will only be made on zygotes that have

been modified to produce fine, clear, rightful intent, such that

the humans so modified will voluntarily die if and when it will

benefit the whole of society.

subcategory: autonomy

10. vitamins and other essential chemicals:

In unmodified humans, there is a dependency upon many

different environment-derived chemicals, either for survival,

basic health, or optimum function. Those chemicals are the

fat-soluble vitamins, the water-soluble vitamins, the essential

amino acids, the essential fatty acids, omega-3 and omega-6

fatty acids, creatine, carnitine, taurine, choline, and antioxidants.

Some of such chemicals are produced by the human body, but

only in minimal amounts. Consuming all of such chemicals in a

sufficient and optimum amount is very difficult, and the

dependency thereof is very dangerous due to the unreliable

nature of both the economy and the natural environment. Also,

any dependence upon rare substances can be used for the

purpose of extortion. In the corrected state, humans will possess

all of the enzymes necessary to convert common biochemical

substances into all of the essential chemicals that are required in

small amounts. The enzymes necessary to synthesize the

essential chemicals exist in other organisms (else the chemicals

would not exist in the first place), so they will be transferred to

humans from those organisms. Increasing the production of

chemical-synthesizing enzymes that humans already possess

requires only a small genetic modification. The enzymes will be

expressed only in specialized cells, preferably located on the

interior surface of blood vessels, so as to release the chemicals

into the blood stream. The specialization is necessary to prevent

the newly-implanted enzymes from interfering with biochemicals

of other tissues.

11. minerals:

In unmodified humans, there is a dependency upon very small

amounts of many different elements. The elements calcium and

phosphorus serve as essential structural materials of bones and

teeth. The elements sodium, calcium, potassium, and chlorine

serve as essential electrolytes in neurons. Most other trace

minerals serve as coenzymes. Most or all of the required trace

elements other than those already mentioned are chromium,

cobalt, copper, iron, lithium, magnesium, manganese, selenium,

zinc, and possibly other elements also. The human body wastes

a large quantity of minerals by excreting them in the urine, and

possibly some in the feces, rather than recovering and recycling

them. Consuming all of the essential elements in an amount that

is sufficient for optimum function is very difficult, though corrupt

government agencies that serve various food and vitamin

companies greatly exaggerate the necessary requirements. The

dependence upon constant environmental sources of all of those

minerals is very dangerous due to the unreliable nature of both

the economy and the natural environment. Also, any

dependence upon environmental sources of rare substances can

be used for the purpose of extortion. In the corrected state,

there will be many proteins that prevent minerals from being

excreted from the body, and recover them for reuse, except

when there is a large excess of a mineral.

12. cellulase:

In unmodified humans, the gene that codes for the proteins of

the conversion of cellulose and the related disaccharide

cellobiose into glucose, which are collectively called cellulase,

are absent. Those proteins are also absent in all other

vertebrates. In animals that can digest cellulose, that ability only

exists due to the fact that those animals harbor

cellulose-digesting microbes, which are delicate and very

energy-intensive to maintain. Despite the omnipresence of that

lack of ability, the ability to digest cellulose is such a fundamental

function that it's absence constitutes a flaw. The vast majority of

plant matter is composed of cellulose, meaning that very little

plant matter is edible to unmodified humans, and of that which is,

little of it is healthy. Also, undigested cellulose in the food of

unmodified humans, which constitutes most dietary fiber, is

decomposed by archaebacteria which convert it to methane,

which causes both farts and gas pains. In the corrected state,

humans will possess the genes of the cellulase proteins. The

cellulase proteins will be expressed in the small intestine rather

than the stomach, as the stomach is highly acidic and may halt

the function of the cellulase.

13. stasis ability:

In unmodified humans, a large amount of energy, that being over

half of the energy of sedentary humans, is constantly consumed

for the purpose of sustaining the body temperature of between

97 and 100 degrees fahrenheit (about 37 degrees celsius),

which human proteins function best in. The human body

temperature drops from birth to adulthood by about 1.5

degrees. The human body constantly generates heat, which is

why temperatures above 85 degrees are perceived by humans

as hot, even when resting, meaning that the human body wastes

a great deal of energy in the generation of heat. If the body

temperature drops by even a few degrees, many proteins,

especially those of the nervous system, will falter, resulting in a

condition called hypothermia, and if it drops as low as 78

degrees fahrenheit (20 degrees below normal), death occurs.

Many animals are cold-blooded, such that they can live and

function through large temperature changes, and their proteins

are functional over a wide range of temperature, though they are

less effective than those of warm-blooded animals that are at

their optimum temperature. Also, many mammals can hibernate

and drop their temperature by over 10 degrees. Due to the laws

of thermodynamics, the greater the difference in temperature

between 2 adjacent bodies, the higher the rate of heat transfer

between the 2. Humans evolved a high blood temperature

because the use of clothing allowed it. The average human heart

rate is approximately 70 beats per minute. When that beat

lowers enough such that the cells do not have sufficient oxygen

to maintain their metabolic functions, the most prominent of

which is body temperature maintenance, they automatically die.

When the human heart rate drops greatly below it's average

resting rate, pulmonary edema occurs. Pulmonary edema is the

filling of the lungs with fluid from the capillaries. Pulmonary

edema due to greatly-decreased heart rate is the result of the

pressure in the veins increasing from a negative pressure to a

neutral pressure, as fluid is kept out of the lungs due to a

pressure balance. Because of all of those facts, humans are very

vulnerable to cold and/or starvation, and extremely vulnerable

to temporary lapses in heart function. In the corrected state, the

pressure balance mechanism of the capillary fluid in the lungs will

be replaced with a pressure-independent system. The

mechanisms that cause cells to automatically die when only

partially deprived of oxygen will not be present. Humans will be

able to conserve energy in a manner that is initiated by the

frontal cortex (the thinking part of the brain) by dropping their

body temperature by at least 30 degrees (at least about 70

degrees fahrenheit) and lowering their heart rate by at least half,

at the expense of efficient muscular and neural function. That will

be possible because humans will have some of the neuron

proteins from cold-blooded animals that will allow the neural

system to maintain basic function at low temperatures,

particularly the maintenance of heart pumping and breathing, and

a minimal amount of consciousness that will allow the frontal

cortex to initiate the end of the stasis state when appropriate.

The ability to drop the body temperature and/or heart rate even

further, with or without the use of biological antifreeze, such that

an exceptional amount of energy can be conserved and life can

be sustained through great cold and/or starvation, constitutes an

enhancement.

not within a subcategory:

14. glucose management:

In unmodified humans, when a substantial amount of

glucose from food is consumed, it is rapidly absorbed into the

bloodstream due to the effects of the polypeptide gastrin, and in

turn it stimulates the production of the protein insulin and the

polypeptide GIP (which increases insulin) to rapidly counteract

the heightened glucose by storing it as glycogen in the cells,

especially muscle and liver cells, and none in neurons or glials.

The leftover insulin in turn continues to lower the glucose beyond

it's original level. There is no specific hormone that slows

digestion without causing an additional effect, such as high

insulin (as in the polypeptide GIP). Neurons or glials do not store

glucose, nor do they derive energy from lipids in the

bloodstream as some tissues do, but they are uniquely

dependent upon blood glucose for energy, meaning that

increasingly low levels of blood glucose cause corresponding

increasing mental fatigue, and a very low level of blood glucose

causes death due to neuron dysfunction. When the level of

glycogen in the cells is at or near it's maximum, additional

glucose is either converted into stored fat or wasted as heat due

to an increase in the thyroid hormones T3 and T4. The thyroid

gland produces about 4 times as much T4 as T3, but most T4 is

converted to T3 within the cells, and T3 is much more potent

than T4. T3, and to a lesser extent, T4, produce heat by acting

on the mitochondria. The thyroid hormones cause hydrogen ions

which are pressurized in the mitochondrial interspace (which are

normally directed through the protein ATP synthase (aka ATP

synthetase) to produce the energy chemical ATP) to flow back

through the protein channels that they were packed though,

which produces no ATP but generates a large amount of heat.

In the corrected state, there will be a hormone (which may be

called digestion-inhibiting hormone here) that inhibits digestion

(and therefore the release of glucose and other substances into

the bloodstream) without causing any other effects.

Digestion-inhibiting hormone will initially be dominant over

gastrin, and after food is consumed, gastrin will only rise slowly

(unlike in unmodified humans), and will be regulated by the

amount of glucose released in the blood, such that a high level

thereof halts gastrin production and induces the production of

digestion-inhibiting hormone to the appropriate degree, such

that there can not be spikes or dips in blood glucose. When the

level of glycogen in the cells is at it's maximum,

digestion-inhibiting hormone will rise and greatly slow digestion,

as contrasted with unmodified humans, in which the excess

glucose is converted to fat or burned off as excess heat. The

level of glycogen stored in the cells will be directly proportional

to the level of somatotropin (aka growth hormone) that is

secreted into the bloodstream.

15. muscle latching:

In unmodified humans, when a muscle is contracted to a certain

degree (and therefore also the part that it moves), it constantly

consumes energy in maintaining that state, especially if it is lifting

a heavy load. The constant contraction of the muscle causes it to

tire quickly. For every human muscle, only about 1/4th of the

available muscle fibers are used. That serves the purpose of

energy conservation, and it eliminates the necessity of making

the bones stronger and heavier, which would further consume

energy. When norepinephrine or epinephrine is very high, the

latent muscular fibers are disinhibited. In the corrected state,

there will be a latching mechanism within the muscles that

prevents them from consuming energy when in a constant

degree of contraction. The latch though will be capable of being

broken with sufficient force in a manner that does not cause any

damage, so as to prevent weakened or broken bones, tendons,

and/or ligaments. The latching mechanism will also incorporate

the latent muscle fibers, so as to prevent any possible damage to

the muscle fibers from a heavy load.

16. muscle and cardiovascular adaptation:

In unmodified humans, increasing muscle strength, muscle

endurance, or general cardiovascular endurance is an extremely

time-consuming process, taking several weeks or even several

months. When a body is not exercised, the muscles and

cardiovascular system eventually degrade to a very weak state.

The strength of a muscle is determined by the quantity of

myofibrils within it. The endurance of a muscle is determined by

the quantity of sarcoplasm in it. Sarcoplasm consists of

capillaries and mitochondria. General cardiovascular ability is

determined by the strength of the heart muscle, the size of the

lungs, and the degree of blood vessel permeation.

Dihydrotestosterone receptors in the muscles decrease the

speed with which both myofibrils and sarcoplasm grow in

response to exercise. In the corrected state, the lower limit to

which the muscles and cardiovascular system can degrade due

to lack of exercise will be much higher than that of unmodified

humans. Adaptive growth of the muscles and cardiovascular

system in response to exercise will be 3 times faster than that of

unmodified humans. Increasing the speed of muscle or

cardiovascular adaptation much more than that constitutes an

enhancement.

17. cancer:

In unmodified humans, when DNA is damaged, such as by

radiation or chemicals, the cell of the DNA has a small but

substantial probability of becoming cancer. That is due to the

damage of a specific gene or genes. In the corrected state, there

will be several genes throughout the genome that produce

proteins that serve the sole function of recognizing their cell as

cancerous and killing it if that is the case, such that cancer can

not occur as a result of general DNA damage.

18. nail grain:

In unmodified humans, the nails of the fingers, and sometimes

the toes as well, are much less resistant to tearing across the

lengthwise dimension than across the perpendicular crosswise

dimension. As a result, nails or parts of nails are likely to be torn

in such a way that they damage the cuticle and/or expand the

damage to other parts of the nail. In the corrected state, nails

will have much more tensile strength in the crosswise dimension

than in the lengthwise dimension, so as to minimize damage.

19. palm and sole water adhesion:

In unmodified humans, the skin of palms of the hands and soles

of the feet is strongly adherent to water and other liquids, unlike

other areas of the skin surface. That is due to a detrimental

evolutionary side-effect of the evolution of the palms and soles.

As a result, water remains on the palms and soles for a long time

and adheres to contaminants in one's environment. Because of

the high rate of interaction of the palms and soles with the

environment, those are the places that should have the least

water adherence. In the corrected state, the skin of the palms

and soles will have little adhesiveness to water and other liquids.

20. fecal indole and skatole:

In unmodified humans, the intestines contain a large amount of

bacteria. That bacteria digests dietary fiber, sloughed-off

intestinal cells, and a portion of the digestible food. Among

those products that the intestinal bacteria digests, it does not

properly digest all of the protein thereof. The bacteria does not

properly catabolize the amino acid tryptophan. As a result, the

toxic byproducts indole and skatole are produced. Indole and

skatole are chemically nearly-identical, as they both consist of

the tryptophan side chain, except that indole lacks the methyl

group nearest the amino acid backbone. Both chemicals are

vaporous and toxic to humans when inhaled, as they kill lung

cells. In the corrected state, the intestines will produce enzymes,

which are secreted into the intestinal tract, which break indole

and skatole down into smaller, less-toxic and/or non-toxic

chemicals.

category: GROSS PHYSICAL

subcategory: non-protective mobility

21. neck turning:

In unmodified humans, the head can turn only about 70 degrees

to either side by the action of it's own muscles. That limitation is

caused by the position of the sternocleidomastoid muscle

attachment on the skull, as it is situated not very far back. If the

head is relaxed and turned by the hands, it can turn only about

80 degrees. That is due to the tightness of the connective tissues

and/or the limit of turning of the cervical vertebra bones. In the

corrected state, the sternocleidomastoid muscle attachment on

the skull will be situated about 2 inches further back, the

connective tissues of the neck that limit neck twisting will be

loosened, and the cervical vertebrae will have any necessary

alterations to allow the head to turn as far as the other parts

allow. Together, that will allow the head to turn about 100

degrees to either side.

22. shoulder mobility:

In unmodified humans, the shoulder, the position of which

moves with the clavicle (collar bone) can be revolved around

the torso about 30 degrees forward and about 60 degrees

backward. Resting the shoulder-moving muscles and moving the

shoulder via an external force does not increase either of those

numbers, meaning that the movement limitation is not due to the

muscles of movement, but rather the connective tissues and/or

bone. There is no 'shoulder bone', but rather the bone inside the

shoulder is the head of the humerus (the upper arm bone). The

shoulder often obstructs motion, and especially forward motion,

due to it's prominence and relative rigidity of position. In the

corrected state, the bones, connective tissues, and muscles of

the shoulder region will be such that the shoulder will be able to

revolve around the torso 90 degrees forward and 90 degrees

backward.

23. thumb and palm finger mobility:

In unmodified humans, various connective tissues drasticly

restrict the maximum angle of the thumb to the second

metacarpal bone (in the edge of the palm), such that when the

thumb is aligned with the 2nd palm finger (aka middle finger), it

can only extend about 50 degrees away from the palm. As a

result, a hand can not effectively hold a large but light-weight

load. The palm fingers (meaning the fingers other than the thumb

here) have minimal ability to twist, much less twist

independently. As a result, a hand can not effectively handle

multiple objects. The palm fingers can not bend backward,

under their own power, by more than 45 degrees beyond being

aligned with the palm, and some individual fingers, especially

when straight, can not bend forward or backward relative to the

adjacent fingers by more than 45 degrees or less. As a result,

many tasks that require the use of only one finger, or a specific

combination of fingers, can not be done without the other fingers

getting in the way. In the corrected state, the connective tissues

that determine the maximum angle of the thumb relative the palm

will be long and/or loose enough such that the thumb, when

aligned with the middle finger, will have a maximum

thumb-to-palm angle of about 100 degrees, and any related

necessary muscle structure will be present. All of the palm

fingers will be able to twist independently by about 45 degrees

in either direction, due to the presence of diagonal muscles that

attach to the metacarpals (long bones inside the palm) and the

proximal phalanx bones (bones of the fingers nearest to the

palm) of the palm fingers, and any related necessary traits of the

bones and connective tissues. The palm fingers will be able to

bend backward, under their own power, by 90 degrees. Each

palm finger will not be any more restrained in it's range of

motion, relative to it's maximum range, based upon the degree

of bending of any of the other fingers, due to the absence of the

relevant restraining connective tissues and/or feedback nerves.

24. foot stability:

In unmodified humans, the back portion of the base of foot,

upon which most of a person's weight is put on, has a very small

horizontal area as compared to the body that it supports. As a

result, the ability of a human to balance on one foot, which is

useful for many tasks, is very impaired. In the corrected state,

the back portion of the base of the foot will be 1/3rd wider than

in unmodified humans, and will also have the corresponding

strengthened lateral musculature.

25. vaginal urination:

In unmodified humans, in females, the opening of the urethra is

deep inside the labia of the vagina. As a result, women must

pee sitting down, else their urine sprays or dribbles down their

legs. In the corrected state, the area from which the urethra

opens will project out beyond the labia, such that females can

urinate cleanly in any position.

subcategory: protective mobility

26. eye and ear coverage from sensory excess:

In unmodified humans, the eye can cover itself with the thin

eyelid, which translucently lets a substantial fraction of light

through, probably no more than 1/8th, but that is nonetheless

not sufficient to protect from bright lights. The eyes can be

squinted further, such that wrinkles of skin protect the eyes

more, but that is very energy-consuming. The ears do not have

any self-covering mechanism. Because of that, it is necessary to

to use the hands to cover or uncover the ears, which interferes

with the necessary activity of the hands, and it is necessary to

use artificial earphones to cover the ears at all without having to

use the hands constantly. In the corrected state, humans will

have a second, thicker eyelid that can be lowered without the

use of constant flexing. The second eyelid will contain a thick

layer (about 2 millimeters) of collagen and cover the eye surface

completely. The ear opening will be surrounded by a thick

muscle sphincter (about 1/4 inch / 6 millimeters thick) that can

be sealed completely. The sphincters of the ears will contain a

latching mechanism which eliminates the necessity of constant

flexing. The muscles of both structures will be attached to

nearby motor nerves.

27. nose and ear coverage from foreign substances:

In unmodified humans, neither the nose nor the ears can close

themselves. As a result, foreign substances other than air can

enter them. That is especially true in the case of submerging the

head in a fluid, usually water, at certain angles, in which the fluid

enters the nasal sinus and/or auditory canal. In the corrected

state, the nose will contain a muscle sphincter that can close the

nose opening completely. The ear will contain a small, thin

muscle sphincter 1 millimeter within the opening, which can

close completely, and is thin enough to allow most sound to

pass through. The sphincters of both the nose and the ears will

contain a latching mechanism which eliminates the necessity of

constant flexing.

28. trachea contamination:

In unmodified humans, if a substance, such as a liquid, a thick

semi-liquid such as mucus (a solution of the glycoprotein mucin),

or a solid object, is in the trachea, there is no way to easily

remove the foreign substance. The trachea consists of many

incomplete 300-degree cartilage rings with the gap in the back,

which are held together by connective tissue. The upper trachea

in the throat is a thick one-piece tube of cartilage. Coughing is

only effective in removing material from lower levels of the

bronchial tree, as air simply flows past substances that adhere to

the walls of the trachea. If the lungs are empty of air when a

solid object becomes lodged in the trachea, then there is little

that can be done to remove it. In the corrected state, the

trachea can be contracted semi-shut in the front-to-back

dimension by multiple muscle sphincters, which will be possible

due to the cartilage being thin on the sides of the trachea. That

will allow solid objects to be removed more easily, and it will

allow the the area through which the air flows to be reduced,

thus allowing substances that adhere to the wall of the trachea

to be expelled.

subcategory: durability

29. eye vulnerability:

In unmodified humans, the surface of the eye is a mucus

membrane, such that it is highly vulnerable to infection and

damage from chemicals. It is also very vulnerable to

powder-induced dehydration, and to small particles that are

even slightly abrasive, such as eyelash hairs and grains of sand.

In the corrected state, the surface of the eye will contain keratin

and durable transparent material, such that it will be

approximately equally as vulnerable to damage as skin.

30. foot vulnerability:

In unmodified humans, the foot, due to hundreds of thousands

of years of shoe usage, is not suited for it's function of protecting

against hard ground substances and various sharp natural

objects that are often on the ground. In particular, the foot has

vulnerable blood vessels under it that are prone to damage from

high pressure, and the bones of the human foot have little

protection from impact. In the corrected state, there will be a

layer of cartilage about 3/16ths of an inch thick (about 4.5

millimeters) that covers the bone on the soles of the feet. Also,

the blood vessels under the feet will be smaller, such that they

are less effected by high pressure.

31. butt vulnerability:

In unmodified humans, when the weight of the body is on the

butt, which in turn is on a hard surface, the weight is

concentrated on the 2 small areas (one on each side) of the

edges of the blade-like ischium bones and the flesh that is

trapped between the bone and the hard surface. That causes

some damage to the flesh, and over time, it can warp the

structure of the bone, as is evident by the differences in hip bone

form in cultures of people that often sit on their butt and those

of people who do not. In the corrected state, the lower part of

the ischium will be twice as wide as that of an unmodified

human, and there will be a 1/4th-inch-thick (8 millimeters) layer

of cartilage on the outside edge of the ischium.

32. solar plexus vulnerability:

In unmodified humans, there is a large group of interconnected

nerve ganglia located behind the stomach. It is popularly called

the solar plexus, or more properly, the celiac plexus. The celiac

plexus is linked to the stomach, duodenum (the first part of the

small intestines), liver, pancreas, spleen, kidneys, and adrenal

glands. The celiac plexus uses feedback from each organ to

coordinate their actions. If the horizontal middle of the front of

the torso, between the 2 downward dips of each side of ribs is

quickly impacted with even little force, it temporarily disrupts the

function of the celiac plexus, causing indigestion, and it causes a

large amount of pain during and immediately after the impact. In

the corrected state, the solar plexus will not be prone to being

damaged by an impact any more so than the small intestines.

33. esophagus vulnerability:

In unmodified humans, the esophagus is particularly vulnerable

to damage, and therefore pain, from an impact or pressure on

the front of the trachea, as the esophagus is soft and is situated

between the vertebra bones and the thick cartilaginous trachea.

In the corrected state, the esophagus will be at least twice as

thick as that of unmodified humans, such that it will be able to

distribute the pressure and therefore be able to withstand a low

level of pressure without being damaged.

34. testicle vulnerability:

In unmodified humans, in males, the testicles are situated outside

the main body, are unprotected, and are very vulnerable to

damage and the resulting pain, such that males must be always

be cautious not to damage them. In the corrected state, there

will be a durable, semi-flexible wall of cartilage of about 1/8th

of an inch thick (about 3 millimeters) that lines the scrotum and

is anchored on the pelvis bone.

35. vagina vulnerability in childbirth:

In unmodified humans, in females, the vagina is not constructed

to easily stretch widely enough for a baby to fit through without

causing significant tissue damage and resulting pain. In the

corrected state, the vagina will be modified to be elastic enough

to allow babies to pass through in the absence of tissue damage

or the pain that results from it.

36. brain-skull interface:

In unmodified humans, there is minimal cushioning substance

between the brain and the skull, and as a result, the brain is very

vulnerable to damage by mere low-intensity jarring, such as

jerking the head by ones own neck muscles. In the corrected

state, a cushioning tissue of about 1/4 of an inch (about 7

millimeters) will be between the brain and the skull. The

presence of additional cushioning material that can protect the

brain against high-intensity jarring constitutes an enhancement.

The best biological cushioning substance is a matrix of collagen

and elastin fibers and fat.

subcategory: internal accessibility

37. sinus access:

In unmodified humans, the nostril openings are small relative to

the size of the nasal sinus, and a large, flat, vertical piece of

cartilage called the septum splits both the nasal sinus and the

nostrils into 2. The part of the septum in the nose is anchored to

bones at the top and bottom of the nose. That causes those 2

bones to be very vulnerable to breakage due to bending of the

septum. The nostril openings are constricted relative to the

cavity within the nose. The nasal sinus often becomes clogged

with semi-dry mucus, due to disease, allergic reactions, or for

the purpose of filtering out airborne particles (which is related to

allergic reactions). The function of mucus of filtering air is

important for improving the oxygen supply to the blood. When

the nasal sinus is clogged with mucus, the opposite occurs, as

breathing is diverted to the mouth, which causes minimal air

filtration. In the corrected state, the nasal septum will not exist

and the nostril openings will be unconstricted, such that

semi-solid mucus clogs in the nasal sinus can be removed.

38. intestinal gas management:

In unmodified humans, gas, such as methane, is likely to be

produced in large quantities in the intestines, especially after

eating certain foods or combinations of food. The gas can only

escape through the anus, and the entire length of the intestines is

very long, being about 25 feet. As a result, gas is likely to build

up in the intestine and stretch it, damaging the intestine. In the

corrected state, there will be several ducts along the mid line of

the abdomen on the front side of the intestines, which lead from

the abdomen to the skin, such that they allow gas to escape.

The ducts will all converge into a single duct before they reach

the surface. The single outlet duct will emerge in the navel and

have a sphincter on the end which keeps it sealed when it is not

expelling gas. The ducts will run between the intestines and the

abdominal muscles.

category: NEUROLOGICAL

subcategory: control

39. esophagus peristalsis and gag reflexes:

In unmodified humans, the esophagus automatically and

irreversibly pushes food or other material down from top to

bottom if it is placed in the top of the esophagus. That is called

the peristalsis reflex. The intestines also have a peristalsis reflex.

Often, a human eats toxic food, due to spoilage or otherwise,

and smells the toxic odors of the contaminated food just as it is

being swallowed by the peristalsis reflex, and the human is

aware of the toxic nature of the food but is unable to regurgitate

it because the peristalsis reflex has irreversibly pushed the

contaminated food down. When a finger or other object is

inserted into the back of the mouth, the gag reflex occurs, which

consists of a tightening of the throat combined with a forward

heave. That prevents the examination of the back of the mouth

or the removal of any thick mucus, other thick semi-liquids, or

other objects stuck there. In the corrected state, the esophagus

peristalsis reflex will be reversible by the direct control of the

conscious brain, and the gag reflex will not be present.

40. eye mobility:

In unmodified humans, both eyes must move in the same

direction, except in the case of crossed eyes, which serves only

to view objects that are very close. As a result, humans can not

visually multitask, and in turn, much of the capacity of the brain

and the body can not be used in some situations. That is not the

result of the muscles of the eyes, but of the nerves of the eyes,

that is, the occulomotor nerves. In the corrected state, each eye

will be able to move independently, though both eyes will move

together by default unless the human specificly wills them to do

otherwise.

41. sleep induction and necessary duration:

In unmodified humans, sleep occurs in relatively rigid cycles, and

can be greatly altered by external factors, especially bright light

versus dim light, standing versus laying posture (which is the

result of the fact that norepinephrine is lower when one is laying,

as norepinephrine causes wakefulness), gastrointestinal

disturbance (which causes wakefulness), hunger (which causes

wakefulness), and emotional arousal (which causes high

norepinephrine and therefore wakefulness). Aside from the

external factors that alter the time of sleep induction, sleep is

primarily induced by neural fatigue. Sleep serves the function of

expending energy largely for the purposes of growth, wound

healing, and fighting disease, and sleep also serves the functions

of consolidating memories and restoring the nervous system.

The last of those functions is the one that sleep is most specificly

essential for. A human that is completely deprived of sleep dies

after approximately 10 days, due to degradation of the nervous

system. The complete span of sleep for the average adult human

is 7 hours (not 8 hours, as has often been popularized). A few

humans, due to rare genetic alleles, can restore themselves with

as little as 4 hours of sleep. Evolving rapid restoration to reduce

sleep hours is no evolutionary difficulty, as long sleep hours exist

primarily for the purpose of conserving energy, though it is not

very efficient to that end, as the body temperature and heart rate

do not lower greatly. Because of that, prey animals that are

always vulnerable, particularly the ungulates, have unlengthened

sleep hours, whereas animals that are in little danger, such as

predators, have greatly lengthened sleep hours. The rigid sleep

cycles create the effect called jet lag when a person has

travelled by airplane over several timezones over a short period

of time. The rigid sleep cycles, as well as the various external

factors that effect sleep, greatly disrupt potential human

productivity and schedule-keeping. In the corrected state,

humans will be able to induce sleep directly from the frontal

cortex (the thinking part of the brain) at any time, with an

induction time of no more than 5 seconds, and they will be able

to prolong wakefulness in a neurally-fatigued state for several

hours without being involuntarily pulled into sleep. Due to

accelerated restoration, the necessary duration of sleep will be

at least as low as 4 hours.

42. vagus nerve and pituitary effects:

In unmodified humans, the heart rate, blood pressure,

vasodilation versus vasoconstriction, degree of perspiration on

the hands and armpits, cortisol secretion (cortisol weakens

various components of the body), and sebum production is not

under any substantial direct control by the frontal cortex (the

thinking part of the brain), but rather, with the exception of

control by physical necessity (such as exercise or temperature),

they are under the control of the emotions, especially anger and

anxiety, but also other emotions as well. The control of those

physiological functions by the emotions is mediated by

norepinephrine, the vagus nerve (one of the 12 cranial nerves),

the sympathetic nervous system (which is directed by a row of

ganglions on each side of the spinal cord), the parasympathetic

nervous system, and the pituitary gland (which is the 'master

gland' which directs the other glands of the body). As a result of

that emotional control, there are bad and/or distracting effects,

such as muscle weakening (due to cortisol), weakened immune

system (also due to cortisol), heart problems (due to blood

pressure, heart rate, and vasoconstriction), itching (due to

increased sebum production), the inability to hold writing

utensils (due to palm sweating), and clothes soaking (due to

increased armpit sweating). In the corrected state, the frontal

cortex (the thinking part of the brain) will have direct control

over the physical effects produced by the emotions on heart

rate, blood pressure, vasodilation versus vasoconstriction, and

cortisol secretion. The emotion-induced physiological effects of

increased sweating of the palms and armpits and increased

sebum production will be completely absent, as they serve no

practical function, at least in modern humans.

43. detrimental strong motivational emotions:

In unmodified humans, there is a vulnerability to having powerful

emotions that can override the restraining force of judgment.

The most notable emotions thereof are anger, fear, and desire

for various pleasures. Judgment is caused by the prefrontal

cortex. In the corrected state, humans will be able to directly

restrain the strength of their motivational emotions from their

frontal cortex, which is the thinking part of the brain.

44. penile erection:

In unmodified humans, in males, the penis can become erect or

stay erect against conscious intent, due to being controlled

by other factors, those being psychological sexual arousal and

non-psychological factors. Because of that, an erection that is

visible can deceptively indicate that a human male is

psychologically sexually aroused when they are not, and in turn

cause others to consider them to be less responsible in their

work ethic than they in fact are, and in turn trust them less than

is appropriate. In the corrected state, penile erection will never

occur nor maintain itself against conscious intent, due to a direct

efferent neural pathway from the motor cortex to terminals that

relax the veins of the penis, thereby terminating erection when

intended.

45. ovulation periods:

In unmodified humans, in females after the age of puberty, there

is an involuntary 28-day cycle in which the sex hormones

estradiol and progesterone greatly fluctuate, the uterus is

prepared for birth with a lining of flesh that is rich in blood

vessels, an egg is made fertile for conception, and the egg and

the bloody uterus lining are discarded out of the vagina if

conception does not occur in what is called menstruation, which

is usually the case. The blood and other materials that are

involuntarily expelled from the vagina can soil clothing and other

objects and can disrupt activities, unless the vagina is plugged or

covered with artificial absorbent material during the days that

the menstrual discharge occurs or is likely to occur. The

involuntary ovulation cycle can cause unintended pregnancy. In

the corrected state, ovulation will be initiated directly by the

conscious intent of the frontal lobe of the cerebrum, via a brain

region adjacent to that which causes voluntary urination, and by

no other cause.

46. memory management:

In unmodified humans, memories (not excluding learned facts)

can be formed and/or maintained against conscious intent, and

memories can be lost against conscious intent. As a result,

valued memories are often lost and unvalued memories

increasingly consume the brain's capacity for memory until it is

expended or nearly-expended, and that constitutes a major

factor of aging. In the corrected state, there will be direct

projections from the frontal lobe (the thinking part of the brain)

to the parts of the brain that store memories, such that conscious

intent can prevent the formation of a memory, erase or weaken

a memory, or make a memory immune to automatic

degradation. However, highly familiar, repetitively used

memories will not be subject to being erased.

subcategory: elimination of erratic neural activity

47. the hiccup reflex:

In unmodified humans, there is an involuntary reflex, called a

hiccup, that tightens the diaphragm and resultingly compresses

and lifts the lungs and ribs, seals the throat, and creates a small

amount of dull pain. In addition to the purposeless dull pain that

hiccups cause, they disrupt breathing, talking, eating, and to a

lesser extent, every other activity. Hiccups are caused by the

phrenic nerve, which controls the contraction of the diaphragm.

The phrenic nerve is prone to firing in the absence of stimuli or

in the presence of irrelevant stimuli, especially the expansion of

the esophagus or stomach due to food and/or drink. In the

corrected state, the hiccup reflex will not be present, due to the

phrenic nerve not firing in the presence of irrelevant stimuli or no

stimuli at all.

48. yawning:

In unmodified humans, there is an involuntary movement, called

a yawn, in which the mouth opens and air is inhaled, though not

necessarily through the mouth. The yawn might serve the useful

purpose of clearing built-up carbon dioxide out of the lungs

when appropriate, and the opening of the mouth may serve the

useful purpose of increasing the effectiveness of the jaw muscle

by eliminating the effects of short-term stagnation, as all

reflexive stretching may do. However, the involuntary opening

of the mouth disrupts speech, eating / drinking, and playing

musical instruments, and can cause saliva, food / drink, or

transported objects to fall out of the mouth. When a person

observes an other person yawn, they themself feel like yawning

and often do, which is disruptive to a person's activities. In the

corrected state, the yawn will never occur when conscious intent

is opposed to it, even if only somewhat opposed, and the

observation of an other person's yawn will not increase the

probability that one's self will yawn.

49. subliminal messages, suggestion, and hypnosis:

In unmodified humans, the action of the body (not excluding the

brain) can be made to contradict natural conscious intent via the

use of subliminal messages, the power of suggestion, and

hypnosis. In the corrected state, subliminal messages, the power

of suggestion, and hypnosis will not be capable of causing the

action of the body to contradict conscious intent, due to the

neural pathways that they depend upon being absent.

50. depression and excess pain:

In unmodified humans, physical pain often occurs in uselessly

high degrees. Physical pain serves the useful function of causing

humans or other conscious animals to not do certain actions that

are damaging to themself or to extricate themself from a

situation that is damaging themself. Beyond a certain degree,

pain does not motivate a person any more than that which is

required for them to do all that they can to prevent themself

from being damaged. Also, the high degree of pain impairs

cognition, which is necessary to devise methods by which to

prevent oneself from being damaged. In the corrected state,

there will be un upper limit to the degree of physical pain that a

human can feel, due to a limitation of the quantity of the brain

receptors nk1, nk2, bradykinin receptors, and possibly also the

nociceptin receptor. Depression will be completely absent, as it

serves no practical function, at least in modern humans.

51. pleasure addiction and tolerance:

In unmodified humans, the infusion into the bloodstream of

chemicals that produce pleasure, and to a lesser extent the

experience of any type of strong pleasure, produces a

psychological dependence upon such pleasure so as to avoid

a strong painful sensation of restlessness (caused by the nk1

receptor). It also decreases the strength of the pleasure that is

produced from the same source (an effect called 'tolerance'),

thus motivating erratic and unreliable behavior due to uncertain

rewards. Tolerance is caused largely by the nociceptin receptor.

In the corrected state, pleasure will not cause addiction or

tolerance.

52. dreams:

In unmodified humans, there are dreams during part of sleep.

When dreaming, a human is not aware that they are dreaming.

Due to the deception of dreams, humans often expend mental

energy on the situations that they present, and such effort has no

long-term benefit, nor even is short-term benefit guaranteed,

because dreams do not follow the laws of reality. Due to the

deceptions of dreams, humans fear problems that do not exist,

and expect good fortune that does not exist. On rare occasion,

dreams offer some insight that comes from the subconscious,

but humans do not remember most of their dreams, and humans

often remember their dreams only briefly but then forget them, so

it makes little difference. Dreams consume a large amount of the

time that a human must sleep, in which little restoration is done

to the brain as compared with non-REM sleep. In the corrected

state, dreams will not occur, and as an additional result, the

necessary length of sleep will be greatly reduced.

53. sense of smell variation:

In unmodified humans, the sense of smell varies greatly over the

span of a day. The sense of smell is also dulled to some

chemicals after being exposed to them over a brief time. In the

corrected state, the strength of the sense of smell will remain

constant over time, in a state of relatively strong sensitivity, and it

will not be dulled to some chemicals after exposure.

subcategory: elimination of degradation

54. memory alteration:

In unmodified humans, whenever a sensory memory (which is

analog, as distinguished from learned facts, which are digital) is

recalled, there is a large chance that it will be altered in the

retrieval process, especially in the small details that are not

specificly noted (as those noted details are digital). As a result,

a given sensory memory is likely to become less accurate with

every retrieval. In the corrected state, the retrieval of sensory

memories will not cause them to be altered or prone to

alteration.

55. automatic neuron apoptosis:

In unmodified humans, when certain neural pathways are

inactive for a certain amount of time, they automaticly degrade.

Destroying some of such neurons serves the useful function of

making room for glials. To destroy a large fraction of such

neurons serves the function of conserving a small amount of

energy, at a great expense of functionality. The latter function is

the only reason for pathway degradation in the periphery

(outside the brain). In the corrected state, no automatic neural

pathway degradation due to disuse will occur in the periphery,

and the maximum degree of such automatic degradation in the

brain will be greatly limited.

subcategory: intent

56. socially destructive evolutionary hangover character traits:

In unmodified humans, there is malicious intent, malice being

defined as the desire to perceive and act with crude blind

wrongness, and it's opposite, goodwill, being defined as the

desire to perceive and act with fine clear rightness. In a

scientificly knowledgeable society, clear-sighted goodwill is

beneficial and blind malice is detrimental, whereas in a

scientificly unknowledgeable society, including that of the

non-human animals, the opposite is more often than not

true. Specificly, malice has various effects, which are:

1. the desire to maintain problems rather than overcome them,

2. the desire to arbitrarily control, harass, torture, and steal

from others, and 3. the desire to serve a single clan patriarch

at the expense of the group. When technology is poor, it is

more beneficial to the species to maliciously ignore problems

rather then overcome them. When heredity and controlled

humane eugenics is unknown of, it is more beneficial to the

species to engage in random dominance competition, and to be

permissive toward the aggression one's own children, than to

breed all individuals without restriction. When the benefits of

large-scale teamwork are unknown of, it is better to serve the

inefficient whims of a clan patriarch (the instinctive basis of

nationalism and the belief in a god) then to live autonomously.

Malice is caused by the serotonin receptors 5-HT2A, 5-HT2B,

and 5-HT2C, the production of which is induced by sex

hormones, whereas goodwill is caused by the histamine

receptor H1 and the acetylcholine receptors M1 and M3. The

histamine receptor H2 causes perfectionism, which is necessary

for an individual to pursue useful large and long-term goals.

Activity of the malicious receptors is inhibited by the inhibitory

receptor 5-HT1A, and activity of the goodwilled receptors is

inhibited by the inhibitory receptor M2 and a receptor of

galantamine. Acetylcholine release is facilitated by the

presynaptic nicotinic receptors. There are also

neuropsychological side effects of goodwill and malice that

have evolved as a result of the chronic favor of malice.

Those are: 1. The 5-HT2C receptor increases endorphin,

the 5-HT2A receptor increases dopamine, the M1 receptor

decreases dopamine, and endorphin increases serotonin,

2. Acetylcholine increases the anxiety chemical cholecystokinin

(cholecystokinin also causes acceleration pain), and

cholecystokinin decreases both serotonin and endorphin. Also,

pain that results from acceleration is caused by neural pathways

in the brain that use the neurotransmitters cholecystokinin and

acetylcholine, 3. M4 acetylcholine receptors convert

norepinephrine into epinephrine, 4. Acetylcholine decreases

multitasking ability due to the action of the M4 receptors of the

striatum and possibly other factors as well, though that may also

increase the ability to concentrate, 5. Sex hormones (which

induce the production of malice receptors) increase the

production of growth hormone (which causes physical and

mental energy) or are increased in response to high growth

hormone. Specificly, dihydrotestosterone increases the

production of growth hormone, and growth hormone increases

the production of progesterone and to a lesser extent estradiol,

6. Dihydrotestosterone induces the production of

pain-decreasing enkephalin in the cingulate cortex, and estradiol

induces the production of beta-endorphin, and 7. Sex hormones

increase the quality of the body. Specificly, all of the sex

hormones increase fertility, dihydrotestosterone causes muscle

disinhibition and increased speed of muscle growth in response

to exercise, especially in males, estradiol and progesterone

increase bone strength and increase a female's ability to give

birth to and breastfeed offspring, and all of the sex hormones

improve physical attractiveness. (end of list) All of those

detrimental neurological side effects of goodwill may collectively

be called 'goodwill side-effect syndrome'. In the corrected state,

nuclear sex hormone receptors will not induce the production of

5-HT2 receptors. Sex hormones will be medium to high, as

their beneficial effects will occur without their detrimental effects.

Serotonin and galanin will be low, and acetylcholine and

histamine will be high. Acetylcholine will not increase the level

of cholecystokinin, the M4 receptor will not convert

norepinephrine into epinephrine, and acetylcholine will not

impair multitasking ability, though no ability to concentrate will

be sacrificed. Although this modification is a correction, it is also

the basic modification that must be made to a genome before

any enhancements should be made to it. This modification also

guarantees that the modified human will support transhumanism.



PART 5: Application

As of now, mid 2005, transhumanist work has consisted of

nothing except discussions, news-sharing, political debating, and

some political work on behalf of issues that are related to

transhumanism. There have apparently been no attempts at

actually IMPLEMENTING transhumanism, that is, modifying

human zygotes (probably produced in test tubes), most likely

via a retroviral gene-delivery vector. The genome of an

unmodified human has approximately 22,000 genes (in contrast

to an early crude estimate of approximately 30,000 genes).

Before the genetic modification of human zygotes occurs, it is

first necessary to research the relevant genes and proteins of the

various traits that are to be modified. That constitutes identifying

what genes and proteins produce a specific trait; discovering

how they produce that trait; learning their sequences; using that

information to extrapolate the nature of the modified genes and

proteins and their sequences; and testing the modified genes in

animals (preferably fast-growing animals) that are sufficiently

geneticly similar to humans in the relevant genes, until the

modified genes function successfully. An other option is to

geneticly engineer laboratory animals to grow more rapidly (so

as to get faster test results) and/or to have more human-like

genes (so as to get more accurate test results).

It is therefore in the immediate interest of transhumanists to

share any of the aforementioned research information.



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