From telepathy to immortality: Renowned physicist describes future in Dubai forum

Will people on earth finally be able to connect with lifeforms on other planets? Is it possible for humans to live forever?

These topics — along with telepathy and beating cancer — was among the subjects that cropped up as theoretical physicist and futurist Dr. Michio Kaku shared his insights into where the world is heading in the next 10 to 50 years.

During the Dubai Future Forum (DFF) held at the Museum of the Future on Tuesday, Kaku sat with Mohammad Al Gergawi, Minister of Cabinet Affairs and managing director of Dubai Future Foundation, in a quirky question-and-answer session.

When asked about his predictions for the next 10 years, Dr. Kaku spoke about a futuristic contact lens that would instantly take people online. “The first people to buy it would be college students studying for final exam,” he said, eliciting laughter from the audience.

He also spoke about how he thinks hydrogen from seawater will provide unlimited energy while cancer will become detectable in everyone’s living rooms due to advancements in science.

“In the future, in your bathroom, your bodily fluids will be analysed, and it will tell you that you will have cancer in five or ten years,” he said. “One day we will treat cancer like the common cold. That is, we can’t cure it, but it won’t kill anyone”

'We can actually think of living forever'

According to Dr. Kaku, in the next 50 years, computers will be connected to the living brain. “We will have telepathy,” he said.

“We will think to turn on the lights, move objects, dictate manuscripts mentally. This means the internet will become brain-net and we will communicate telepathically with the people of the world.”

He claims that humans will be able to record memories and emotions, allowing them to feel what the other is feeling and communicate mentally.

Quantum computers will become common and, working on an atomic level, they will be able to eradicate diseases. This could lead to immortality.

According to him, with the rate at which genetic engineering is progressing, it will be possible to correct the errors in the human genome. “For the first time in history, we can actually think of living forever,” he said.

Dr Kaku also talked about how humans are fast moving towards digital immortality. “Every time a teenager does a stupid prank on the internet, it is recorded and is part of their biography,” he said.

“In the future, all these will create an avatar that looks like you, talks like you, has your memories, and can speak to your great great great grandchildren. You will live forever.”

He also said technology brings knowledge and empowerment to those without a voice — thus taking the human race forward. He also spoke about how war would always be present, but the ferocity would decrease because of the presence of the internet.

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Beyond earth

When Al Gergawi cheekily asked him how much time it would take before humans made contact with beings from other planets, Kaku replied equally cheekily that he always wonders about intelligent life on earth.

He went on to say that with 100 billion galaxies and even more stars in the universe, to think that humans are the only intelligent species is the ultimate mistake.

“I don’t know when we will make contact,” he said. “But I think it will be within this century. There is a very good chance we will pick up a signal from another planet. That could be a tremendous event in human history, to meet with another civilisation probably more advanced than ours.”

The futurist then questioned Al Gergawi what his goals were for the museum, he replied that the Museum of the Future was a beacon of hope and change for the rest of the region.

“We are changing our region in a better way,” he said. “When the UAE was formed 50 years ago, we barely had any roads. Last year, we went to Mars. Dubai is the world’s largest lab where we sit together and discuss how to enhance people’s lives not only technology wise but also with humanity.”

Kaku praised the UAE Government for its vision. “I travel around the world, I meet governments, I meet officials. Only in the UAE do I find a government that has a vision — we have visionaries leading the country asking how can science and technology enrich and educate the people of the world."

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