[ExI] Islands of trans-humanity

[Stuart LaForge]

On 2023-12-03 14:23, Kelly Anderson via extropy-chat wrote:

> ChatGPT says that, "one notable example is the works of Peter F.
> Hamilton, whose sci-fi novels often include humans who have evolved
> into subspecies, influenced by technology, ideology, and biology." Has
> anyone read Hamilton's books? Worth the read??


Another sci-fi novel about human subspecies is an oldie but still has 
merit: H.G Wells, "The time Machine". The Eloi and the Morlocks qualify 
as human subspecies. Also, the "Dune" series by Frank Herbert features 
Guild Navigators and Bene Tleilaxu who have have evolved to the point 
where they no longer resemble base-line humans. While not serious 
science fiction, I would say that the mutants in the Marvel comics such 
as the X-Men are a human subspecies.

Also, while never really explored in-story, in the Star Trek franchise, 
the relatively common occurrences of humans interbreeding with alien 
species to produce half-Vulcans and half-Klingons, suggests that rather 
than being independently evolved other species, Humans, Vulcans (and by 
extension, Romulans), and Klingons seem to be subspecies of the same 
space-faring progenitor species that might have seeded them on their 
home-worlds.

There really isn't any other good scientific explanation for their 
mysterious genetic compatibility. Doubly so if Spock and his fellow 
half-breed are fertile themselves. It could also explain why the 
majority of aliens in the Star Trek are so phenotypically similar to 
humans as to look like people with prosthetics and make up on. :)

Stuart LaForge