Some Intelligant "Re"-designing.

[Broomstick]

I tend to feel it would be odd if my genitalia retracted or were less exposed like that of other animals.

Well, sure, if we changed them now it would feel odd - if you were that way from birth it would feel prefectly normal. For that matter, genitals that are largely internal IS the normal state for half the human race already

[lazerus]

Total adversions to:

Murder
Rape
Bad attitudes
Disrespectfullness
Greed
Malice
Hate
War
Lust
Stealing
Discontentment

Just think, if THOSE issues weren't a problem with humans, how much more funds would we have to fix a lot of things in our world? If we didn't spend so much time/money on protecting ourselves against the guy down the street/culture across the world, how many of our diseases would have been cured by now? How well would we have known how to advance things, some of which are on a few of the 'wish lists' above?

Bottom line is, our own human nature is our worst trait.

So basically you want to turn us into incredibly dull and boring Vulcans without the pointy ears?

Or like the guys who were so content they just laid down to die in "Serenity". Not to mention that such a species, if it could even survive, would be stagnant.

[lazerus]

Some of that reptilian "grow parts back after they've been ripped off" ability would be cool.

But isn't that only possible because reptillian anatomy is much simpler then ours in the limbs?

[Admiral Valdemar]

But isn't that only possible because reptillian anatomy is much simpler then ours in the limbs?

I dare anyone to show that a reptile's limb is simpler than that of a mammal. We've lost the ability to regenerate, but these species retain such abilities.

[Broomstick]

Some of that reptilian "grow parts back after they've been ripped off" ability would be cool.

But isn't that only possible because reptillian anatomy is much simpler then ours in the limbs?

Absolutely not. Arguably, human limbs are much more primative in structure and design than those of other animals that have specilized more than we have. Reptile limbs are no less sophisticated than ours are.

[wolveraptor]

As I understand it, reptiles can really only regrow their tails, and even then, they are unable to regenerate lost bone, instead replacing it with cartilage. Further, many are incapable of even this. It is amphibians that have the truly amazing ability to regenerate from wounds without apparent side-effect.

[Guardsman Bass]

Actually, retractable male genitalia (if put in) would have an interesting side-effect; it would make cross-dressing much easier. In fact, in some very fat individuals, with male completely recessed genitals it might be impossible to tell them apart with clothes on (unless the guy has a beard).

[Lord of the Abyss]

Here's my improved species. I'd go for a hermaphrodite semi-centauroid design, with an second, extra large and strong set of arms just over the front limbs. Most of the body is scaled, with hollow air filled scales for insulation instead of fur ( the air is sucked out in hot climates ). The more sensitive areas like palms and genitals lack scales.

The creature has no one heart, but multiple overmuscled arteries for pumps. It has two spines; an outer one that handles the structural functions of the spine, and an inner one that armors the spinal cord. The lower torso contains a large, secondary brain designed to act like a biological computer, commanded by the sentient brain ( which replaces the heart in the humanoid torso ). All hands have two thumbs.

Velocioraptor ( sp ) style gutting talons are retractable into the for part of each limb. The feet have retractable grasping claws and the microspines that allow some lizards to climb smooth walls. The hands have multiple "utility" claws, not fighting claws; a blade, a needle-claw, a flat scraper, and so on ( all retractable ). Three tails; two prehensile, and one like a whip with spikes for defense. The spikes are poisoned and deliver an electric eel style shock, to give the poison time to kill.

Junk DNA is removed, like in birds ( they have less ), which allows for smaller, more efficient cells. All cells use a checksum error detection organelle to detect mutated DNA; the damaged cell dies ( idea stolen from Analog, in fairness ). Mitochondrial DNA is integrated into the nuclear DNA, to prevent mitochondrial decay.

All blood vessels have shut off valves, which prevent large scale bleeding. One of the organs I'd add would be a modified plant symbiont, that uses the body's energy instead of sunlight to make oxygen in an emergency. The new species would get tired faster underwater, but never drown as such. Gills BTW wouldn't work with anything warmblooded; anything that efficiently exchanges blood gases will do the same with body heat, and kill it by hypothermia.

The male genitals are either made more heat tolerant, or the scrotum is replaced with fleshy cooling fins; either way, the testicles go deep inside the body. I think I'll go with the pouch idea, to allow for larger brains.

My new creature will sleep one hemisphere at a time like a dolphin, meaning no downtime. It also has a neurological sense organ; a set of nerves integrated into the brain that sense the brains own processes, allowing greater self awareness.

All the basic improvements others have mentioned, like better senses ( and more of them ), regeneration, longer life and so on. Note that with no brain in the head, the internal portions of the sense organs can be made larger. I'd add some convoluted horns, for bat style echolocation without bat-faces ( the horns shaping the sound, instead of the face ).

Getting sleepy; I may add more if I think of it.

[Broomstick]

Sounds like a very interesting alien creature - but arguably that ain't human anymore

[darthdavid]

Here's my improved species. I'd go for a hermaphrodite semi-centauroid design, with an second, extra large and strong set of arms just over the front limbs. Most of the body is scaled, with hollow air filled scales for insulation instead of fur ( the air is sucked out in hot climates ). The more sensitive areas like palms and genitals lack scales.

The creature has no one heart, but multiple overmuscled arteries for pumps. It has two spines; an outer one that handles the structural functions of the spine, and an inner one that armors the spinal cord. The lower torso contains a large, secondary brain designed to act like a biological computer, commanded by the sentient brain ( which replaces the heart in the humanoid torso ). All hands have two thumbs.

Velocioraptor ( sp ) style gutting talons are retractable into the for part of each limb. The feet have retractable grasping claws and the microspines that allow some lizards to climb smooth walls. The hands have multiple "utility" claws, not fighting claws; a blade, a needle-claw, a flat scraper, and so on ( all retractable ). Three tails; two prehensile, and one like a whip with spikes for defense. The spikes are poisoned and deliver an electric eel style shock, to give the poison time to kill.

Junk DNA is removed, like in birds ( they have less ), which allows for smaller, more efficient cells. All cells use a checksum error detection organelle to detect mutated DNA; the damaged cell dies ( idea stolen from Analog, in fairness ). Mitochondrial DNA is integrated into the nuclear DNA, to prevent mitochondrial decay.

All blood vessels have shut off valves, which prevent large scale bleeding. One of the organs I'd add would be a modified plant symbiont, that uses the body's energy instead of sunlight to make oxygen in an emergency. The new species would get tired faster underwater, but never drown as such. Gills BTW wouldn't work with anything warmblooded; anything that efficiently exchanges blood gases will do the same with body heat, and kill it by hypothermia.

The male genitals are either made more heat tolerant, or the scrotum is replaced with fleshy cooling fins; either way, the testicles go deep inside the body. I think I'll go with the pouch idea, to allow for larger brains.

My new creature will sleep one hemisphere at a time like a dolphin, meaning no downtime. It also has a neurological sense organ; a set of nerves integrated into the brain that sense the brains own processes, allowing greater self awareness.

All the basic improvements others have mentioned, like better senses ( and more of them ), regeneration, longer life and so on. Note that with no brain in the head, the internal portions of the sense organs can be made larger. I'd add some convoluted horns, for bat style echolocation without bat-faces ( the horns shaping the sound, instead of the face ).

Getting sleepy; I may add more if I think of it.

Shit, we'd be so kickass. I don't think I can really top this.

[Lord of the Abyss]

Sounds like a very interesting alien creature - but arguably that ain't human anymore

True, but neither are most or all of the other creations in this thread. As long as you start with human DNA, I suppose you could call it human-descended, at least.

[wolveraptor]

Here's my improved species. I'd go for a hermaphrodite semi-centauroid design, with an second, extra large and strong set of arms just over the front limbs. Most of the body is scaled, with hollow air filled scales for insulation instead of fur ( the air is sucked out in hot climates ). The more sensitive areas like palms and genitals lack scales.

You might want to choose a substance with a higher specific heat if you're looking for an insulator. Perhaps water.

The feet have retractable grasping claws and the microspines that allow some lizards to climb smooth walls.

This'll never work with a creature as large as a human. Geckos already push the size limit on creatures that can use such a system.

The hands have multiple "utility" claws, not fighting claws; a blade, a needle-claw, a flat scraper, and so on ( all retractable ).

So, I guess your adroitness is going to hell with all those claws. There's a reason we lost those, you know. I'd have an extra pair of hands that was clawless for fine manipulation.

Three tails; two prehensile, and one like a whip with spikes for defense. The spikes are poisoned and deliver an electric eel style shock, to give the poison time to kill.

Electric eels aren't able to flex their shock-generating muscles much. Your tail will be quite stiff. And frankly, we have no predators that warrant all this crap. A simple stink gland will keep the largest tiger, bear, or lion away.

Junk DNA is removed, like in birds ( they have less ), which allows for smaller, more efficient cells. All cells use a checksum error detection organelle to detect mutated DNA; the damaged cell dies ( idea stolen from Analog, in fairness ). Mitochondrial DNA is integrated into the nuclear DNA, to prevent mitochondrial decay.

In eukaryotic cells, the vast majority of cellular space is taken up by organelles, not DNA, which is tightly packed into the center. Also, have you considered that the genetic machinery operating your checksum error detection could mutate? We'll never be immune to cancer.

One of the organs I'd add would be a modified plant symbiont, that uses the body's energy instead of sunlight to make oxygen in an emergency. The new species would get tired faster underwater, but never drown as such.

How can it's own energy sustain its metabolism indefinitely? That's impossible. It would drown eventually, just not as quickly. You might also want to store oxygen in the muscles rather than just in the lungs, if you really desire aquatic adaptations.

My new creature will sleep one hemisphere at a time like a dolphin, meaning no downtime.

No uptime either -- half your brain will be useless at any given time. Not ideal for geniuses like ourselves.

[Darth Wong]

The biggest trade-offs that we'd want to correct would be the trade-offs relating to energy consumption, since modern technologically advanced humans are capable of ensuring access to essentially limitless food supplies compared to our evolutionary ancestors.

[Admiral Valdemar]

This'll never work with a creature as large as a human. Geckos already push the size limit on creatures that can use such a system.

Incorrect. The exact same technology is being used now to produce special clothing that would allow a full adult human the ability to climb walls. The problem today is making the synthetic fibre pads more durable.

So, I guess your adroitness is going to hell with all those claws. There's a reason we lost those, you know. I'd have an extra pair of hands that was clawless for fine manipulation.

I don't see why we can't have the ability to strengthen the keratin nails we already have and just let them grow if we want some small bladed ability. Rectractable claws would just be a waste for us and take up too much space with the retracting mechanism.

Electric eels aren't able to flex their shock-generating muscles much. Your tail will be quite stiff. And frankly, we have no predators that warrant all this crap. A simple stink gland will keep the largest tiger, bear, or lion away.

I agree. Three tails is the scribblings of a retard. There's absolutely no reason to have more than one tail, if any. Should you want some ability to ward off larger predators or someone who sneaks up on you at night when you're unarmed, the ability to simply administer a quick reacting toxin to temporarily paralyse someone via venom or a stinger would be more than adequate. Electric eel like shocks would be a colossal waste of energy and nowhere near as effective unless in an aquatic environment.

In eukaryotic cells, the vast majority of cellular space is taken up by organelles, not DNA, which is tightly packed into the center. Also, have you considered that the genetic machinery operating your checksum error detection could mutate? We'll never be immune to cancer.

We won't be immune, but we can significantly reduce the risk even more by optimising the p53 gene and making a back-up for that even. Over 90% of all cancers are caused by that gene getting FUBAR. The sad fact of life is, if you want greater complexity, you have more chances for things to go wrong. Look at any modern operating system or car engine.

How can it's own energy sustain its metabolism indefinitely? That's impossible. It would drown eventually, just not as quickly. You might also want to store oxygen in the muscles rather than just in the lungs, if you really desire aquatic adaptations.

It's stupid, because no plant today uses other means than photosynthesis for creating their energy and oxygen. Bacteria or phytoplankton etc. would be better contenders given some are facultative anaerobes, but then, why not just make the body better at dealing with lactate and increase the efficiency of anaerobic respiration anyway? Better O2 storage in muscles is a good idea, just look at any whale for that.

No uptime either -- half your brain will be useless at any given time. Not ideal for geniuses like ourselves.

I fail to see the problem. Anyone who has had the corpus callosum severed or, even, lost half a hemisphere, has lead perfectly normal lives still. The two hemispheres are essentially identical in overall processing ability, losing one just means the other learns to do anything the other half may have specialised somewhat in. Militarily, it makes sense to be able to charge one side up while the other is online. If you're life depends on not falling asleep, no one gives a shit if you can't win Mastermind in your present state. Plus, I'm sure normal people wouldn't use this feature as much and simply have anti-sleep drugs, be they oral or secreted by geneered glands.

The biggest trade-offs that we'd want to correct would be the trade-offs relating to energy consumption, since modern technologically advanced humans are capable of ensuring access to essentially limitless food supplies compared to our evolutionary ancestors.

I'd tack on to that the ability to produce our own essential amino acids too, as someone else mentioned the lack of Vit. C production in our bodies which any Limey will tell you about. It would be a good idea to keep or refine abilities to go to a low power mode and starve the more energy intensive processes of the body a bit if survival by endurance was priority over speed and intelligence.

Something else I'd like is the ability to store mindstates or retrieve information from external sources. If there's one thing you know in gaming, it's that learning bots die, but come back knowing not to repeat the same mistakes (think the Cylons and their ability to transmit their last mindstate to a new body to start again, also like the Culture Soulkeeper gadget). That way, when one of your elite superhumans dies, it's not a loss of experience too that cannot just be implemented like strength or better eyes. You can have an army or workforce that can perfect itself even after those fatal or near-fatal mistakes that normally spell game over for us today.

[wolveraptor]

Incorrect. The exact same technology is being used now to produce special clothing that would allow a full adult human the ability to climb walls. The problem today is making the synthetic fibre pads more durable.

Well damn. I stand corrected.

I don't see why we can't have the ability to strengthen the keratin nails we already have and just let them grow if we want some small bladed ability. Rectractable claws would just be a waste for us and take up too much space with the retracting mechanism.

I don't know that keratin can be strong enough to be a viable claw. You might need a huge, stiff packing of the protein, like a rhino's horn.

I fail to see the problem. Anyone who has had the corpus callosum severed or, even, lost half a hemisphere, has lead perfectly normal lives still.

Yeah, I don't know why I didn't remember those instances. Conceded.

[Shortie]

I'm not a big fan of the human anus. Its inconviently placed between two very large muscles that don't always spread wide enough to allow clear passage of feces. Add a whole lot of hair for bits to get caught on and we're talking about a hell of a cleanup job.

I just want shitting to be as easy and maintence free as taking a piss is. As a male, I think the hose like function of the penis is great. I can direct urine well away from my body. I want a similar hose like extension for the anus. It should be able to retract when not in use, and extend out to maybe a foot long to allow for ease of handling.

Have you ever used a public toilet? Have you seen what people can do with their boring old conventional anus? There is no possible way this is a good thing.

As to the sleeping thing, IIRC baby cetaceans don't sleep for the first month of their life, and there are some humans who manage perfectly well on ridiculously small amounts, so reducing the need down to 4 hours or less per day shouldn't require a major trade-off.

Ageing is the big one though, and that links in to regeneration.

Physical defences are basically irrelevant once we have even the most basic levels of socialisation and tool-using, and can make life awkward later (being a great big hexaped means that air travel is significantly more expensive, as is getting to orbit.

Sensory upgrades are more interesting though, especially things like lateral lines which are totally foreign to us (as opposed to sight or sound upgrades, which can be more replaced with tech).

[Illuminatus Primus]

Couldn't the development and growth of the skull and brain adapt to continue somewhat after birth?

[wolveraptor]

Extending childhood was never an evolutionary advantage, but with our technology, it's much more feasible, especially in the near future, to simply take the inseminated egg out early and have an artificial incubator.

[Broomstick]

I don't see why we can't have the ability to strengthen the keratin nails we already have and just let them grow if we want some small bladed ability. Rectractable claws would just be a waste for us and take up too much space with the retracting mechanism.

I don't know that keratin can be strong enough to be a viable claw. You might need a huge, stiff packing of the protein, like a rhino's horn.

Rhino horn IS keratin. As are cow horns, and tiger claws and bear claws and horse hooves...

Keratin can be quite durable.

[Molyneux]

This'll never work with a creature as large as a human. Geckos already push the size limit on creatures that can use such a system.

Incorrect. The exact same technology is being used now to produce special clothing that would allow a full adult human the ability to climb walls. The problem today is making the synthetic fibre pads more durable.

Ooooh....could I please get a link to any articles or anything you've got about that? I very much want gloves of that kinda material when it hits the market.

[wolveraptor]

I don't know that keratin can be strong enough to be a viable claw. You might need a huge, stiff packing of the protein, like a rhino's horn.

Rhino horn IS keratin. As are cow horns, and tiger claws and bear claws and horse hooves...

Keratin can be quite durable.[/quote]I know. And it's huge. Way too impractical for fingernails. For it to be small enough to allow for dexterity, it can't be as big as a rhino horn or hoof, and it needs to be in that concentration to be an effective claw, I would think. That's what I was trying to convey.

[Molyneux]

I don't know that keratin can be strong enough to be a viable claw. You might need a huge, stiff packing of the protein, like a rhino's horn.

Rhino horn IS keratin. As are cow horns, and tiger claws and bear claws and horse hooves...

Keratin can be quite durable.

I know. And it's huge. Way too impractical for fingernails. For it to be small enough to allow for dexterity, it can't be as big as a rhino horn or hoof, and it needs to be in that concentration to be an effective claw, I would think. That's what I was trying to convey.[/quote]

Perhaps we could take a page from Dungeons and Dragons, and have an arrangement similar to a draegloth - large, highly muscled arms with claws for brute tasks (lifting, combat and climbing), as well as smaller, much more dextrous secondary arms?

[wolveraptor]

That's what I suggested much earlier. Why not have an extra set of limbs? Our torsos would need a lot of rearranging to make it work, though.

[wilfulton]

In the past, I've mentioned two Hel-karan weapons, one was an assault rifle, the other was the Imperat Dreadnaught, but I never really said who they were.

They actually fit the description quite well. They are externally identical to humans, but internally things are a little different.

Well 14 pages of different actually, which I hope should make for interesting reading when I'm done with it, but I won't post here right now.

[Korvan]

I'm not a big fan of the human anus. Its inconviently placed between two very large muscles that don't always spread wide enough to allow clear passage of feces. Add a whole lot of hair for bits to get caught on and we're talking about a hell of a cleanup job.

I just want shitting to be as easy and maintence free as taking a piss is. As a male, I think the hose like function of the penis is great. I can direct urine well away from my body. I want a similar hose like extension for the anus. It should be able to retract when not in use, and extend out to maybe a foot long to allow for ease of handling.

Have you ever used a public toilet? Have you seen what people can do with their boring old conventional anus? There is no possible way this is a good thing.

Hmm, definately brings new meaning to "reading the shit on the bathroom walls". I guess mankind is not yet ready for a prehensile anus.