New Technology: West Antarctica is among the fastest growing areas...

New Technology: West Antarctica is among the fastest growing areas...: The icy continent today would be unrecognisable to observers from the 20th century. Its northern peninsula is now home to a multitude of t...

West Antarctica is among the fastest growing areas in the world

The icy continent today would be unrecognisable to observers from the 20th century. Its northern peninsula is now home to a multitude of towns and conurbations, with a total population numbering in the millions.

Melting of surface ice has resulted in conditions appropriate for large-scale human settlement.* Even farming and crop growing is now possible in some of the most northerly areas. Air temperatures in the polar regions have increased more than anywhere else in the world, meaning that parts of Antarctica are now comparable with the climates of Alaska, Iceland and northern Scandinavia.

Huge levels of immigration are now underway from countries all over the world that have been affected by climate change, creating a diverse mixture of people and cultures flocking to this new land of opportunity. In some ways, the settlement of Antarctica is similar to that of America in the 18th and 19th centuries. The highest density cities are becoming cultural "melting pots" similar to New York and London.

The Light Year Array is operational

The Light Year Array is operational

At the edge of the solar system - beyond the shroud of comets known as the Oort Cloud - a vast spherical network of telescopes is operational. This has a total collecting area measuring one light year in diameter. By comparison, the largest network of the early 21st century was the ground-based Square Kilometre Array.

The Light Year Array is composed of millions of automated radio telescopes, constructed using self-replicating nanotechnology. Together, these provide astronomers with an almost Godlike view of the cosmos. Under the direction of AI, the network identifies and catalogues nearly every galaxy within 13.7 billion light years - including most of the stars and planets in each - to produce a detailed, 3-dimensional map of the Universe.

Furthermore, the motion vector of each star makes it possible to form a gigantic simulation, capable of being run backwards to the birth of the Universe, or forwards to billions of years in the future. This allows scientists to view a highly accurate model of the aftermath of the Big Bang, as well as the likely ultimate fate of the Universe.

Antimatter-fueled starships

Antimatter-fueled starships:

One of the many benefits resulting from the growth of AI has been the rapid design and prototyping of interstellar space vehicles. The fastest of today's spacecraft are now capable of sustained travel at between 0.9 and 0.99c (90-99% light speed). This is fast enough to reach nearby stars within relatively short time frames.

One of the more common ship designs is a "ring" containing matter-antimatter fuel, purposefully collided to release vast amounts of energy for thrust. This energy is also used to maintain stability and create fields around the craft, protecting it from meteoroids and other hazards.

Huge numbers of deep-space missions are now underway, including trips to Earth-like planets within 100 light years. Most of these ships are unmanned, but a small percentage contain human pilots. These are invariably transhumans with heavily modified bodies and minds, better able to cope with journeys than natural, unaided humans.

Large-scale civilian settlement of the Moon is underway

As a result of various new space elevators, huge numbers of Earth's citizens now have rapid, affordable and safe access to space. Dozens of permanent Moon colonies have been established. Nano technology self-assemblers enable these habitats to be constructed in a matter of hours or days.* Most are concentrated in the southern polar region, which has greater access to water.*

Advances in genetic engineering mean that humans can be fully adapted to the gravity of the Moon. In any case, scientists are developing a form of artificial gravity that will soon become available.

In addition to basic exploration and surveying, the main occupations for colonists at the moment are scientific and technological research. Almost all manual/physical tasks are handled by robots, giving more leisure time for the human residents.

Tourism is now a booming industry, with many thousands of people arriving on the Moon's surface each year for guided tours, even though VR simulations can recreate the Moon's environment in perfect detail. The most popular destinations are Mons Huygens (the highest mountain), Tycho (a prominent crater visible from Earth) and the Apollo landing sites.

A very large telescope is also operational, for long-distance astronomical observations. The lack of atmosphere and other conditions gives it a tremendous advantage over Earth-based telescopes.*

Nomadic floating cities are roaming the oceans

At the dawn of the 22nd century, many of the world's cities lie partially submerged due to rising sea levels.* Despite some attempts to build flood defences, even famous locations – such as New York, London, Hong Kong, Shanghai and Sydney – have been affected. With over 10% of the world's population living on coastlines, hundreds of millions have been forced to migrate.

While many citizens have abandoned their homelands, a growing number have adopted a new means of living which does away with national boundaries altogether. This comes in the form of floating, artificial islands – entirely self-sufficient and able to cruise around the world indefinitely.*

These ships provide comfort, safety and security, in stark contrast to the upheaval and chaos experienced by many land dwellers. In addition to a continuous supply of food and freshwater, various facilities are available including virtual reality suites, state-of-the-art android servants/companions, swimming pools, landing pads for anti-grav vehicles and much more. Carefully maintained arboretums with real trees can also be found on board (flora which is becoming increasingly rare these days).

New, larger and more advanced versions of the Energy Islands built in earlier decades make up the majority of these settlements. Some consist of huge artificial archipelagos, stretching for tens of kilometres. Units are often covered in natural plant life, in addition to hi-tech systems for carbon sequestration.

Human intelligence is being vastly amplified by AI

Ubiquitous, large-scale automation has led to vast swathes of human employees being replaced by virtual or robotic counterparts. Strong AI now occupies almost every level of business, government, the military, manufacturing and service sectors.

Rather than being separate entities, these AI programs are often merged with human minds, greatly extending the latter's capability. For instance, knowledge and skills on any subject can now be downloaded and stored directly within the brain. As well as basic information and data, this includes physical abilities. A person can learn self-defence, for example, become an expert in any sport, or be taught to operate a new vehicle, all within a matter of seconds.

The world has been transformed by this fusion of people and machines. The vastly greater power of AI means that it has become, at the same time, both master and servant to the human race.

The benefits of this human-AI merger require the extensive use of implants, however – something which a significant minority of the population still refuses to accept. Compared to transhumans, these non-upgraded humans are becoming like cavemen – thousands of years behind in intellectual development.* Unable to comprehend the latest technology, the world around them appears "fast" and "strange" from their increasingly limited perspective.* This is creating a major division in society.