Exploring the future...

A futuristic scientist predicts that man could become immortal in as little as 20 years’ time through the use of nanotechnology.

A futuristic scientist predicts that man could become immortal in as little as 20 years' time through the use of nanotechnology.

Ray Kurzweil, a futuristic American scientist, known to have predicted future technologies decades ahead has written in The Sun, "I and many other
scientists now believe that in around 20 years, we will have the means to reprogramme our bodies' stone-age software so we can halt and then reverse ageing. Then nano-technology will let us live forever."

The 61-year-old, lauded by Microsoft founder Bill Gates as the smartest futurist on Earth, said, "We are living through the most exciting period of human history. By the next century, we will have back-up copies of the information in our brains. We will be able to write books within minutes. If we want to go into the virtual-reality mode, nanobots will shut down brain signals and take us wherever we want to go. Virtual sex, too, will become commonplace."

The scientist also predicted that humans in future will become cyborgs, with artificial limbs and organs. "Computer technology and our understanding of genes — our body's software programs - are accelerating at an incredible rate," he said.

The scientist said that blood cell-sized submarines called nanobots are already being tested in animals. These will soon be used to destroy tumours, unblock clots and perform operations without scars. "Ultima-tely, nanobots will replace blood cells and do their work more effectively," he added.