Defying Darwin: Super Soldiers and Silicon Souls
A New National Security Domain
Hi everyone,
While drones dominate defense headlines, a more profound national security revolution is buried but brewing—what I call bioadvantage, or "Darwin-Defying Tech." In December 2020, amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the U.S. Intelligence Community softly reported covert testing on soldiers in China aimed at creating super soldiers.
This development slipped past most media outlets except a brief mention by NBC's Ken Dalanian. Today, I want to shed a bit more light on this than I have already. Why? Because it’s serious— and it hasn’t gone away.
Drum roll please 🥁,
Pete
Defying Darwin: Human Evolution 2.0
Charles Darwin is wrong—at least, no longer right. "The strongest live, the weakest die" holds true for organic beings—until we’re no longer organic. I believe 21st-century humans will be the last "100% organic" generation.
Biohacking isn’t new. Check out this 1960s salesman who designed gas-powered rollerblades for door-to-door optimization.
The salesman’s hacks reveals our eternal pursuit of Silicon Souls— inorganic biotools that can make ourselves more productive, more prosperous. At a national level, such tools can make us more resilient— and more powerful.
Let’s examine bioadvantage on national and personal levels.
National Bioadvantage
At the state level, China is positioning itself as a global frontrunner in human performance enhancement, with military researchers exploring gene editing to potentially create super-soldiers and unlock sci-fi-like biological capabilities. Of course, this is a continuation of a terrifying history of military-science resulting in Animorph-like pursuits. For example, it was reported that in the 1920s the Soviets attempted to cross-breed humans and apes to create a “newbreed” army. This failed and today is mostly made fun of:
This is not science fiction: Ilya Ivanovich Ivanov was a Russian biologist who pioneered artificial insemination in animals but is best known for his controversial and ultimately unsuccessful attempts to create a human-ape hybrid through cross-species fertilization experiments.
Personal Bioadvantage
Today, there are less nefarious but equally ambitious pursuits of bioadvantage. On the individual front, transhumanism is gaining mainstream traction, with Reddit's r/transhumanism boasting 84,000 followers and influencers like Bryan Johnson—sporting 403,000 Twitter followers and the provocative slogan "Don't Die"—driving widespread interest in challenging traditional human biological boundaries.
The Problem: VCs Back SickCare to Bring Humans Back to Normal. But Why Settle for "Normal"?
Venture capitalists have poured trillions into "sick-care" technologies that merely restore humans to baseline health. But why stop at normal—especially given national security implications?
The next frontier demands investing in "super-humans": imagine super athletes shattering records, genius-level intellects downloading collective human knowledge, and soldiers performing at peak capability beyond a century of age. This is the promise of Darwin-Defying Tech—and it's already unfolding. Here’s how I visualize the “gap” in where VCs invest now, versus where they could/will invest going forward:
The Seven Pillars of Bioadvantage: A National Security Imperative
In an era where technological superiority defines global power, bioadvantage emerges as a critical frontier of national security. How do we make sense of this emerging area?
Here’s a start I’ll offer— though certainly imperfect. These seven breakthrough technologies aren't just scientific curiosities—they're potential game-changers in geopolitical strategy, offering nations unprecedented capabilities to enhance human performance, resilience, and cognitive potential.
AI: Redefining Cognition Transforming how we think, diagnose, and innovate, with potential to upload and preserve consciousness.
Anti-Aging Genetic Engineering Targeting aging as a curable disease, dramatically extending human lifespans.
Regenerative Medicine Stem cell technologies enabling organ regrowth without traditional transplants.
Cryonics Freezing humans post-death to potentially revive them with future medical advancements.
Nanomedicine Microscopic bots targeting specific cells, preventing and healing at the molecular level.
Digital Immortality Neural mapping to preserve consciousness beyond physical limitations.
Cyborgization Merging humans with mechanical enhancements to transcend biological boundaries.
The Big Opportunity: Investing in Superhumanity
These technologies are rapidly transforming from science fiction to reality. For investors, the question is no longer if they should get involved—it’s when. The shift from healthcare to superhumanity is inevitable, and early movers will define this new frontier.
I am still “early” in formulating an executable-investment thesis— meaning I am talking to experts, talking to companies.
I welcome you to join me on this self-education— and of course, if you know companies building in these spaces, reach out.
Conclusion: Evolution Beyond Darwin
The transformation from biological limitations to human potential is accelerating. AI, genetic engineering, and nanomedicine are fundamentally rewriting the rules of human evolution, replacing natural selection with deliberate technological intervention. We may be the last generation of unmodified humans, but the future belongs to those bold enough to engineer their own advancement.
I know this is a controversial topic— understandably, it touches fundamental human-ness, values, ethics, and so on. My goal here: to make sure that this space is not ignored. And with that, I hope this has made you think a bit.
As always, thanks for reading! If I may ask, if you love FutureBeat, please tell a friend about it! I rely on totally organic (pun intended!) sharing.
Pete
Jobs! Reach out if any pique your interest
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