Entering the urgent question of the age of artificial intelligence: What is life?

1.
Can You Design a Baby? : Childbirth
Is pregnancy solely a woman's responsibility? | How did childbirth become so dangerous? | Is birth control an affront to nature?

2.
Do superior genes exist? : Genetics
Why did the double helix become famous as "nature's ladder"? | How was the physical nature of genetics discovered? | Can life be created through biotechnology?

3.
Where is the soul, really? : The heart
Where did the idea that desire is contained in the 'liver' come from? | Why is the symbol of love shaped like a 'heart'? | Are emotions simply biochemical reactions in the 'brain'?

4.
What can personalized treatment do? : Disease
When did the belief that disease was punishment break down? | How did anatomy transform art into medicine? | Why is medicine called the science of uncertainty and the art of probability?

5.
How far would I go if I replaced my body with a machine? : Long-term
Is there a way to bring a person back to life by removing only their head? | Why has humanity dreamed of transplants for so long? | How is organ transplantation different from replacing mechanical parts?

6.
Can a vaccine save humanity? : Infection
Why have plagues struck at every tumultuous moment in world history? | Is there a way to completely prevent contagion? | How did the "magic bullet" become a surefire cure?

7.
Is a pain-free life possible? : Pain
What would it have been like without painkillers and anesthetics? | Is paralysis, hallucination, and laughing gas truly safe? | Who deserves credit for the discovery of anesthesia?

8.
Why do our mouths and bodies like different tastes? : Digestion
Was food the driving force behind human evolution? | Why is delicious food bad for you? | Is digestion simply a biological problem?

9.
Can aging be prevented or reversed? : Aging
Is aging a natural progression toward death? | Is there a scientific cure for aging? | Will immortality ever truly become a reality?

10.
Where Can We Find the Secret of Life? : Experiment
When did humanity begin experimenting? | How did criticism and debate become weapons of community? | How is advanced technology transforming science?

In an age where we need more training in thinking than learning facts on the go

supplement
Americas

As cutting-edge biotechnology shakes the very definition of human beings,
Revisiting the Crucial Questions of Life Science That Changed the History of Birth, Aging, Illness, and Death

In 2020, Jennifer Doudna and Emmanuel Charpentier were awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for their development of the genome-editing technology CRIPSR-Cas9.
This technology, also known as 'gene scissors', allows for precise manipulation of genes in the chromosomes of living cells.
The technology sparked controversy when it was announced in 2015 over concerns about "designer babies," and it became a reality in 2018 when babies with a CCR5 gene were born in China, drawing strong criticism from many scientific experts.
In fact, this is not the first time that there has been controversy surrounding birth control.
When the world's first test-tube baby was born in 1978, the Catholic Church strongly criticized in vitro fertilization technology, claiming it went against the laws of nature.
However, in vitro fertilization gradually became widespread and became a representative infertility treatment method, and physiologist Robert Edsworth, who greatly contributed to the birth of in vitro babies, was awarded the 2010 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.
So, will CRISPR technology also one day become established as an assisted reproductive technology?

The idea of ​​creating genetically modified babies using CRISPR technology is extremely risky, given that our understanding of the function and role of genes is so limited, and that genes can only explain human characteristics or phenotypes to a very limited extent.
Especially if the goal is not to cure, but rather to improve the physical and mental functions of the human body, for which there are many alternatives, a more cautious approach is necessary.

- Page 48 (Can You Design a Baby?: Childbirth)

The reason why the technology to control birth is at the center of such heated debate is because it touches on the very nature of humanity.
Aging is a similar case.
The story of an American millionaire who recently received blood plasma transfusions from young people, including his own son, to regain his biological youth has become a hot topic.
Aging is considered an inevitable process that humans cannot avoid, and therefore attempts to prevent aging and restore youth are often considered absurd and futile efforts.
However, research is increasingly showing that the aging process can actually be halted or even reversed.
The idea that transfusing 'young blood' will make you younger is also a hypothesis that has been partially confirmed to be effective through laboratory experiments on rats.
With the advancement of technology and science, the boundaries of the essence of 'humanity' as we know it are expanding.


The Alcor Life Extension Foundation is cryopreserving patients immediately after death to help them recover and recover in the future when medical technology is more advanced.
Thanks to advancements in science and technology, we are also witnessing the emergence of transhumans, who have expanded their bodily functions by replacing the organs and tissues that make up the human body with artificial ones.
Furthermore, we are also looking forward to the emergence of a new type of humanity, such as posthumans, who will attempt to maximize mental functions by replacing even the human brain with artificial intelligence.

- Page 220 (Can Aging Be Prevented or Reversed?: Aging)

If, through the power of science and technology, we overcome aging and death, and gain complete control over our bodies and minds, would that future be a utopia? Of course, scientific advancements have made human life incomparably more convenient and safer than ever before.
However, there have been countless instances in history where scientific theories or technologies that were not yet fully verified were abused and harmed people.
Moreover, surprising discoveries that could shake up the definition of 'life' as understood so far can clash with existing worldviews and bring about social chaos.

It is impossible to predict how satisfactory the reductionist approach to explaining brain function based on neurons and biomolecules will be in the future.
Moreover, although the correlation between the physiology of the mind and the brain seems quite strong, psychology, which has classically dealt with the mind, and the newly emerging neuroscience do not harmonize well with each other and sometimes create tension by opposing each other.
- Page 90 (Where is the soul? : The mind)

The 'scientific facts' we now take for granted were once controversial and overturned the common sense of the time.
By retracing the process by which these wondrous discoveries were born, developed, and widely recognized, we examine the attitudes we must adopt to prepare for the future of humanity that science will transform.
This is why, as biotechnology shakes the very essence of humanity, we propose to look back at the history of life sciences.

“Biology is the history of the Earth and all its life forms.”
A wondrous and controversial story of life sciences where history, philosophy, and art intersect.

Even after we began to explore the causes of disease scientifically rather than religiously, medicine neglected the study of anatomy for quite some time.
This is because Hippocrates' humoral pathology, which believed that a disease was caused by an imbalance in the four body fluids, was the mainstream theory.
In this context, it was the intellectuals and artists of the Renaissance who developed anatomy.
In medieval Christian society, where the soul was believed to be resurrected from a complete body, human dissection was not readily permitted. However, in the 12th century, partial dissection of corpses was permitted, opening the way for full-scale anatomical research.
The achievements of artists who studied the structure of the human body to accurately express it soon became the foundation for the development of medicine.
As the biological structure of the body became more precisely understood, the errors in the existing humoral pathology theory system gradually became apparent.

Leonardo da Vinci also said, “A painter must be a good anatomist.
“This will allow us to design the human skeleton and understand the structure of tendons, nerves, bones and muscles.”
I also thought that dissection was not a heretical act, but rather a way to better understand God's work.
“You should not be distressed by the fact that your discoveries are made through the death of another.
Rather, we should be grateful to the Creator for providing such excellent means,” he wrote in his notes.
- Page 102 (What is possible with personalized treatment? : Disease)

The decisive evidence that overturned our perspective on disease was born at the intersection of art and science.
The process by which life sciences developed is difficult to fully understand without considering the historical and cultural context surrounding their discoveries.
Meanwhile, the true nature of organs, which was revealed through the advancement of anatomy, has once again become the center of heated debate with the advancement of organ transplant technology.
In 2015, Italian neurosurgeon Sergio Canavero announced that he would attempt the world's first head transplant.
Although this surgery was never actually performed, it became a hot topic and sparked controversy not only in the scientific community but also in society at large.
Because the act of replacing a human body, especially a head, is directly related to the question of determining where that person's identity lies.
This is an issue that raises many philosophical and ethical questions, especially in relation to the currently developing cutting-edge regenerative medicine and artificial organ technologies.

Head transplantation is not only a technical issue, but also raises philosophical, ethical, and legal controversies.
If A's head is successfully transplanted onto B's body, should that person be considered A or B? If A or B has a spouse and children, whose spouse and children are they legally? Should health insurance coverage be based on A's records or B's records?
- Page 116 (If I were to replace my body with a machine, how far would I go?: Long-term)

There is another argument that highlights the importance of integrative awareness for scientists.
There is a debate over who first discovered ether, which is used as an anesthetic.
William Morton, who is credited with first developing this method of anesthesia using ether, gained immense fame as it made painless surgery a reality.
However, he later became obsessed with financial gain, drawing criticism from fellow doctors, and Charles Jackson, who advised Morton to study the anesthetic effects of ether, was also criticized for his excessive pursuit of self-interest.
However, Dr. Crawford Long, who was the first to successfully perform ether anesthesia surgery, did not boast about his achievements, but rather received much recognition after his death.
In 1990, U.S. President George W. Bush designated March 30, the day Long first successfully administered ether anesthesia, as "National Physician Day."


Long did not appeal to the authority and recognition of his own merits like Wells, nor resort to trickery like Jackson, nor was he commercially ambitious like Morton.
Perhaps for this reason, James Marion Sims, the father of modern obstetrics and gynecology, published a detailed paper on Long's achievements in the Virginia Medical Monthly and gave him great praise.
After his death, Long's reputation was further enhanced by his historical evaluation.
- Page 177 (Is a Life Without Pain Possible?: Pain)

The ether discovery controversy serves as a vivid historical example that both reflects on the modern profit-seeking trend and awakens the ethical consciousness that should accompany scientific discovery.
As rocket science pioneer Robert Goddard once said, “It is difficult to say what is impossible, because yesterday’s dreams are today’s hopes and tomorrow’s reality.” The advancement of life sciences has always been a history of making what existed in imagination into reality.
By following the milestones presented in this book, you'll explore the moments when new ideas are born, the process by which groundbreaking discoveries become widely accepted, and the repercussions of those discoveries. This will empower you to consider how to handle the cognitive shock brought about by modern technology.

The Key to Innovative Scientific Advancement: Combining Disparate Ideas
Why the intersection of humanities and science is more urgent than ever

Today's scientific research, often described as "rapid discovery science," aims to make as many discoveries as possible as quickly as possible, but is evaluated as actually achieving worse results in making innovative discoveries than before.
Although it is difficult to say for sure what the cause is, the author points out the changed environment today by changing the saying, “A complete scientist is one who embraces both theory and experimental practice” (Claude Bernard) to “A complete scientist is one who embraces both theory, experimental practice, and data analysis.”
The reason why "History Asks, Life Science Answers" tells the stories of how the thoughts of scientists, medical doctors, and artists came together to make surprising discoveries is in the same vein.
In today's world, where big data and artificial intelligence technologies are advanced, comprehensive and creative thinking is becoming increasingly important.
Data technology can assist in the idea generation process, but it does not possess scientific literacy or intrinsic motivation in itself.

Johansson called the phenomenon of an explosion of innovative ideas at "intersections," where disparate ideas meet, the "Medici effect."
Empirical research utilizing big data technology has also confirmed that combining disparate ideas in unconventional ways can lead to innovative and impactful research.
- Page 241 (Where can we find the secret of life?: Experiment)

This book examines the discoveries in life science that have transformed the definition of humanity through a thoughtful, humanistic perspective.
For young people aspiring to major in life sciences or medicine, it offers unique insights into scientific research and ethics, while for adult readers, it offers an opportunity to reflect on the rapidly changing modern society driven by technological advancements.
As mentioned earlier, the groundbreaking discoveries of the past, like the controversial biotechnology technologies of today, were accepted as 'facts' after going through numerous failures and controversies.
Therefore, we should examine all scientific findings with an open mind, but we should not become overly fixated on any one theory.

The author cautions against blind faith in scientific theories and argues that we need to face the limitations of scientific research, which fundamentally fails to accurately reflect the real world.
Furthermore, since knowledge gained through basic research does not automatically lead to useful applications, it is important to be able to successfully predict whether or not a certain knowledge can be applied in clinical settings.
This is also the reason why the author confesses the difficulties of 'intermediary research' in the latter part of the book (appendix) and focuses on literacy for successful intermediary research.

Why is biological knowledge gained through experiments so unstable? Phenomena derived from the controlled and idealized space of the laboratory, while close to what occurs in the real world, are not identical.
Laboratory research inevitably has inherent limitations in mimicking the real world, relying on rough estimates and assumptions.

- Page 257 (Appendix)

There has always been a historical context behind the amazing advancements of science, and the process by which scientific theories attain the status of facts amid criticism and debate is itself a dramatic history.
In this book, "History Asks, Life Science Answers," readers will experience a moment when their perspective on society broadens as they read the stories exchanged between two fields that are like two sides of the same coin.