Biosecurity

James Stavridis: Biological developments pose national security threats

Yet the impact of all that information and data pales in comparison to what is heading our way in the world of biology. Biological, not cybernetic, developments will determine the course of the 21st century. Ebola, Zika and the emergence of antibiotic-impervious superbugs are just previews of the coming challenges.

By the turn of the next century, most scientists believe biological technologies will introduce the most wrenching changes — both practical and ethical — in our daily lives. These technologies will include human and animal life extension, crop and livestock genetic manipulation, and human performance enhancement, which together will begin changing the very nature of what it means to be human. As futurist and visionary Ray Kurzweil has famously opined, "The singularity is near," meaning the merger of information, big data, artificial intelligence and biology. Stand by for heavy rolls, as we say in the Navy.