So, since there are no restrictions on therapy, in that we have a right to medical aid, there also should be no restrictions on human enhancement, i.e., using the same medical devices or procedures to improve our already-healthy bodies. This does not, however, mean these soldiers are better performers on the field. Unfortunately, with the exception of modafinil for Army aviators, the Army has not generally conducted much research on the military value of these enhancements. Colonel Michael Russo of the Army Aeromedical Research Laboratory has outlined a four-part criteria that should inform decisions regarding the use of cognitive enhancement drugs in a military context: While Russo intended this criteria for cognitive-enhancing drugs, the same criteria could equally apply to physical enhancements or non-pharmacological interventions, such as brain stimulation. Decreased training time also increases the time available for other activities or more specific training. K.E. Air Force studies have demonstrated it improves reaction times and decreases false alarms when targeting, enhancing performance in a battlefield task.74 In one study, the Air Force found that tDCS improved imagery analysts’ visual search accuracy by approximately 25 percent. Over the course of human history, people have sought to alter their bodies not only to restore their health, but also to augment their abilities. Enhancement, however, is not only a technological issue, but it’s also closely related to basic human rights, Sandor’s main focus in the project. This same type of technological enhancement of dining hall meals or MREs, or simply routinized distribution of vitamins, could be pursued with other supplements to improve overall nutrition through better and more regular vitamin intake. 7 (July 2013); Barbara J. Sahakian, Annette B. Bruhl, Jennifer Cook, Clare Killikelly, George Savulich, Thomas Piercy, Sepehr Hafizi, Jesus Perez, Emilio Fernandez-Egea, John Suckling, and Peter B. Jones, “The impact of neuroscience on society: cognitive enhancement in neuropsychiatric disorders and in healthy people,”, Harris Lieberman, William Tharion, Barbara Shukitt-Hale, Karen Speckman, and Richard Tulley, “Effects of caffeine, sleep loss, and stress on cognitive performance and mood during U.S. Navy SEAL training. Army leaders have begun to take steps toward changing this culture. In controlled experiments, tDCS has been demonstrated to increase vigilance and cognition under fatigue. War is dangerous, and enhancements that allow soldiers to carry more protective gear, be more alert, or be better trained all have significant payoffs in terms of improving soldier survivability. In this webinar you’ll have the chance to hear from PepsiCo on why they’re recruiting talented STEM professionals like you. … Stem cell research, … Jones, “Sustaining helicopter pilot performance with Dexedrine during periods of sleep deprivation,”. Caldwell, J.S. U.S. Army, “A Leader’s Guide to Soldier Health and Fitness,” Department of the Army, ATP 6-22.5, February 2016, https://safety.army.mil/Portals/0/Documents/ON-DUTY/MILITARYOPERATIONSANDTRAINING/Standard/A_Leaders_Guide_to_Soldier_Health_and_Fitness.pdf, Section 11-1. body image enhancement in the nursing interventions classification, a nursing intervention defined as improving a patient's body image (conscious and unconscious perceptions and attitudes toward his/her body). The Army should consider potential physical and cognitive enhancements on a case-by-case basis, evaluated based on the risks of the specific treatment and the relative operational advantages to soldier survivability. There is no parole in the federal prison system, which has drawn international outrage from human rights groups and is believed to be a major contributor to prison overcrowding. This website uses cookies. A few rooms could have been confused for mini-pharmacies.”12 Some of the supplements soldiers are currently using (on their own) may have benefits, but more research is needed to ensure these supplements are enhancing and not detracting from soldier performance. This event will be available via Livestream, and archived in perpetuity on the Academy's Livestream Channel. This can alter connections in the brain and modify synapses, improving motor performance and cognition.73 Transcranial direct current stimulation is already being used by Olympic athletes and at-home users alike and is currently being tested at the Air Force Research Laboratory. From an ethical standpoint, most of the concerns with human enhancement revolve around fairness and equal access. Non-pharmacological agents have been fully explored. More recent developments are ever more complex, from prosthetic devices to restore lost functions, like robotic limbs or cochlear implants, to the DIY biohackers movement to create cognitive and body enhancers. Steroids can have significant negative side effects, however, including cardiovascular, liver, and tendon damage, increased aggression, and sexual changes.25 Anabolic steroids are derived from testosterone, a naturally occurring hormone in both men and women (although in different amounts). Ray, “Steroid use has legal consequences, harmful effects.”, Michael Easter, “What Powerlifting Tells Us About The Effects of PEDs,”. There are a handful of people that could probably do it. When three scientists working across different disciplines, universities, and continents teamed up as part of the Interstellar Initiative—an international mentorship program for early-career investigators—their first task was finding common ground. And so they believe there are God-given limits, and if the limits are transgressed, people don’t flourish. At the same time, the reality is that by providing easy access to caffeine while deployed and over-the-counter supplements on military bases, DoD leaders have de facto encouraged widespread, ad hoc, unregulated use of human enhancement technologies by warfighters without robust guidelines in place or physician oversight. Post-combat stress is likely a factor among recently deployed personnel,36 as are long-term effects of disrupted sleep patterns and habitual caffeine and alcohol use.37 Head injuries such as traumatic brain injury can also disrupt sleep.38 Cultural factors undoubtedly also play a role. Many drugs, such as modafinil, are commonly often used “off label” – prescribed by a doctor but to treat a condition other than that for which the drug was approved by the FDA. Supporting the Sustainable Development Goals, Multiple Micronutrient Supplements in Pregnancy, Transactions of the New York Academy of Sciences. Indeed, medical treatments such as vaccines are specifically intended to enhance humans above their baseline physical condition. The Army currently uses two cognitive performance-enhancing drugs: caffeine and dextroamphetamine. But what is the mechanism that does the work to help keep babies healthy? Military training should prepare soldiers for this reality to the maximum extent possible, while inculcating healthy sleep habits overall. HIIT’s endurance improvements among highly trained athletes3 are of particular applicability to the military, since military personnel, especially combat soldiers, already undergo regular physical training. These drugs help enhance cognition in the pre-frontal cortex64 to improve focus and concentration.65 They are also reported to be widely used in colleges as a “study drug” in healthy individuals to enhance focus, with some studies suggesting on the order of 30 percent of college students use them on some campuses.66 Similar to other stimulants such as caffeine and dextroamphetamine, many of these drugs can have side effects such as agitation, nervousness, sleeplessness, irritability, or nausea. Sleep is a critical part of overall health and proper cognitive functioning. https://www.cnas.org/publications/reports/human-performance-enhancement-1 Technological advantage has always played a central role in war, from the bow and arrow to modern missiles, but technologies are mere tools in the hands of warfighters. It also has been shown to improve multitasking performance, an increasingly relevant component of military operations.75 In one test, sleep-deprived soldiers who had received brain stimulation performed better overall than those who consumed caffeinated chewing gum, due to improvements in mood and fatigue beyond solely cognitive testing.76 TDCS also shortens training time, making training more efficient and causing lasting effects weeks beyond immediate use. Because testosterone exists naturally in the body, the magnitude of strength increases and harmful side effects depends on the level of dose above normal physiological (supraphysiological) levels. There are, however, exercises that can develop these muscles and improve breathing while under heavy loads. Moderate human enhancement meets the requirement of truly human enhancement. Where there is insufficient research with regard to a supplement’s effectiveness, the Army should sponsor research to determine if the supplement has benefits to soldier performance. One factor that complicates balancing the relative risks of treatment vs. non-treatment is the lack of adequate research on many potential enhancements on healthy individuals. Alternatively, bioethicists have argued that the possibility of human enhancement requires us to consider what sorts of people there should be, alluding to the prospective use of germ-line genetic modifications or selection. Nevertheless, these concerns can be met with appropriate procedures in place. The military context is unique.80 Just as the military trains soldiers to do other actions that are legitimate in war but would not be in civilian settings – such as killing – fairness is not a consideration in war. Despite early leadership on human rights during the 20th century, the United States, unlike many other nations around the world, has not ratified most of the major human rights treaties. Develop nutrition guides and provide the necessary supplements to develop muscle mass and improve performance as a part of nutrition planning, and limit unregulated supplement use. Sarah O. Meadows et al., “2015 Health Related Behaviors Survey," RAND Corporation, Washington DC, 2018, https://www.rand.org/pubs/research_briefs/RB9955z2.html, 4. Human Enhancement and the Future of Work considers everything that could be said to improve a person's ability to do work, including so-called … (Some geolocating fitness trackers may pose operational security risks and should always be used consistent with DoD guidelines.8) The Army should investigate alternative physical fitness training methods to improve strength and operational performance on the battlefield. Many have expressed a need for caution due to the myriad unanswered questions and unknowns regarding how these technologies should be used, to what ends, and who should make … Where there is insufficient research with regard to a supplement’s effectiveness, sponsor research to determine if the supplement has benefits to soldier performance. To find out more about cookies on this website and how to change your cookie settings, see our Privacy policy and Terms of Use. Current training standards focus on somewhat arbitrary measures of fitness, including a 2-mile run and the number of push-ups and sit-ups completed in two minutes.1 These measures do not adequately illustrate which soldiers will or will not perform well on the battlefield. There are pathways today for safe and ethical military research on pharmaceuticals and other enhancement techniques, such as brain stimulation. Kelley et al., “Cognition-enhancing drugs and their appropriateness for aviation and ground troops: a meta-analysis,” 16. It is not necessarily an argument against the treatment itself, which might be appropriate in some circumstances if administered by a physician. Melatonin, for example, can be used to decrease the effects of jet lag and has been shown useful to help adjust the sleep cycles for Army aircrews deployed rapidly.45 The effectiveness of sleep treatments depends on many factors: the baseline cognitive performance and type of thinking required by a task, degree of sleep deprivation, and duration of the stimulant’s effect (either pharmacological or natural forms such as sleep banking or napping). Irena Ilieva, Cayce Hook, and Martha Farah, “Prescription Stimulants’ Effects on Healthy Inhibitory Control, Working Memory, and Episodic Memory: A Meta-analysis,”, James Hamblin, “On Cognitive Doping in Chess (and Life),”, D.C. Radley, S.N. Anna Pederson & Chris Estep. The tenth installment of this Annals series presents five scholarly reviews on diverse topics in evolutionary biology. As the New York Academy of Sciences continues into its third century, Nicholas Dirks is at the helm of an extraordinary organization with a talented staff, a global community of more than 20,000 Members, and a network of top-echelon leaders in science, industry, academia, government and public policy. Introduction The Nuffield report was notable for finding that HGE could be morally permissible, even in cases of human enhancement. Certain individuals, with training, can hold their breath for nearly 11 minutes. In sporting, doping is illegal because it is considered to offer competitors an unfair advantage. The prospect of human enhancement elicits enthusiasm due to the vast opportunities to redesign ourselves, yet skepticism about how far the science can really take us and bioethical concerns are also prevalent. This means that unlike vaccines or caffeine, both of which are commonly used forms of enhancement, many treatments may be relatively new with risks that are poorly understood. Study, evaluate, and approve human enhancement, where appropriate, in accordance with ethical guidelines. To find out more about cookies on this website and how to change your cookie settings, see our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use. This is the least optimal strategy, one that maximizes the risks and minimizes the potential benefit of treatments. A number of treatments show potentially advantageous effects for physical and cognitive enhancement. Because many potential treatments are under-studied, the Army should investigate the efficacy, safety, and operational utility of physical and cognitive enhancement treatments, consistent with DoD medical guidelines. What is clear is that a cross disciplinary approach will be … We appreciate your patience, and apologize for any inconvenience this may cause. The United States and Modern Human Rights: A Brief History. A 2015 RAND Corporation study documented 32 percent of service members across the joint force using supplements of one kind or another.11 The current proliferation of GNC stores on military bases means that soldiers have access to and are using supplements in an unregulated fashion, which is not in the Army’s best interests. He is a scholar and researcher on the effects of Internet-based technologies on individuals, organizations, and the state. Many soldiers already use supplements, particularly in the special operations community. And one of those limits is respect for our bodily nature, which implies at very least that we shouldn’t metamorphose that nature into some grandiose more-than-human reality. Robert O. At present, for instance, there is no law in the United States against children purchasing coffee, caffeinated soft drinks, and even high-caffeine–containing energy drinks. How do we identify and minimize the risks and weigh them against any benefits? This three day event will highlight the latest research in the field including discussion of how insights from the immune response to infection can inform our understanding of cancer immunotherapy, the COVID-19/Immuno-oncology interface, advances in multiple myeloma, cytokines, novel checkpoints and more. Putting the brakes on biologically driven human betterment would have real consequences for science. Paul Scharre and Lauren Fish. Strictly speaking, “human enhancement” includes any activity by which we improve our bodies, minds, or 1 For an overview of ethical and social issues beyond nano-technology’s role in human enhancement, see [1, 30, 32]. In addition to better or more sleep, pharmaceuticals can induce sleepiness or alertness, as appropriate. Whether it is through increasing physical attractiveness by cosmetic surgery, or decreasing likelihood of hereditary disorders using pre-implantation genetic diagnosis, the territory of human enhancement has nurtured expanded over time. In 2012, the Department of Defense (DoD) issued for... By Common sense tells us that of course there are limits to athletic achievement: Barring some drastic amendment to the laws of physics, no human will ever run at the speed of sound. The chief limiting factor in applying these treatments in a military context is the lack of sufficient research on their benefits and risks. Not everyone embraces radical and controversial enhancements, yet … “Several fundamental rights are challenged and require reinterpretation in the framework of neuro-enhancement. When a species with our track record thumps its chest and declares itself to be already perfect — with zero room for improvement — it is hard to know whether to laugh or cry. Many have expressed a need for caution due to the myriad unanswered questions and unknowns regarding how these technologies should be used, to what ends, and who should make these decisions. Both experts and society still need to decide what constitutes ethical use of gene editing for enhancement, and what benefits enhancements might have to either the individual or society – or both. Finally, pulmonary muscle exercises can improve soldiers’ weight carriage capabilities. Human enhancement (HE) is the concept of applying science and technologies to expand cognitive and physical human capacities. On the battlefield, these are valuable commodities. These concerns do not apply in war. Caffeine, the most widely used drug in the world, is commonly used by service members as a performance-enhancing stimulant. Service member use of steroids to increase physical strength without a prescription is illegal, and if service members were to use so-called study drugs to enhance their cognitive performance without a prescription, it also would be illegal. A series of Army studies in the 1980s demonstrated that blood doping increased red blood cell counts and improved oxygen intakes by 10 percent in soldiers.29 Blood doping has significant risks, however. Panelists will provide an historical perspective, scientific background, and will delve into the ethical and social questions still to be addressed. As university budgets shrink and external funding sources becoming more competitive, the ability to write successful research grants is more important than ever. This tenth installment of the Ann NY Acad Sci series MARROW presents five papers in various areas of clinical and translational medicine and biology. Human enhancement raises a number of ethical, legal, and social issues. We are experiencing intermittent technical difficulties. Stimulation of parts of the brain through non-invasive measures is advancing. Sleep is similarly a necessary input for the human body to properly function. U.S. Army, “A Leader’s Guide to Soldier and Crew Endurance,” Appendix B. Amanda Kelley, Catherine Webb, Jeremy Athy, Sanita Ley, and Steven Gaydos, “Cognition enhancement by modafinil: a meta-analysis,”, Amanda Kelley et al., “Cognition-enhancing drugs and their appropriateness for aviation and ground troops: a meta-analysis,”, William Killgore, Sharon McBride, Desiree Killgore, and Thomas Balkin, “The effects of caffeine, dextroamphetamine, and modafinil on humor appreciation during sleep deprivation,”, Karl E. Friedl, “U.S. Advances in artificial intelligence are breathtaking. Caldwell, J.L. It is normal for military organizations to pursue advantages over their adversaries, including methods to enhance soldiers’ abilities. Human enhancement is a broad topic, and attempts by militaries to modify the human body and the environment around it to produce better results have existed throughout time. In Truly Human Enhancement Nicholas Agar takes us beyond this kind of futile debate, into the difficult questions concerning which enhancements are worth pursuing and on what grounds. Medical research on supraphysiological dosage is relatively scarce, however. ), Next Generation National Security Fellows, The Shawn Brimley Next Generation National Security Leaders Fellowship, Joseph S. Nye, Jr. National Security Internship and Mentoring Program, Virtual Fireside Chat: India, China, and the Quad: The Future of U.S. Strategy in the Indo-Pacific, Special Event: The Biden Administration and the Future of U.S. National Security, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16682577, Principles for the Combat Employment of Weapon Systems with Autonomous Functionalities. The Army should study, evaluate, and approve human enhancement, where appropriate, in accordance with ethical guidelines. At best, it is suboptimal, but at the worst, it is harmful. Soldiers must be prepared for a multitude of possible operations, requiring well-rounded fitness. 5. At this time, you may not be able to log in, register for an event, or make a donation via the website. Of these respondents, supplement users were 18,040 males and 19,928 females. One limiting factor in medical research is that the FDA does not have a mechanism for approving drugs purely for enhancement in otherwise healthy individuals. These advantages are undermined if soldiers are exhausted and unable to cognitively perform at their best. Soldiers are an inherently vulnerable population susceptible to coercion – real or perceived, implicit or explicit – from commanders. Lack of Oxygen; Typically, a person would pass out after 2 minutes without oxygen. Both the Army and Air Force have conducted studies on modafinil, and the Air Force has conducted research on non-invasive brain stimulation.79 The Army has been hesitant to consider human enhancement more generally, however. Friedl, “U.S. Download PDF. Testosterone replacement is used as a therapeutic treatment in aging men as testosterone levels naturally decline. However, sleep problems are prevalent in non-deployed military personnel, suggesting broader institutional dynamics at work. It should be a key national security priority.... By To this extent, there is no single set of ethical issues that is engaged by all possible forms of enhancement. Use of human embryos for ESC therapy does not bother Sandel. Caffeine is only one of many stimulants that have cognitive-enhancing effects. Caffeine consumption counteracts disrupted sleep cycles and long missions. A. Giorgi, R.P. Voluntary use is a particularly difficult problem for military personnel. Similarly, soldiers need muscle strength and endurance to perform their tasks, and muscle mass, endurance, and motor skills all benefit from increased protein intake.15 Many soldiers require more protein than they are provided and rely on outside sources.16 The Army could easily invest in either increased protein sources or protein-enhanced food to promote strength benefits among high-performing soldiers. Now more than ever, it's clear that being able to collaborate across fields and borders is crucial for the advancement of science. One survey of Army Rangers indicated 37 percent used dietary supplements.10 (Anecdotally, actual numbers may be quite higher.) Nicolas Rasmussen, “Medical science and the military: the Allies’ use of amphetamine during World War II,”, Arthur Estrada et al., “A comparison of the efficacy of modafinil and dextroamphetamine as alertness promoting agents in aviators performing extended operations,”. Weatherby, and P.W. Nevertheless, the performance advantages can be clearly seen in athletic outcomes. Givens et al., “CHAMP Symposium on Androgens, Anabolic Steroids, and Related Substances: What We Know and What We Need to Know,” 683. Reframing human enhancement can promote more engagement and representativeness in the debate of what sort of enhancement practices should be prioritized. Beyond the actions of parents, there remains the question of whether some biomedical enhancements are so benign that children should be allowed to purchase them themselves. Participation in any research or operational use of enhancements should be voluntary, and the Army should institute procedures to ensure that soldiers are free from coercion, real or perceived, to take enhancements. Nevertheless, these concerns can be met with appropriate procedures in place. This could allow for greater mobility or improved protection if more armor was carried. Institute a comprehensive soldier sleep fitness program that implements the guidelines in. This symposium will highlight the latest data on the function and regulation of bioactive lipids across a variety of cardiometabolic diseases such as cardiovascular disease, Type-II Diabetes, fatty liver disease and obesity, with the aim of identifying common pathways that present novel drug targets. Participation in any research or operational use of enhancements should be voluntary, and the Army should institute procedures to ensure that soldiers are free from coercion, real or perceived, to take enhancements. Immediate side effects are relatively modest. Investigate the efficacy, safety, and operational utility of physical and cognitive enhancement treatments, consistent with DoD medical guidelines. Previous observations and studies have suggested that there may be theoretical limits to human life span. Robert Spencer, David Devilbiss, and Craig Berridge, “The cognition-enhancing effects of psychostimulants involve direct action in the prefrontal cortex,”, J.A. Some of the cookies we use are essential for parts of the website to operate while others offer you a better browsing experience. This website uses cookies. Numerous military studies have demonstrated the detrimental effects of sleep deprivation, with some showing as much as a 70 percent decrease in cognitive performance when service members are deprived of sleep.35, Military operations will inevitability disrupt sleep and require soldiers to go long periods without sleep. 37 Full PDFs related to this paper. At first glance there does not seem to be anything philosophically problematic about human enhancement. Soldiers are not encouraged to “be hard” and avoid drinking water. The commercial company Halo’s product research page cites improved pilot and sniper training among the U.S. armed forces by 50 percent, and Navy special operators reportedly have begun using the product to shorten training.77 Members of the Naval Special Warfare community reportedly have begun testing Halo’s product to streamline training. The United States has a mixed record on human rights. As an Army report on cognition-enhancing drugs pointed out, “This practice is common and legal.” An estimated 20 to 60 percent of prescriptions are written for off-label use, a figure that may be even higher for certain drugs.69 Some have estimated as many as 90 percent of modafinil prescriptions are off label.70 The Trump administration has signaled willingness to allow drugs to be marketed for off-label purposes more easily.71 The FDA regulates drugs, but does not regulate the practice of medicine. In some ways HE is a very familiar phenomenon utilizing common methods like surgical techniques and pharmaceuticals to accomplish control of human function. Transcranial electrical stimulation, such as transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), increases energy in the brain, making it easier for neurons to fire. Kelly et al., “Cognition-enhancing drugs and their appropriateness for aviation and ground troops: a meta-analysis,” 14. ean Levasseur-Moreau, Jerome Brunelin, and Shirley Fecteau, “Non-invasive brain stimulation can induce paradoxical facilitation. Fueled by the completion of the human DNA sequence, our knowledge of the number, organization, and functions of human genes is advancing rapidly. Immunotherapy has revolutionized cancer treatment. We've sent you a confirmation email with a link to activate your account. PepsiCo Perspective: Leveraging STEM Skills, Sustainable Solutions for the World's Dinner Table, Grantsmanship and the Transition to Research Independence, Melanie Brickman Borchard, PhD, MSc, The New York Academy of Sciences, Mildred Z. Solomon, EdD, The Hastings Center, George Church, PhD, Wyss Institute at Harvard University, Josephine Johnston, LLB, MBHL, The Hastings Center, Meredith Whittaker, AI Now Institute at NYU, The New York Academy of Sciences Magazine, Building Transformative Collaborations to Address Society's Challenges. The U.S. military is not fully capitalizing on the advantages enabled by human performance technology today and is woefully unprepared for some of the potential changes that could come from future advances in biotechnology. Bringing all these people together, the Academy is taking on COVID-19 and other world-wide challenges with the best solutions that science, technology, and bright minds can offer. As we move deeper into the 21st century, human enhancement technologies are being developed at an increasingly rapid pace. This entry is not concerned with every activity and intervention that might improve people’s embodied lives. Mathias Klang University of Göteborg, Sweden Mathias Klang is an Associate Professor at the University of Göteborg, Sweden. At some point, however, this technology will become good enough that it will offer the prospect of enhancing existing human … Moreover, we expect that any state-funded program to improve athletes will have such a character.
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