In the first half, aerospace and defense systems developer Sir Charles Shults refuted Moon landing hoax theories, and detailed his latest adventure of re-creating footage of the original Moon landing with a movie stunt team. He also talked about new developments in space exploration, and his views of ancient Mars. Many believe the Moon landings may have been a hoax, he suggested, because the Apollo program ended a long time ago, and they also distrust what the government tells them. Among the anomalies people point to is that the American flag fluttered in photos even though there was no air on the moon. Scientists, he explained, were aware that a flag couldn't move in that environment, so they put a springy wire inside the upper edge of the flag to hold the fabric out. And there was nothing to slow down the spring in the atmosphere, so it continued to move.
Another argument is that lunar temperatures can go well above 200 degrees Fahrenheit during the day, and wouldn't that have damaged the astronauts and the film that was used to make the pictures? Their spacesuits were insulated and had air conditioning layers inside them, and their photographic equipment was also well shielded, Shults noted. There are excellent scientific reasons to go back to the Moon and set up a colony, he stated. These include conducting secure, isolated biological research, as well as experimenting with energy, and pristine manufacturing environments using raw materials that are plentiful on the Moon.
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Dr. Don Simborg is a graduate of the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, and former faculty member at both the Johns Hopkins and University of California, San Francisco schools of medicine. In the latter half, he shared his theory that we will witness a new human species that will coexist alongside us. While the Darwinian evolution that brought humanity to its current state took place over vast epochs of time, he foresees the arrival of this new species coming together rather quickly. The catalyst, he said, will be the tools of artificial intelligence and genetic engineering, as they advance and combine.
Genetic engineering is currently focused on curing genetic diseases, but as those are conquered in the next century or two, the engineering, vastly improved by AI, will be focused on various enhancements such as reducing the aging process or increasing intelligence, he outlined. As more of these upgrades take hold, the new version of human will emerge. Calling this species, Homo nouveau, they will initially look like us, he posited, but they will only be able to reproduce with others like themselves. There could be many concerns and controversies around the technology, he conceded, such as how the wealthy may at first be the only ones to afford the enhancements, but he believes humanity will eventually come to terms with this evolution.
News segment guests: Robert Felix, John Curtis
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