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| J.D. Hancock - Austin vs Gadget |
This
is a fairly recent term that's gained common use...among nerds and
geeks, but it's slowly creeping into the vernacular of non-nerds.
Not long ago you would have heard metahuman, and before that
superhuman. Each word has a very similar connotation, although the
specifics vary slightly.
All three words are typically used in
reference to comic book or movie superheroes, like The Flash,
Elasta-Girl, Spiderman, or Buffy the Vampire Slayer who have powers
or abilities, however transhuman encompasses any human who has, through
evolution or augmentation, acquired capabilities beyond normal
humans. This could be mythological heroes like Fionn mac Cumhaill,
fictional future humans like Beatrice Prior, or even real-life people
who change so much that they can no longer be regarded as merely
human. (Superman
and Doctor Who don't qualify because they're not human.)
The word transhuman has become more popular recently because of
technological advances that bring us closer to the possibility of
extending our lifespan and expanding our physical abilities through
cybernetics, genetics, nanotech and a host of other technologies that make a lot of super powers seem like a feasible concept.
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