2045年的世界什么样

后大脑图谱时代

    2013年世界领导人们并没有忽视人脑的重要性和潜力。今年年初，欧盟批准了一项10亿欧元（约合13亿美元）的10年期人脑项目（Human Brain Project），以期在超级电脑上完成首个完整人脑模拟。美国总统奥巴马也宣布了类似的计划，为大脑活动图谱提供1亿美元资金，绘制脑部神经细胞和神经细胞组的复杂网络。尽管一些人批评这些数额过大的拨款在目前的财政紧缩时期是浪费型研究支出，詹姆斯•马丁博士相信，后脑图谱时代将开启人类历史的全新篇章。

    此话怎讲？马丁说，虽然我们还无法完全预测精确的功能大脑图谱将会带来多大的颠覆性改变，但它毫无疑问将会改变一切。届时，大部分神经系统疾病都能得到治愈。脑移植手术将变得司空见惯。基因与认识增强（与未来数十年计算机能力的巨大跃进一道）将不仅带来一个服务于人类自我提升的全新市场，还将孕育出更智能、更高效的人类，他们转而为正反馈循环带来更伟大的想法和创新，从而创造出层出不穷的新技术和经济机会。

The post-brain-map era

    The importance and potential of the human brain certainly isn't lost on world leaders in 2013. Earlier this year the European Union granted 1 billion euros ($1.3 billion) over 10 years to the Human Brain Project, which aims to create the first full human brain simulation running on supercomputers, while President Obama similarly announced $100 million in funding for a brain activity map that will chart the complex networks of neurons and neuron clusters in the brain. And while some have criticized these outsize grants as wasteful research spending in a time of austerity, Dr. James Martin believes that the post-brain-map era will be remarkably different than anything human history has ever known.

    How? We can't yet fully comprehend just how much of a paradigm-shifter an accurate, functional brain map will be, Martin said, but it will undoubtedly change just about everything. Neurological disease will largely become treatable. Brain implants will be commonplace. Genetic and cognitive enhancements (alongside the huge leaps forward in computing power expected in the coming decades) will lead not only to a whole new market for self-improvement, but to smarter, more efficient humans that in turn will feed greater ideas and innovations back into a positive feedback loop, leading to an avalanche of new technologies and economic opportunities.