Miniaturizing intelligent biological systems

[geordief]

I mean people. Can it be done? We can breed our offspring for genetic qualities and one of these is presumably smallness .

 

How small can we go before intelligence is sacrificed?

 

If we can  go very small  can we go small enough that travel at relativistic speed becomes possible ?

 

If we are very small then resources  become very much of a non existent problem and if we can travel at relativistic speeds the only problem would be maintaining contact with those we have left behind  (we are well used to this dilemma as it is only over the past couple of centuries that emigration has ceased to become  something of a one way ticket in this respect)

 

I realize we will never breed for sufficient tininess with today's technology  but could we manage it somehow  in the future (and escape our planet before  we destroy it and our civilization-or we get done in by a natural disaster)

[dimreepr]

3 minutes ago, geordief said:

If we can  go very small  can we go small enough that travel at relativistic speed becomes possible ?

3

No...

5 minutes ago, geordief said:

We can breed our offspring for genetic qualities and one of these is presumably smallness .

Why?

[Vmedvil]

9 minutes ago, geordief said:

I mean people. Can it be done? We can breed our offspring for genetic qualities and one of these is presumably smallness .

 

How small can we go before intelligence is sacrificed?

 

If we can  go very small  can we go small enough that travel at relativistic speed becomes possible ?

 

If we are very small then resources  become very much of a non existent problem and if we can travel at relativistic speeds the only problem would be maintaining contact with those we have left behind  (we are well used to this dilemma as it is only over the past couple of centuries that emigration has ceased to become  something of a one way ticket in this respect)

 

I realize we will never breed for sufficient tininess with today's technology  but could we manage it somehow  in the future (and escape our planet before  we destroy it and our civilization-or we get done in by a natural disaster)

Well, technically as you go smaller you lose neuron room, now if they constantly get more dense as your head gets smaller then yes, same intelligence smaller package, but why would you want to do this. Technically you could go smaller and smaller until the neurons get so dense that blood cannot reach them or cell membranes start to rupture under their own pressure.

Edited November 23, 2017 by Vmedvil

[geordief]

2 minutes ago, dimreepr said:

 

Why?

For the aim of achieving relativistic speed (but you say this can't be done )

[Vmedvil]

4 minutes ago, geordief said:

For the aim of achieving relativistic speed (but you say this can't be done )

Ya, no you will never get it that small in organic Nano-machines or Cells.

Edited November 23, 2017 by Vmedvil

[dimreepr]

13 minutes ago, geordief said:

For the aim of achieving relativistic speed 

By which I assume you mean light speed, so no; but if you mean a speed greater or equal to light relative to something, then what's the point?

Edited November 23, 2017 by dimreepr

[geordief]

14 minutes ago, dimreepr said:

By which I assume you mean light speed, so no; but if you mean a speed greater or equal to light relative to something, then what's the point?

No,not light speed.Speeds approaching that of light.

I thought you said it was not possible and so my idea seems impractical.

 

Some of the plans for traveling to the planets in the vicinity of Proxima Centauri do seem to envisage relativistic speeds by means of laser propulsion but I am prepared to accept that smaller spacecraft might not travel significantly faster than "normally" sized ones.