Experiments have transformed machines into creatures with consciousness; elsewhere, scientists are enhancing humans with synthetic parts that work better than the real thing. The result: a not-too distant world where man and machine are indistinguishable.

Imagine a world where your most intimate memory is public domain. By mapping neural pathways and decoding how thoughts are processed, scientists are reading minds with telepathy helmets and scanning hidden memories in ways that may put an end to privacy.

Throughout history, men have built empires and held the lives of millions in their hands, but the one thing they couldn't conquer was death. Advances in medicine are now making age just a manageable chronic condition, and sickness a thing of the past.

Could God's long reign be in jeopardy? Advances are affording humans a power once reserved for only the Almighty-- the ability to create life. But as we manipulate DNA and produce new species to our whim, will we find God's shoes too big to fill?

21st Century explorers have set sail on an age of discovery that eclipses anything dreamed of by Columbus. Advances in propulsion technology, warp drive, and solar energy have allowed us to do what only science fiction writers dreamed possible until now.

Science stands at the brink of unlocking our primal instincts. Advancements in genetic engineering may soon free humans from the limitations that have linked us to the rest of the animal world. Pain, fear, uncertainty and fraily may be things of the past.