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Superhuman

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Photograph of a young man exploring the exhibition, Superhuman at Wellcome Collection.
Superhuman exhibition, Dave Sayer. Source: Wellcome Collection. Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0).

Glasses, lipstick, false teeth, the contraceptive pill and even the mobile phone – we take for granted how commonplace human enhancements are.

Current scientific developments point to a future in which cognitive enhancers and medical nanorobots will be widespread as we seek to augment our beauty, intelligence and health. ‘Superhuman’ took a broad and playful look at our obsession with being the best we can be. Items on display ranged from an ancient Egyptian prosthetic toe to a packet of Viagra, alongside contributions from artists and scientists, ethicists and commentators working at the cutting edge of this most exciting (and feared) area of modern science.