About the Journal

HPlus - Journal of Transhumanism, Emerging Technologies, and Human Futures is an interdisciplinary scholarly journal dedicated to the systematic study of transhumanism, human enhancement, emerging technologies, directed evolutionary change, artificial and augmented intelligence, posthuman and post-biological futures, and the long-term transformation of humanity.

The journal examines how scientific and technological developments may alter the biological, cognitive, psychological, social, cultural, ethical, philosophical, and existential dimensions of the human condition. HPlus provides a scholarly forum for investigating both the opportunities and the risks associated with technologies that may extend, modify, augment, or fundamentally transform human capacities.

At the center of HPlus lies a fundamental question:

What happens when a species capable of understanding evolution begins to acquire the technological capacity to influence its own evolutionary trajectory?

For most of evolutionary history, biological change occurred without conscious direction. Genetic variation, inheritance, environmental pressures, developmental processes, selection, drift, and other evolutionary mechanisms operated without a deliberate human agent defining their ultimate objectives. Contemporary biotechnology, artificial intelligence, neurotechnology, reproductive technologies, synthetic biology, robotics, and computational systems increasingly introduce the possibility that human beings may become active participants in processes that previously occurred largely without deliberate technological control.

HPlus investigates this transition critically and interdisciplinarily. The journal does not assume that humanity will inevitably become transhuman, posthuman, or post-biological. Instead, it asks under what scientific, technological, social, philosophical, ethical, economic, and political conditions such transformations might occur, what forms they could take, and what consequences they could have for individuals, societies, other species, ecosystems, and civilization as a whole.

The journal therefore approaches the future of humanity not as a predetermined destination, but as a multidimensional research problem.

The Human Condition and Its Technological Transformation

HPlus considers the human condition to be a dynamic phenomenon shaped by biological evolution, culture, technology, institutions, and knowledge. Technologies have always altered human capabilities, but contemporary developments differ in their potential to intervene directly in biological processes, cognitive architectures, reproduction, aging, embodiment, and intelligence.

The journal is particularly interested in technologies that may transform not merely what humans do, but what humans are capable of becoming.

Research may address technologies and processes including:

human enhancement and augmentation;
genetic and genomic technologies;
genome editing;
synthetic biology;
regenerative medicine;
neurotechnology;
brain–computer interfaces;
artificial intelligence;
robotics;
human–machine integration;
cognitive enhancement;
reproductive technologies;
artificial gestation and ectogenesis;
longevity and life-extension technologies;
digital humans;
artificial life;
machine consciousness;
whole-brain emulation;
digital mind hypotheses;
computational models of intelligence;
human adaptation to extraterrestrial environments; and
technologies affecting the long-term trajectory of civilization.

HPlus encourages scholarship that examines these technologies not in isolation but as interacting components of broader systems of human transformation.

1. Transhumanism and Human Enhancement

A central domain of HPlus is the study of human enhancement and the transhumanist proposition that technological development may allow humans to exceed some of the biological limitations inherited through evolution.

Relevant research includes, but is not limited to:

cognitive enhancement;
memory enhancement;
sensory augmentation;
physical enhancement;
neuroenhancement;
pharmacological enhancement;
genetic enhancement;
technological augmentation;
bionic and prosthetic systems;
exoskeletons and wearable augmentation;
brain–computer interfaces;
neural implants;
extended and augmented cognition;
human–machine symbiosis;
enhancement of perception and learning;
enhancement of resilience and adaptation;
enhancement and human performance;
social consequences of enhancement; and
philosophical theories of human improvement.

HPlus welcomes both empirical and conceptual studies examining whether technological enhancement should be understood as an extension of ordinary human development, a continuation of cultural evolution, a new stage of technological evolution, or a qualitatively different transformation of the human condition.

2. Directed Evolution and Evolutionary Agency

HPlus places particular emphasis on the emerging concept of evolutionary agency: the possibility that humans may increasingly influence the biological and technological processes through which future generations are shaped.

This area includes research on:

directed evolutionary change;
evolutionary engineering;
human genetic modification;
germline genome editing;
reproductive selection;
genomic selection;
synthetic biology;
gene–environment interactions;
developmental engineering;
artificial reproductive technologies;
ectogenesis and artificial gestation;
evolutionary consequences of biotechnology;
human adaptation;
technological selection pressures;
future human phenotypes;
theoretical models of human speciation;
post-speciation scenarios; and
the relationship between biological and technological evolution.

HPlus is particularly interested in the conceptual transition from evolution without conscious direction toward increasingly technology-mediated forms of evolutionary influence.

The journal does not treat directed evolution of humans as an established future outcome. Rather, it investigates its scientific feasibility, theoretical foundations, ethical implications, social consequences, and possible evolutionary dynamics.

Submissions should distinguish clearly between established evolutionary mechanisms, experimentally supported findings, mathematical or computational models, theoretical propositions, plausible technological scenarios, and speculative futures.

3. Genetics, Genomics, and the Future of Human Biology

Advances in genetics and genomics increasingly provide tools for understanding and potentially modifying biological characteristics.

HPlus welcomes research addressing:

human genomics;
genome editing;
germline modification;
somatic modification;
epigenetic engineering;
synthetic genomes;
developmental genetics;
gene regulation;
genetic disease prevention;
reproductive genomics;
genomic selection;
population-level consequences of genetic technologies;
engineered biological traits;
human genetic diversity;
genetic enhancement;
intergenerational consequences of biotechnology; and
philosophical questions concerning genetic identity and biological continuity.

The journal is especially interested in interdisciplinary approaches linking molecular biology with evolutionary theory, ethics, philosophy, sociology, anthropology, and futures studies.

4. Reproduction, Development, and New Forms of Human Generation

The transformation of human reproduction may become one of the most consequential dimensions of future human development.

HPlus therefore welcomes scholarship concerning:

assisted reproduction;
reproductive biotechnology;
artificial gestation;
ectogenesis;
artificial womb technologies;
embryo development;
reproductive genetics;
gamete technologies;
developmental engineering;
reproductive autonomy;
future reproductive systems;
social consequences of technological reproduction;
parenthood and technological mediation;
intergenerational effects of reproductive technologies; and
philosophical questions surrounding the technological transformation of human reproduction.

Research may consider how reproductive technologies could alter developmental trajectories, family structures, population dynamics, evolutionary processes, and concepts of biological parenthood.

5. Artificial Intelligence and the Transformation of Intelligence

Artificial intelligence represents another major axis of human transformation.

HPlus examines AI not merely as a computational technology but as a potential transformative force affecting intelligence, cognition, labor, culture, institutions, science, and civilization.

Topics include:

artificial intelligence and human evolution;
machine intelligence;
human–AI collaboration;
AI agents;
autonomous systems;
machine reasoning;
artificial cognition;
machine learning and human cognition;
AI-assisted scientific discovery;
AI-generated hypotheses;
computational creativity;
artificial consciousness;
machine agency;
collective intelligence;
distributed intelligence;
human–AI cognitive systems;
AI-mediated decision making;
AI and civilization;
advanced AI scenarios; and
transformative and existential implications of AI.

Particular interest is given to research investigating whether increasingly capable artificial systems could become complements to human intelligence, competitors to human intelligence, successors to particular cognitive functions, or components of new hybrid forms of intelligence.

6. Neurotechnology, Brain–Machine Integration, and Cognitive Futures

The human brain represents a major frontier of technological enhancement.

HPlus welcomes research on:

brain–computer interfaces;
neural implants;
neuroprosthetics;
neural decoding;
brain stimulation;
cognitive augmentation;
neuroenhancement;
neural engineering;
brain–machine communication;
brain–AI interfaces;
artificial sensory systems;
memory technologies;
computational neuroscience and human enhancement;
neural preservation;
theories of mind uploading; and
philosophical implications of technologically mediated cognition.

The journal encourages contributions that connect neuroscience and neurotechnology with philosophy of mind, cognitive science, AI, ethics, and theories of future human development.

7. Posthumanism and Post-Biological Futures

HPlus provides a dedicated forum for research examining possible transitions beyond conventional biological conceptions of humanity.

Topics include:

posthumanism;
transhumanism;
post-biological intelligence;
digital persons;
digital identity;
whole-brain emulation;
mind uploading;
substrate-independent minds;
artificial life;
machine consciousness;
cybernetic organisms;
hybrid biological–artificial entities;
human–robot symbiosis;
digital embodiment;
virtual existence;
computational models of persons;
personal identity and continuity;
mortality and technological persistence; and
philosophical definitions of humanity.

The journal is especially interested in the difficult conceptual question of whether an entity must remain biologically human in order to retain meaningful continuity with Homo sapiens.

8. Longevity, Life Extension, and the Temporal Expansion of Humanity

The extension of healthy human lifespan could have profound consequences for biology, society, economics, psychology, culture, and civilization.

HPlus welcomes research concerning:

aging biology;
longevity;
life extension;
cellular senescence;
rejuvenation;
regenerative medicine;
tissue engineering;
organ replacement;
molecular interventions in aging;
biological preservation;
cryopreservation;
extended healthy lifespan;
demographic consequences of longevity;
psychological consequences of radically extended life;
social organization in long-lived populations; and
philosophical questions concerning mortality and temporal identity.

The journal considers longevity not simply as a biomedical objective but as a potential transformation of the temporal structure of human existence.

9. Complexity, Information, and Accelerating Technological Change

HPlus also explores the relationship between information, complexity, intelligence, and technological development.

Relevant topics include:

information theory and biological systems;
complexity science;
emergence;
self-organization;
adaptive systems;
computational evolution;
artificial ecosystems;
information-processing systems;
collective intelligence;
technological acceleration;
accelerating complexity;
complexity transitions;
biological–technological coevolution;
computational models of civilization;
information persistence; and
theories of intelligence and complexity.

The journal welcomes research examining whether increasing technological integration may produce qualitatively new levels of organization and intelligence.

10. Consciousness and the Future of Mind

One of the deepest questions addressed by HPlus concerns the future of consciousness.

The journal welcomes research on:

theories of consciousness;
artificial consciousness;
machine consciousness;
altered and enhanced cognition;
computational theories of mind;
biological and artificial substrates of consciousness;
consciousness and information;
consciousness preservation;
digital minds;
mind uploading;
personal identity;
continuity of consciousness;
subjective experience in artificial systems;
consciousness beyond biological organisms; and
philosophical implications of non-biological minds.

HPlus encourages dialogue among neuroscience, philosophy of mind, artificial intelligence, cognitive science, information science, and theoretical approaches to consciousness.

11. Human–Machine Symbiosis

Future technological systems may increasingly blur conventional distinctions between biological organisms and machines.

HPlus therefore welcomes research addressing:

cybernetic systems;
wearable intelligence;
implanted technologies;
neural interfaces;
robotic augmentation;
bionic systems;
human–AI integration;
hybrid biological–digital systems;
embodied artificial intelligence;
machine-assisted cognition;
distributed human–machine intelligence;
human–robot interaction;
technological embodiment; and
new models of human–machine symbiosis.

The journal is particularly interested in whether such systems should be understood as tools, extensions of the individual, new forms of agency, or emerging hybrid entities.

12. Human Futures Beyond Earth

The future of humanity may ultimately extend beyond the planetary environment in which Homo sapiens evolved.

HPlus welcomes research concerning:

human space settlement;
extraterrestrial habitats;
human adaptation to space environments;
biological adaptation beyond Earth;
artificial ecosystems;
closed ecological systems;
space medicine;
reproductive biology beyond Earth;
long-duration civilization;
planetary engineering;
terraforming;
machine-assisted space civilization;
post-planetary societies;
cosmic expansion of intelligence;
long-term preservation of civilization; and
philosophical questions concerning humanity beyond Earth.

Particular interest is given to research exploring how technological and biological adaptation might interact when humans enter environments fundamentally different from Earth.

13. Long-Term Civilization and Existential Futures

HPlus examines humanity on timescales extending beyond conventional political, economic, or technological planning horizons.

Research may address:

long-term civilization;
existential risks;
existential opportunities;
technological resilience;
civilizational continuity;
catastrophic and transformative scenarios;
future generations;
humanity's long-term survival;
technological governance;
civilization-scale intelligence;
preservation of knowledge;
preservation of culture;
preservation of biological and digital information;
resilience of advanced societies; and
alternative trajectories for technological civilization.

The journal welcomes both quantitative and qualitative approaches to understanding the long-term dynamics of technologically advanced societies.

14. Ethics, Philosophy, and Governance of Human Transformation

Technological transformation raises questions that cannot be answered through technical feasibility alone.

HPlus therefore places substantial emphasis on:

ethics of human enhancement;
bioethics;
ethics of germline modification;
reproductive ethics;
AI ethics;
neuroethics;
technology ethics;
moral status of enhanced beings;
moral status of artificial entities;
rights of future persons;
personal autonomy;
human dignity;
equality and access to enhancement;
technological inequality;
intergenerational justice;
responsibility toward future generations;
governance of emerging technologies;
technological power and social institutions;
regulation of human enhancement; and
philosophical definitions of the human.

The journal encourages constructive dialogue between technological possibilities and normative analysis.

15. Society, Culture, and the Transformation of Human Identity

Technological change does not occur independently of society.

HPlus welcomes interdisciplinary research examining how emerging technologies may influence:

identity;
culture;
family structures;
education;
employment;
social relationships;
inequality;
demographic structures;
political institutions;
economic systems;
religion and meaning;
human values;
concepts of normality;
concepts of disability and ability;
social definitions of enhancement;
cultural perceptions of posthumanism; and
changing conceptions of humanity.

The journal is particularly interested in research that avoids technological determinism and considers how social, cultural, economic, and political forces may shape technological futures.

16. Planetary, Biological, and Cosmic Perspectives

HPlus adopts a broad temporal and spatial perspective on humanity.

The journal welcomes research connecting human technological development with:

planetary systems;
ecology;
biodiversity;
biological evolution;
artificial ecosystems;
Earth system science;
space environments;
cosmic evolution;
information and complexity;
long-term technological development;
artificial life; and
the possible emergence and persistence of intelligence beyond Earth.

Such research may investigate whether the future of intelligence should be understood exclusively as a human phenomenon or as part of broader biological, technological, planetary, and cosmic processes.

17. Theoretical and Speculative Futures

Because many questions concerning future humanity cannot yet be tested directly, HPlus welcomes carefully constructed theoretical and speculative scholarship.

Relevant contributions may include:

conceptual models;
scenario analysis;
theoretical frameworks;
mathematical models;
computational simulations;
philosophical thought experiments;
technology forecasting;
futures studies;
alternative evolutionary scenarios;
posthuman scenarios;
long-term civilization models; and
interdisciplinary hypotheses.

However, speculative contributions should clearly identify their evidential status and should distinguish established knowledge from conjecture.

HPlus considers scientifically disciplined speculation valuable when it generates testable questions, conceptual frameworks, research programs, or new interdisciplinary hypotheses.

From Homo sapiens to Future Forms of Humanity

A distinctive conceptual focus of HPlus is the possible transition from humanity as the product of biological evolution toward humanity as an increasingly active participant in its own biological and technological transformation.

The journal therefore encourages research examining a broad continuum:

Homo sapiens
↓
Human Enhancement
↓
Technologically Augmented Humans
↓
Directed Evolutionary Change
↓
Human–Machine Integration
↓
Artificial and Hybrid Intelligence
↓
Post-Biological Systems
↓
Advanced Technological Civilization
↓
Long-Term Human and Posthuman Futures

This continuum should not be interpreted as a prediction or predetermined evolutionary pathway. Instead, it represents a conceptual framework for investigating possible transitions and the mechanisms, constraints, uncertainties, and choices associated with them.

Scientific Rigor and Epistemic Boundaries

HPlus is committed to maintaining a clear distinction between established scientific knowledge, emerging evidence, theoretical interpretation, and speculation.

Accordingly, submissions should identify the epistemic status of their claims and provide appropriate evidence, methodological justification, theoretical grounding, or philosophical argument.

The journal values:

empirical rigor;
conceptual clarity;
methodological transparency;
interdisciplinary integration;
reproducibility where applicable;
explicit treatment of uncertainty;
responsible technological forecasting;
distinction between evidence and speculation;
critical examination of assumptions; and
engagement with relevant scientific literature.

HPlus does not require authors to adopt a particular philosophical position regarding transhumanism or human enhancement. Both supportive and critical perspectives are welcomed.

The journal encourages scholarship that examines not only the potential benefits of transformative technologies but also their limitations, unintended consequences, inequalities, risks, ethical dilemmas, and possible failure modes.

An Interdisciplinary Forum for Emerging Human Futures

HPlus is intentionally positioned at the intersection of disciplines that have traditionally developed separately.

The journal welcomes contributions from, among other fields:

evolutionary biology;
genetics and genomics;
synthetic biology;
biotechnology;
neuroscience;
neurotechnology;
artificial intelligence;
computer science;
robotics;
cognitive science;
psychology;
philosophy;
philosophy of mind;
philosophy of science;
ethics and bioethics;
sociology;
anthropology;
political science;
economics;
law;
futures studies;
information science;
complexity science;
physics;
astrobiology;
space sciences; and
science and technology studies.

HPlus particularly values contributions that connect multiple disciplines and develop concepts that cannot be adequately addressed within a single field.

The Central Research Question

At its broadest level, HPlus investigates the relationship between evolution, intelligence, technology, and the future of humanity.

The journal asks:

Can a species shaped by evolution become an active agent in shaping its own future?

And, beyond this:

If humanity acquires the capacity to transform its biology, cognition, reproduction, intelligence, and technological environment, what new forms of life, intelligence, identity, and civilization might emerge?

These questions extend from the molecular scale of genes and cells to the neural scale of cognition and consciousness, the social scale of institutions and civilization, and ultimately to planetary and cosmic scales.

HPlus therefore seeks to establish a rigorous scholarly space for examining humanity not merely as the endpoint of a historical evolutionary process, but as a potentially transformative participant in the future evolution of biological, technological, and informational systems.

The journal's guiding perspective can be summarized in three words:

Humanity. Technology. Beyond.

HPlus seeks to advance research at the frontier where biological evolution meets technological transformation, where intelligence meets engineering, and where the present human condition meets the possible futures of humanity.