The monetary value of the constituent elements comprising your physical form
In the realm of scientific speculation, the question of creating a human-like body from scratch has long intrigued researchers and the public alike. However, a closer look at the facts reveals that this endeavour remains far beyond our current technological and economic capabilities.
The cost of synthesizing organic molecules from raw elements is significantly higher than the cost of the raw materials themselves. For instance, a 10kg bag of ammonium sulphate fertilizer can provide the nitrogen and sulphur needed for £23 ($31). Yet, the same elements in their purest forms would cost much more.
Good quality charcoal, which is approximately 70% carbon, can be purchased for £56 ($75). This carbon could be used to create the carbon required for a body. However, the cost of obtaining the other essential elements, such as hydrogen, oxygen, calcium, and trace minerals, would significantly increase the overall cost.
Bill Bryson, the renowned author, calculated the total cost of these raw materials for a body, using chemically pure forms of each element, to be over £116,000 ($150,000). If one were to refine these raw materials themselves, the cost would undoubtedly decrease.
Water, a crucial component, can provide the oxygen and more than enough hydrogen for a body. Using 52 liters (11 gallons) of water would suffice.
Despite this, it is essential to note that humans are not made of elements but of complex organic molecules such as proteins and carbohydrates. Synthesizing these molecules from scratch would add another layer of complexity and cost to the project.
Moreover, creating a body with self-refining capabilities and reduced reliance on chemically pure inputs would require immense technological advancements. The energy required to create a 70kg human body from pure energy using a particle accelerator like the Large Hadron Collider would be approximately 10^17 joules of energy, equivalent to 1.75 trillion kilowatt hours of electricity. This amount of energy is about 70 times more than the entire world uses in a year.
The artificial organ market is growing, with estimates suggesting it will reach USD 21.51 billion in 2025 and USD 38.32 billion by 2032. However, these figures are for partial organ replacements, not entire human bodies. Creating anatomical models using synthetic materials is also expensive, with costs ranging from tens to thousands of dollars.
In conclusion, while partial organ replacements and anatomical models exist at costs from tens to billions of dollars at scale, synthesizing an entire human-like body element-by-element with autonomous self-refining capability is currently far beyond practical manufacturing or economic reach. The endeavour would dwarf current artificial organ markets and manufacturing efforts by several orders of magnitude. The key challenges include the extreme elemental and molecular complexity of human tissues and organs, the need for precise 3D arrangement and biochemical function, energy and materials input to combine elements in biologically active forms, and developing self-refining processes to maintain and repair the synthetic body.
- In terms of energy, synthesizing an entire human-like body from scratch using a particle accelerator like the Large Hadron Collider would require approximately 10^17 joules of energy, equivalent to 1.75 trillion kilowatt hours of electricity.
- Despite the growing artificial organ market, which is projected to reach USD 38.32 billion by 2032, creating anatomical models using synthetic materials is still expensive.
- The complex organic molecules that make up a human body, such as proteins and carbohydrates, would add another layer of complexity and cost to the project if synthesized from scratch.
