I love classic pseudo futuristic ramblings that are supposed to have a hint of scientific genius. The August 1956 issue of Mechanics Illustrated asks anthropologists, physiologists, engineers and industrial designers how they would go about improving the human body, and here’s what they came up with:
The spine – should be replaced by “a solid column, with a greatly increased load-carrying capacity”
The brain – should be situated in the chest cavity, near the heart, making the chest bigger in size and the head cylindrical
The ribs – rather than individual ribs, organs should be encased in a giant clamshell device, which can be opened easily for surgery
The eyes – add an extra set in the back of the head for a 360 degree perspective
Antennaes – could be concealed in head to pick up low frequency sounds from behind
The teeth – remove 35% of them to give more space to the remaining 65%
The toes – little toes and toenails serve no purpose and should be eliminated
The nose – replace it w/ a short trunk so that the air doesn’t have to make a hairpin turn before going down into the lungs, avoiding “several kinds of sinus trouble and what-have-you.”
Other suggestions included: wings, UV contact lenses, built-in marsupial-style pouches, a food storage compartment, 360 degree neck mobility, an eye in the tip of the finger, a hook on the head so you can hang yourself up and be hands-free on bumpy subways, extra fingers behind the ears to keep hats from blowing off, and folding ears to catch low-pitched sounds.
Via Modern Mechanix via Gizmodo
November 12th in 
