Virtual You

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This book explores the groundbreaking efforts to create virtual humans, encompassing everything from cells and organs to entire populations. The technology behind virtual humans holds immense promise for personalized medicine, enabling virtual drug trials on thousands of digital twins and offering insights into how lifestyle changes could affect individual health. This "virtual you" could revolutionize healthcare and potentially extend lifespans, while also raising important philosophical and ethical questions. However, significant computational challenges must be addressed to realize these virtual representations and achieve truly personalized and predictive medicine. The focus is on the intricate problems within computer and physical sciences, such as the necessary detail in models, current modeling capabilities, and the complexities of simulating chaotic systems. The book discusses the integration of various mathematical models, the potential of new computing technologies like quantum computation, and the limitations of digital simulation. It concludes with a thought-provoking assertion that while advancements in exascale and quantum computing will take us far, we may need to revisit analog technologies and leverage special metamaterials to effectively simulate the human body's complexity and solve intricate equations through light manipulation.