The Evolution of Genius: Every Night, I Get Smarter!

I looked at Olivia, smiling, "She is definitely beautiful."

Olivia slowly turned her gaze in my direction, her expression slowly shifted, and after a moment, she burst into laughter.

My intimate relations with Olivia were not a topic I wanted to discuss with her parents, so I skipped the subject and poured myself and the rest some coffee. We sat down for dessert.

A few minutes later, there was only coffee left.

James and I found ourselves engrossed in a more serious discussion.

"James," I began, "I’ve been studying the details of optic nerve regeneration post a full eye transplantation."

James looked at me intrigued, "Regeneration of the optic nerve? Why are you interested in that? What does it have to do with quantum physics?"

Well... it does have a lot to do with Quantum Physics, but I didn’t want to get into that.

"It’s not about quantum physics. It’s a bit of a personal matter. My mom had a serious thrombosis in the main retinal veins in both eyes and lost her sight. That’s why I got interested in this topic," I explained.

Oliv’s mom looked at me with a hint of sympathy, "I’m sorry, Max. I hope something can be done with today’s medicine."

James sighed and glanced at Mery, "Unfortunately, Mery, as of today, there’s no way to restore vision after CRVO."

I interrupted their conversation, "Not today, but over the past few weeks, I’ve been studying neurology, and I think we might be able to pull this off. I even have an idea of how it could be done."

James, with his background in neurosurgery, squinted his eyes and looked at me. "I’m a bit skeptical, Max. But... go ahead. What did you learn?"

"Well, James. First of all, I want you to know that I read through many books like ’Neuroanatomy Through Clinical Cases’ for example. I also read dozens of papers on eye banking, corneal transplantation procedures, and retinal transplantations."

James nodded. "I haven’t done any eye surgeries. I specialize in hand surgeries. However, I do understand how those are done. The key to nerve regeneration is to manipulate molecular signals to encourage the regeneration, but for an eye, it has never worked. It’s just too complex of an area."

"James... usually for regeneration after surgery you use Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor modulators and Nerve Growth Factor modulators, right?"

Taking a sip of coffee, James leaned forward, "That is the case, Max. We also administer corticosteroids to reduce inflammation and antiemetics to prevent nausea and vomiting"

I continued, "I have studied a lot about synaptic connectivity, and I know that neural stimulants like Modafinil and Amphetamines have been used to potentially promote those connections to regenerate after surgery."

"That’s true. In some cases, those can improve sensory perceptions and even stimulate the brain to regenerate after a tumor removal surgery. However, from what I know when it comes to the optic nerve, it could be said that some... life, can be brought to the nerve. But it doesn’t regenerate the way it should..."

I nodded. "Exactly, James. That’s why my plan is to extract an array of stem cells from the patient’s retina and bone marrow. Then cultivate those cells and introduce a stem cell therapy to stimulate optic nerve growth along the neurotrophic factors."

James sighed again, this time the reason was slightly different, "Max... we need to prioritize patient safety. Use of psychotropics is not supported and stem cell therapy is an ongoing research. This should be approached step by step."

I said, "I still want to try it. Transplant stem cells and introduce psychotropics into the bloodstream and do that again and again at increasing rates. Basically, create a new type of therapy."

James smiled at me and then laughed out loud, "I think you are just crazy... Max. The patient would experience vivid dreams and hallucinations. He or she, will not know what’s reality and what’s imagination. You can’t just do that without trials..."

Finally, I concluded, "Yeah. Similar to when you take too much vitamin B and experience lucid dreams and yet no one stops people from doing that... It’s decided. I will create a new sub-company of mine and start with trials on animals."

During the time we were talking, Mery and Oliv sat quietly, but when I suddenly mentioned starting a company, they set down their cups and looked at me with surprise. "Do you know how expensive pharmaceutical research is?", Mery asked.

I looked at her and replied, "Oh. I know, I know. I have enough money to start, and I’m sure there will be investors who would want to invest in a company created by me."

Oliv looked at me and playfully hit my shoulder, "Don’t brag like that. Silly."

I continued chatting with her father. In a lighthearted manner, asked if he would be interested in joining.

He chuckled, expressing appreciation for the offer but explained that he was content with his current job.

However, he agreed to discuss the idea with some of his colleagues who might find it interesting.

He also said that he might be able to meet someone at the Neurological Advancements Conference next month. They specialized in neuroregeneration. He could introduce him to the concept.

Then we spent some quality time discussing mathematics with Oliv and her mom. Oliv was in the process of writing her first thesis in the field of graph theory, which was quite fascinating compared to some other topics.

In the late evening, we had dinner together, and in the darkness Oliv and I drove back to Boston, where we arrived in the middle of the night.

I pulled up to Oliv’s apartment and debated whether to get out and stay overnight. Ultimately, Oliv convinced me to stay at her place.

Some things happened, but I won’t say much.

...

The next morning, after returning home, I opened the USB drive to take a look at the last file from the second layer of quantum physics. I thought that If I were to go back to the laboratory, it would be better to finish this up.

The name of the file was ’Harnessing the Waves’.

The merging black holes created a gravitational well. This disturbance propagated outward, creating a ripple effect that stretched far beyond the immediate vicinity of the merging black holes.

Scientists began to look for applications for the gravitational waves. The idea was that a spacecraft, equipped with sensors and artificial intelligence, could detect and utilize these waves to navigate the universe.

Spacecrafts were equipped with gravitational wave detectors that could sense the location where black holes merged and as time went on also the gravitational fields of any celestial body.

The onboard artificial intelligence interpreted the information and adjusted the spacecraft’s trajectory accordingly.

This meant that spacecraft could autocorrect their trajectory with unprecedented precision, adjusting their paths in real-time based on the incoming gravitational waves.

There was no longer a need for elaborate calculations that were usually done before the flight.

I thought that this was much like autonomous vehicles adapting to real-time traffic conditions.

The utilization of gravitational waves marked a new era in space exploration. Spacecraft used those waves not only to navigate but also to propel themselves using the gravitational fields of celestial bodies to their advantage.

All of that was done automatically, calculated on board the spacecraft by an AI engine, using the gravitational waves as input data.

As I contemplated this information, the challenge of achieving interstellar travel crossed my mind.

I began thinking about the fusion research I was currently engaged in.

With a surge of inspiration, I grabbed a pen and paper and started sketching an intricate rocket engine.

The size of the rocket I envisioned dwarfed the scale of Space Z’s Starship by about four times.

The centerpiece of this colossal engine was a miniaturized fusion core.

I believed that achieving this was not only feasible but also less invasive than fission.

And so, I completed the study of the second layer of quantum physics. I rose from my desk, grabbed my bag of notes, and approached the wardrobe, stepping inside.

In the next moment, I found myself in the laboratory.

Upon exiting the wardrobe, I immediately noticed that The Lord wasn’t waiting for me as he usually did.

I swiftly made my way through the white corridor to the room where we usually spoke.

Therion and The Lord stood inside, engaged in a conversation. As soon as they saw me, they turned towards me.

"I see you managed to grasp the second layer quite quickly," Therion inquired.

I nodded, "Yes. But I primarily came here for a different reason."

The Lord looked at me, "What’s the matter, Max?"

"Is Jumping back and forth possible? Because I’m under the impression that I’ve met someone who has experienced such a phenomenon...", I said.

The Lord maintained his expression, but when I looked at Therion, I noticed he was visibly shocked and somewhat disturbed.

Then, his facial expression shifted to a very serious one.