How much further can humans evolve?

[Thorait]

well evolution takes a incredible long time so I guess we will become limbless fat balls with no eye's or senses as we wouldn't need anything with the advancement of technology doing all our tasks we would become only a little bit smarter if not from the educational improvements so we will only become weaker and weaker with the lack of selection and threats to take out the genetically weak. Also we will probably have a incredible bad immune system from medicine protecting us and probably a much larger alcohol resistance. We will lack any muscles from the lack of need to move and probably not much of a spine either but science will provide implants to keep us mobile and otherwise a way to still do any kind of work.

 

[Simalacrum]

Well, evolution requires the theory of survival of the fittest, right? The idea is that those who are more capable will survive and produce offspring, while those who aren't, die before they can pass down their genes.

Considering that being fit isn't really necessary for survival anymore... I don't think we'll evolve in the natural sense anymore really. Most people can get laid before they die

However, we may find that we start altering our bodies and evolving technologically... genetic enhancements, biomechanics limbs ala Deus Ex, etc etc. That seems like the far more likely outcome.

 

[Joos]

We got a long way to go before we can leave or bodies behind and explore this universe in a metaphysical state. But if we do well, I think the day will come.

 

[Zipa]

We are still evolving, faster even than most species. We are becoming taller overall and our digits are lengthening overall. Go back to a old castle and look at the doorways they are almost all too low for a human adult male to walk through without stooping somewhat. Usually these kinds of changes take hundreds of thousands or millions of years.

The other obvious one is that our bodies can tolerate gluten, only about 1% of us can't any more. Go back far enough to pre farming of the cereals , back then more peoples bodies were gluten intolerant, so we have changed and adapted in about 9000 years or so.
Oh and a small percentage of people are starting to show a limited resistance to the AIDS virus in Africa, something that is very recent in terms of evolution.

All that in around 10 thousand years? I thought evolution was much slower.

It is usually, we seem to be the exception to the rule for whatever reason.

 

[Vindictus]

Not watching?
1% difference in DNA from chimps is everything humans have ever accomplished. Rockets, Quantum Theory, Medicince, atomic theory.

Now 1% more different in the same direction we are from chimps.

Holy shit.

People always like to quote that, but it's not really surprising, nor does it indicate much in the way of intelligence.

 

[DeathChairOfHell]

Well, give us a while and we'll lose the appendix and the smallest toe, because they have no use whatsoever.

 

[Manji187]

apparently we are getting taller. Thats evolution right?

nope actually we are getting taller because of the growth hormones in our food.

some scientist said that we will look more asian in the future and everyone will almost look the same and be of the same height like we are now (brown eyes and hair light dark skin etc. those genes are more dominant)

well if i find that video again i will post it here.


until i find it, enjoy the horror:

Wow, the future looks good...for insurance companies.

I guess compared to this stuff we can legitimately say we still have some privacy left. I wonder what breaches of privacy and other rights people will tolerate in the name of "enhancing the quality of life".

"Don't you want to be happy?" the corporations will ask you. "Well, we can make you happy...but only if you become completely dependent on us."

 

[Manji187]

apparently we are getting taller. Thats evolution right?

nope actually we are getting taller because of the growth hormones in our food.

some scientist said that we will look more asian in the future and everyone will almost look the same and be of the same height like we are now (brown eyes and hair light dark skin etc. those genes are more dominant)

well if i find that video again i will post it here.


until i find it, enjoy the horror:

Wow, the future looks good...for insurance companies.

I guess compared to this stuff we can legitimately say we still have some privacy left. I wonder what breaches of privacy and other rights people will tolerate in the name of "enhancing the quality of life".

"Don't you want to be happy?" the corporations will ask you. "Well, we can make you happy...but only if you become completely dependent on us."

well it kind of works for steam and co., doesn't it?

Yeah...as long as they don't become overly invasive like Origin.

Mind you, we're talking digital entertainment here. Imagine not being able to start your car without server authentication from the manufacturer...and all your travel data being recorded in order to "provide a better service".

 

[SinisterGehe]

Genetically we wont be evolving much since even the weak links in out breed can and are kept are alive. There is no longer "the strongest Alfa male's genes gets passed to the next generation with the help of the Omega female) Any weakling with any genetic disease or disease in general bad trait or anything can breed with anyone.

But as a society and as a culture we can.

 

[Belaam]

You're correct in that first world countries don't really have any evolutionary pressure any more.

That said, with pressure and time, we could evolve in countless ways. Enhanced distance or night vision, more efficient lungs, all kinds of things.

It's too late now, but if simply of the two primary tubes in our throats, the one for air was in the back surrounded by muscle and the one for food was up front and vulnerable, we wouldn't really have strangulation deaths. Poor design, there.

I see future human evolution coming back into play only under one of two ways:

1) Overpopulation, environmental damage, etc. bring about a scenario where evolutionary traits come back into play.

or

2) Genetic engineering advances to the point that we can splice in traits from other species. Then we have self-selecting evolution.

 

[Fetzenfisch]

So I wonder, do humans have ANY remaining evolutionary pressures, in the First World climate at least, and if so what traits would they select for?

Of course. Every species has.
We tent to move less, dont need our rest of fur , we tread illnesses and allergies with medication (which leads and already led to an explosion of genetical diseases and allergies, we dont do our gene-pool very good with that).
We aren't going the way to the survivalist predator, but to the etheral, fragile thinker, muscles will be less important, so will be the bodies immune system. The human of future will be probably a hairless slender creature whos survival is 100% depending on technology.

I see future human evolution coming back into play only under one of two ways:

1) Overpopulation, environmental damage, etc. bring about a scenario where evolutionary traits come back into play.

or

2) Genetic engineering advances to the point that we can splice in traits from other species. Then we have self-selecting evolution.

That's not how evolution works.Its not improvement, its adaptation.And the creation of the thing we call 1st world is a pretty new thing in history , we hadnt had the time to adapt to it yet we got A BIG amount of evolutionary pressure (= change in environment) here.

 

[AngloDoom]

Evolution isn't on a scale of 0-100. Evolution is a constant change and will never ever stop because it is simply genetic mutation. It doesn't mean each generation was better than the last from some objective standpoint, but that it did better in the environment it found itself in as a result of a random lottery in genetics.

 

[Sniperyeti]

Depends on what you mean by evolve. Certain directly heritible genetic traits such as the gene which causes Huntingtons will likely be slowly phased out due to our developing ability to detect them.
Technology and behavioural conditioning have largely replaced the 'survival' aspect of evolution, but in terms of 'who reproduces, wins' there could be some traits which are difficult to trace but are being expressed more and more in our society.

 

[LadyTiamat]

i personally want the human race to evolve into Dr. Manhattan like creatures

 

[Summy]

Humanity won't evolve untill being low educated and just plain stupid stops being socially accepted.

 

[Guffe]

Let's just wait until evolution gives the first humans the "ability" to use more than 10% of their/our brain and see were that takes us.

 

[StormShaun]

I think that humanity cannot evolve any further, so we must evolve our technology so we may live better and have a brighter future. (well until the point where everyone rebels)

 

[Venats]

Personally I think it might be Cephalopods (octopi, squid, cuttlefish). Not only do they have some of the coolest naturally gifted abilities, but it's been proven they also have remarkable problem solving skills and large amount of intelligence. If they find a way to walk on land and grow....we're boned.

Cephalopods have incredible (you don't want to play them in an FPS) reaction skills. Their entire brain, in fact, is wired for speed and nothing else... but they have no efficiency and as such do not have the ability for "long" problem solving or deep thought. They have impeccable spur of the moment reaction but nothing else.

This was an interesting paper in Science a couple of years back which talked about how cephalopods were the basis of brain studies for close to a century (because they were so big and easy to dissect) and where the misconception about human brains arises. Humans have one of the most highly efficient brains (as do mammals in general) and also have speed that is (considering the efficiency) equally fantastic. On the initial firing of our neurons we have something like 15% efficiency but this allows us to react quickly; however, sustained thought/activity racks up 90+-% efficiency depending on the person.