How much further can humans evolve?
- Thread starter Dominic Burchnall
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So, do you think that, from the economic divide between First and Third world areas, two separate sub-species of humanity might evlove? (P.S. I'm studying genetics, so I know that any organism will develop a divide between species if separated by say a geographical event, but could the same thing come about today, in an age of easy long-distance travel, and would it happen before technological advances could be shared that would allow developing countries to catch up to us?)Tinybear said:
The point I'm trying to make is that we're expecting humans to evolve over a period of ten thousand years, being generous, but that is a tiny number in comparison to how many years it's take us to get to here and still pathetic when looking at a species that has evolved fast, like certain types of fish, their name escapes me right now.ash-brewster said:
Theres no such thing as evolution the world was created last wednesday!
I'm kinda curious as to whether we've adapted to our own technologies; for example, I wonder how much current a modern human can take without dying compared to a human from 2k years ago...
Well we don't have natural predators to cull the weak and misshapen anymore, so there are bound to be throwbacks and genetic failures.wooty said:
I'm kinda curious as to whether we've adapted to our own technologies; for example, I wonder how much current a modern human can take without dying compared to a human from 2k years ago...
Humanity can only get so smart; Our brains are at a size where if they got any larger, it would be detrimental to our intelligence. They can however, become more "compact" if thats the word. I forget the scientific name, but Einstiens brain was "denser" than average, meaning more nuerons closer together allowing for faster proccessing and higher IQ.
I use the term IQ loosely though; the IQ scale of intelligence is an outdated system for measuring intelligence. An artistic genius may have an average IQ, but be able to produce fantastic works of art.
Back on topic, the only major evolutionary changes we'll be likely to see are in people who go on prolonged space travels. With our current tech humans who spent time in lower gravity would most likely develop weaker bone structures but longer limbs, and possibly dexterity in their feet.
I think inthe future we'll create our own evolution with technology, using artificial implants and genetic engineering.
..We'll be the borg!
I use the term IQ loosely though; the IQ scale of intelligence is an outdated system for measuring intelligence. An artistic genius may have an average IQ, but be able to produce fantastic works of art.
Back on topic, the only major evolutionary changes we'll be likely to see are in people who go on prolonged space travels. With our current tech humans who spent time in lower gravity would most likely develop weaker bone structures but longer limbs, and possibly dexterity in their feet.
I think inthe future we'll create our own evolution with technology, using artificial implants and genetic engineering.
..We'll be the borg!
Actually there's no scientific evidence that it does. Everyone's still arguing that.GrungyMunchy said:
There are theories that it MIGHT have something to do with the immune system, but a lot of people think it's entirely useless.
OT: Technically there's no extent to how much any race can evolve.
Well if technology continues to advance we may evolve with it, our bodies depending on them more and more each generation. Until eventually we would literally die without them. Though on a shorter term eventually we will most likely evolve into just one race, rather than many different races. With the ease of travel and not needing the specific racial attributes that people of different parts of the world evolved to have, we will all end up combining into one universal.
I totally agree with this. Although we my not evolve to point where are physical appearance changes, although as lot of people have mentioned the human race is getting taller, our immune systems are getting better and better at dealing with the also rapidly evolving bacterial and viruses.Harlief said:
As some one has already mentioned before me, people in Africa have started to build up some sort of immune system against aids, this is evolution. Two people who have survived aids because they have a superior immune system that can, in some way, deal with it have had a child that has inherited the parents genes that allowed them to be able to, in some way, become somewhat resistance to aids.
This is Evolution, as this is an example of natural selection. Those that have survived aids can "procreate" and have children, those that don't, well they die.
Also, again some one has mentioned above me, the human race (well.. some of it :/) is getting progressively smarter. This will then be reflected in improvements to science and technology, so, in a way, you can say that where as we won't change to the point where you can see it with the naked eye any time soon but you will see it in the advance in technology.
You can almost say technology is evolving.
Realisticaly it isn't, an argument could be made in terms of sexual selection that it could be an advantage or disadvantage, or a non factor. All on how you wanna define it, that is where the arguments come in evolution, the fact evolution happens isn't, it is all the little why's that are argued.David Huff said:
As I say, allelic frequency in a population over time.
The thing is the change doesn't need to be an advantage or disadvantage, there are many that do basicaly nothing.
Evolution can't stop.
Just like gravity can't stop. As long as matter exists as it does now there will be gravity. As long as DNA exists as it does now there will be evolution. Gravity is something that happens with matter, evolution is something that happens with DNA.
If a region of space is somehow absent of matter (if that's at all possible I don't know) then there's no gravity there at that moment, but that doesn't mean that gravity has stopped.
If a species is somehow absent of evolutionary stimuli (if that's possible is debatable I'd say, there's always some stimuli) then there's no evolution there at that moment, but that doesn't mean evolution has stopped.
Evolution happens over millions of years. Just because in your part of the world you currently don't notice many evolutionary stimuli doesn't mean that evolution will somehow stop for humanity.
Circumstances will eventually change. And then DNA will do what DNA does, it will evolve.
At least that's my understanding of the matter, not an evolutionary (or gravitational) expert though.
Just like gravity can't stop. As long as matter exists as it does now there will be gravity. As long as DNA exists as it does now there will be evolution. Gravity is something that happens with matter, evolution is something that happens with DNA.
If a region of space is somehow absent of matter (if that's at all possible I don't know) then there's no gravity there at that moment, but that doesn't mean that gravity has stopped.
If a species is somehow absent of evolutionary stimuli (if that's possible is debatable I'd say, there's always some stimuli) then there's no evolution there at that moment, but that doesn't mean evolution has stopped.
Evolution happens over millions of years. Just because in your part of the world you currently don't notice many evolutionary stimuli doesn't mean that evolution will somehow stop for humanity.
Circumstances will eventually change. And then DNA will do what DNA does, it will evolve.
At least that's my understanding of the matter, not an evolutionary (or gravitational) expert though.
Indeed. Blue eyes in mammals, other than humans, is actualy quite rare if I recall correctly.ash-brewster said:
Mutation is a word that people confuse a lot too, often drives me mad when people hear mutation then think of say x-men type stuff, or that it'd be something "bad".
I love the subject of evolution.
Evolution never ceases, in fact it is progressing at a rate much faster than before. Our own technology will further our own evolution as well.
You have to remember that the bulk of our technological advancement has taken space within the span of about 10,000 years. Evolution takes place on an entirely different timescale, which is why we have retained so many of the characteristics that served our ancestors well but tend to mess things up for us. Another conundrum is that we are altering our environment at a phenomenal rate, which often means that we can't even get acclimatised to it, let alone begin to evolve to function better within it.
Yet another consideration is the human tendency to wilfully work in counterpoint to natural selection, which prevents certain traits from being eliminated from the gene-pool. That's not necessarily a bad thing, and I'm not a eugenicist.
Basically, that old chestnut about memetic evolution outpacing its physiological counterpart may actually be hindering our development. Luckily,the two are about to merge, so we'll actually be at the reins in a few decades.
Yet another consideration is the human tendency to wilfully work in counterpoint to natural selection, which prevents certain traits from being eliminated from the gene-pool. That's not necessarily a bad thing, and I'm not a eugenicist.
Basically, that old chestnut about memetic evolution outpacing its physiological counterpart may actually be hindering our development. Luckily,the two are about to merge, so we'll actually be at the reins in a few decades.
Humans will never stop evolving. Mutations are always occurring and humans, despite the technology we invent for ourselves, we can always be improved.
Incorrect, the only way blondes will go extinct is if we kill (or sterilise) everyone with blonde hair then screen everyone in the world's genome to make sure they don't carry at least one gene for blonde hair, and then kill (or sterilise) them. I don't see that happening soon. As the gene for blonde hair is recessive, it is certainly becoming less common, but it is unlikely it will ever fully be wiped out.Fieldy409 said:
Not true. If a human evolves to become sterile, they obviously won't pass on their genes to the next generation which means they won't pass on their sterility which means their offspring won't be sterile thus they will be the only human to be sterile and when they die out, they'll take that gene with them. Unless, of course, they also evolve to reproduce asexually and somehow that gives them an advantage over every other human in the world as well.Harlief said: