How much further can humans evolve?

[McNinja]

We won't, at least not much more. We have evolved to the point where instead of being forced to adapt to the environment, we can generally make the environment adapt to us (A/C, building cities/buildings in general). I do think that we will eventually reach a point similar to what is shown in Deus Ex: HR in terms of human modification.

Although we might just evolve into immortal, amoral, time-travelling beings (see the book Dancers at the End of Time).

 

[HooterNanny]

apparently we are getting taller. Thats evolution right?

yes it is.

selective through sexual preference.


we are getting taller, smarter (by 3% every decade), the dominant digit on the hand has changed in just the last 20 years (from forefinger to thumb, because of the "tools" we use) blonds are likely to go extinct and i suppose eventually someone will be born without an appendix.

its not standing still

in fact recent developments have shown that changes are happening far faster than they previously though possible (the dominant finger thing really shocked evolutionary scientists)

Regarding the appendix thing. Even if someone was born without an appendix, it's not like that would spread very far. Because a (I'm about to sound stupid) takey-out-appendix-operation, isn't a difficult procedure nowadays, and it's not like its a desireable trait for the opposite gender. Other stuff it correct though.

 

[Je Suis Ubermonkey]

*cough*http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homo *cough*
I count fourteen different kinds of human over two million years in that list. Wikipedia isn't exactly well known for accuracy, but I think we can trust it not to be out by 1300% when counting numbers.

Your stated qualifications from the start of your post should mean you know a lot about doing research and providing sources. Please try to do so when making statements involving such words as 'know' and 'fact'. They are words which belong in the field of mathematics, not science.

Homo is genus, not a species.

I was talking about humans as a species, homo sapiens. I was not talking about other species within our genus.

The only thing I did wrong was say "millions of years" when I showed have said 200,000 years. Of course, I was also responding to people talking about how we're going to be born without appendixes in the future, so it wasn't a distinction that I was very careful with.

La-di-da, dude. You should go see a doctor about that cough.

(I am led to believe that) human refers to the genus, not the species, but I suppose it's a simple mistake/misunderstanding (I was never too hot on Kingdom/Genus/Species/Whatever anyhow. All seems a bit of a convoluted way to tell if something's a fish or not.)

Oh, and I saw a Doctor about the cough. He asked what I was doing at his house at 2AM. Apparently I have Getoffmylawnyoudarnyobitis. : )

 

[Zipa]

I hate it when scientists and others alike say thing like "humans can't evolve." They don't look at the bigger picture, humans have evolved from neanderthals (is that how you spell it?) over millions of years and the CAN evolve, just not while natural selection has gone out the window with handicapped people and those with less desirable natural traits can roam around breeding. Personally I'd like the old meat and two veg to be refined a bit more, it always looks a bit of an after thought.

We didn't evolve from neanderthals, they were a completely different species that died out though certain characteristics of the neanderthals did outlive the species due to in breeding with homo sapiens (us)

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.

Oh I know that, as a species humanity has evolved massively faster than other species where changes take millions of years.

I.
You think that's fast? Look at dogs. They evolve over a few generations.

OT: I can't remember where i heard this, but it has been said to me that science has a theory that we will eventually lose our pinky fingers. Sorry to all musicians.

doubt we would lose our pinkys since there is no evolutionary reason to do away with it, a few people might mutate and not have one and possibly have already but its not a benefit to the species so unlikely to happen

 

[DracoSuave]

So, while saying that I'm wrong about species adaptation, you go on and describe the process of species adaptation.

Just sayin'.

I feel like this is arguing semantics to some degree. Evolution in and of itself is not adaptation; adaptive species/lifeforms that survive simply tend to have the biggest sway in how evolution moves. Again, though, I feel like this is semantics except for one key detail: evolution can go backwards, adaptation doesn't tend to do such.

You're right, and a semantic argument isn't worth the time cause it clouds the point I was trying to make, which is that evolution is what ensures species will tend towards fitting their environment better over time, not about becoming faster/bigger/stronger/whatever.

An example is intellect. Many people have talked about intellect and sentience as proof of evolution's continued 'forward march' and that evolution must tend towards intellectual advancement.

The thing is, this is bullocks, because evolution doesn't WORK that way.

The truth of the matter is that this intellect has created for us various tools (which is our natural advantage). By the same token, we have members of our species that are creating weapons of mass destruction, doomsday devices. There exists gizmos that, if used, will eradicate most of humanity on the planet.

What this means is that the intellect of our species not only could endanger us individually, but could DIRECTLY be the cause of our self destruction. Therefore, from the stand point of evolution, we have yet to prove that intellect is even a desirable trait! It doesn't even matter if MOST of us smart monkeys know that self-destruction is bad... our intellect is such that it only takes a small number of monkeys with a small number of gizmos to eradicate our species from the map.

The only way intellect can be proven to be beneficial to our evolution is when intellect is not a threat to our continued existance as a species. And if we hit the button? Then evolution will have decided humanity fails, and we'll be fossils.

Evolution is NOT about maximizing a trait. It's about surviving. That's the ONLY proof in this pudding.

 

[LHZA]

No matter how well a species is adapted to their current environment, that is no indication that they will be well adapted to any changes in said environment.

 

[intheweeds]

I hate it when scientists and others alike say thing like "humans can't evolve." They don't look at the bigger picture, humans have evolved from neanderthals (is that how you spell it?) over millions of years and the CAN evolve, just not while natural selection has gone out the window with handicapped people and those with less desirable natural traits can roam around breeding. Personally I'd like the old meat and two veg to be refined a bit more, it always looks a bit of an after thought.

We didn't evolve from neanderthals, they were a completely different species that died out though certain characteristics of the neanderthals did outlive the species due to in breeding with homo sapiens (us)

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.

Oh I know that, as a species humanity has evolved massively faster than other species where changes take millions of years.

You think that's fast? Look at dogs. They evolve over a few generations.

OT: I can't remember where i heard this, but it has been said to me that science has a theory that we will eventually lose our pinky fingers. Sorry to all musicians.

I doubt we would lose our pinkys since there is no evolutionary reason to do away with it, a few people might mutate and not have one and possibly have already but its not a benefit to the species so unlikely to happen

I think that is precisely why they are saying that. It's useless, so eventually it will disappear. It a useless relic that will eventually drop off since there is no reason to have it.

 

[Atmos Duality]

Evolution is simply adaptation over time; at some point, it has to plateau into a cycle.

 

[ScorpioT]

Spoilers for DX:HR - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OdHLJ92aSto&feature=related

The answer is right there.

 

[Joseph Alexander]

None, because macroevolution is false.

We can always continue with Micro-evolution but as for Macro-evolution (such as us coming from apes) that is scientifically impossible, Macro-Evolution is pure sci-fi seeing as both the Law of Biogenesis and the second law of thermodynamics both go against Macro-evolution. Though Micro-evolution is a very well proven thing and is constantly happening.

You guys are kidding... right?

Wow. Education is really fucked up wherever you people are from. Statistically you lot are bound to be either from an islamic state or from the USA.

eh.. even here in the bible belt macro-evolution is generally accepted.
hell where do you think the whole "intelligent design" idea came from.

 

[Anthony Abney]

To do so little as to imagine that evolution could ever possibly end is... Mind boggling.

Both, human technology and evolution (Ninja'd on both! Aagh!) is skyrocketing in speed. Faster than ever before, and it will continue to go faster and faster.

This right here is the answer and end of the thread really. Evolution in all aspects of things cannot end, at least to our limited understanding.

Technically, it CAN end, after all, I find it hard to believe that an extinct species can continue to evolve.

Now that I have the slightly trollish comment out of the way, we will continue to evolve, and I kind of like that. I won't be alive to see it, but every time someone talks about human evolution, I think about the idea that one day, millions of years from now, everyone is Superman.

 

[Torrasque]

We are still evolving, and as any organism, we can evolve indefinitely.
Just because we have machines and what not, doesn't mean we have stopped evolving, there is just less environmental stressors on our species.
I imagine when global warming intensifies, you'll see evolutionary changes pick up.
I am just curious as to what happens first: we evolve naturally, or we evolve ourselves... Genetics is gonna really accelerate this century.

 

[BK-110]

Evolution is not a process with an goal. It leads nowhere. Instead, it is a continuous adaption of a species to its surroundings. We will further evolve along with our changing environment, although, at some point, there will be a change which we cannot adapt to, leading to our extinction.

 

[DracoSuave]

How is having blue eyes a genetic defect

Because when it comes time to fire red laser beams out of our eyes at the Pierson's Puppeteers that personally offend me, the blue irises will absorb the red light, thus causing the pew pew laser beams to not be pew pew nor laser beams.

Man, this is a SCIENCE discussion!

 

[KennardKId5]

I don't have high hopes for the human race, especially if "The Situation" and Kim Kardashian keep having sex.

 

[Danik93]

Yes! We are getting taller, more muscles, bigger breasts and are becoming more and more good looking in every generation. That's just whats happening on the outside. the inside is a different thing, there we are getting less and less resistant against diseases.

 

[JasonKaotic]

Wings.
Hurry up and give us some goddamn wings, nature!

More seriously, our lifespans are getting longer.

 

[direkiller]

Theres no big guiding hand choosing which genes would be most fit for passing on, and which are not usefull anymore, hence we won't loose our pinky toe, or our appendix, unless having those stops us from pro-creating.

This. It's why males have nipples despite them having no function at all.

and i suppose eventually someone will be born without an appendix.

You do realise that the appendix actually has a function right?

Actually there's no scientific evidence that it does. Everyone's still arguing that.

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, there is one. If a race evolves to a point where it no longer dies, then there would be no natural selection and thus no evolution.

But whether that's possible is debatable.

there's a tree in California that's about 4,700 years old
some sponges are over 5000 years old

unless stop by external factors some things will just keep living

 

[Zipa]

I hate it when scientists and others alike say thing like "humans can't evolve." They don't look at the bigger picture, humans have evolved from neanderthals (is that how you spell it?) over millions of years and the CAN evolve, just not while natural selection has gone out the window with handicapped people and those with less desirable natural traits can roam around breeding. Personally I'd like the old meat and two veg to be refined a bit more, it always looks a bit of an after thought.

We didn't evolve from neanderthals, they were a completely different species that died out though certain characteristics of the neanderthals did outlive the species due to in breeding with homo sapiens (us)

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.

Oh I know that, as a species humanity has evolved massively faster than other species where changes take millions of years.

You think that's fast? Look at dogs. They evolve over a few generations.

OT: I can't remember where i heard this, but it has been said to me that science has a theory that we will eventually lose our pinky fingers. Sorry to all musicians.

I doubt we would lose our pinkys since there is no evolutionary reason to do away with it, a few people might mutate and not have one and possibly have already but its not a benefit to the species so unlikely to happen

I think that is precisely why they are saying that. It's useless, so eventually it will disappear. It a useless relic that will eventually drop off since there is no reason to have it.

It doesn't work like that, our genome is not going to suddenly change and remove a finger unless there is a advantage to losing it which there is not. We still have a tail bone and we don't need that and haven't done since we began to walk on two legs and not live in trees.

 

[direkiller]

apparently we are getting taller. Thats evolution right?

yes it is.

selective through sexual preference.


we are getting taller, smarter (by 3% every decade), the dominant digit on the hand has changed in just the last 20 years (from forefinger to thumb, because of the "tools" we use) blonds are likely to go extinct and i suppose eventually someone will be born without an appendix.

its not standing still

in fact recent developments have shown that changes are happening far faster than they previously though possible (the dominant finger thing really shocked evolutionary scientists)

Regarding the appendix thing. Even if someone was born without an appendix, it's not like that would spread very far. Because a (I'm about to sound stupid) takey-out-appendix-operation, isn't a difficult procedure nowadays, and it's not like its a desireable trait for the opposite gender. Other stuff it correct though.

appendectomy is the word your looking for