is human evolution at an end.

stevejr

Medicine and technology have probably been, in the past, our greatest ally. Both technologies have brought us to a pinnacle of dominance that no known terrestrial species has ever achieved. Natural selection is obsolete in the face of such technology. So therefore is evolution dead?

red menace

Yep I haven't seen anyone evolve in a few days now, I'd say that's it alright

NIMAN

When I sit in work and watch supposedly grown adults (mostly men) in their 30s and 40s refuse to take part in conversation at the dinner table due to the fact that they are fiddling with their smart phone or playing Angry Birds, then I sometimes wonder about human evolution.

pragmatic1

No, its not. Also natural selection is just one of the mechanisms of evolution. In addition, most people dont even understand the concept of natural selection properly.

NIMAN

Have their been any reports or info on how the human might evolve over the next few million years?

Will we change much? Will we get less/extra fingers? Extra eyes? Taller? Thicker skin?

Always wondered about this.

Knasher

Absolutely not. While medicine and science has advanced to great height in many ways (and yet is unbelievably primitive in others), we aren't yet at the stage where we can fully understand (or implement) changes to our DNA. However even when we get there it will still just be evolution++, natural selection will still ultimately be the basis for deciding if a change is beneficial and implemented or rejected.

al28283

No. Evolution is based on our ability to adapt to our surroundings/environment. These surroundings are now changing quicker than at most points during our history, so I reckon whatever evolution takes place must happen quicker to counter that.
But we as a species are in unique position where we can have a direct influence on our surroundings, so its a delicate balancing act in the long run. Either we adapt quickly to the world we are changing so rapidly or we slow these changes down and gives us time to evolve to these changes. If not we will die out

Links234

Transhumanism ftw!

Savage Tyrant

At an end?... I'd say it's in fûckin reverse at this stage going by half the mongs knocking about the place.

grizzly

Considering the tiny percentage of the worlds population that can take advantage of modern medicine I'd say we're in no great danger of it subverting evolution.

Also as pragmatic1 says, natural selection means that evolution would continue regardless of whether the environment is a jungle or a sterile laboratory.

Bbbbolger

Definitely not at an end. Among the predictions for whats in store are losing the little toe and possibly the little finger. One group of scientists came up with a supported theory that eventually we will evolve into two separate species. One will be exceedingly tall and genetically strong. The other will be small by relative terms and will not live in the light. Most likely they will be forced underground...sewer people almost.

Jesus Wept

stevejr wrote: »

Medicine and technology have probably been, in the past, our greatest ally. Both technologies have brought us to a pinnacle of dominance that no known terrestrial species has ever achieved. Natural selection is obsolete in the face of such technology. So therefore is evolution dead?

Highlighted the key words.

grizzly

Bbbbolger wrote: »

Definitely not at an end. Among the predictions for whats in store are losing the little toe and possibly the little finger. One group of scientists came up with a supported theory that eventually we will evolve into two separate species. One will be exceedingly tall and genetically strong. The other will be small by relative terms and will not live in the light. Most likely they will be forced underground...sewer people almost.

Which group would AH fall into?

Bbbbolger

Well I already fit the tall strong superior mould! Dont know about the rest of ye

Rabies

NIMAN wrote: »

Have their been any reports or info on how the human might evolve over the next few million years?

Will we change much? Will we get less/extra fingers? Extra eyes? Taller? Thicker skin?

Always wondered about this.

Most Boards users need to evolve and get thicker skin.

al28283

Bbbbolger wrote: »

Definitely not at an end. Among the predictions for whats in store are losing the little toe and possibly the little finger. One group of scientists came up with a supported theory that eventually we will evolve into two separate species. One will be exceedingly tall and genetically strong. The other will be small by relative terms and will not live in the light. Most likely they will be forced underground...sewer people almost.

That wasn't scientists that was H.G Wells.

Depending on the amount of time we're talking about I think modern humans could evolve into any number of distinct species.
I read one article which proposed several including humans who might colonise other planets, humans who might embrace genetics and humans who might embrace cybernetics as some of the more extreme different versions of humans that might someday exist.

stevejr

Bbbbolger wrote: »

Definitely not at an end. Among the predictions for whats in store are losing the little toe and possibly the little finger. One group of scientists came up with a supported theory that eventually we will evolve into two separate species. One will be exceedingly tall and genetically strong. The other will be small by relativeterms and will not live in the light. Most likely they will be forced underground...sewer people almost.

Yes but if people started being born without little toes. Would that be recognised as evolution? I think it would be called an abnormally...Would the immediacy aspect of modern medicine be able to recognise evolution? Or would such a condition be classed as an abnormallity and be eradicated. 4 toes doesn't seem to be a benefit...in the short term.

Lanaier

stevejr wrote: »

Medicine and technology have probably been, in the past, our greatest ally. Both technologies have brought us to a pinnacle of dominance that no known terrestrial species has ever achieved. Natural selection is obsolete in the face of such technology. So therefore is evolution dead?

No.
Evolution doesn't stop just because we decided to grow thumbs and get comfy.

What we may eventually see is what we might consider a regression of certain properties such as our muscular features...but considering that most humans still do hard physical labour that would only happen if we lived in a Utopia where no one needed to exert themselves IE: not for a long time, possibly never.

Also consider that modern medicine has been around for barely a fleeting moment in evolutionary terms... it would have to be around a whole lot longer to effect us on an evolutionary level.....which is effectively hoping that our current civilisation somehow survives for a few more hundred thousand years for this to be observable.

How far does recorded history go back? 6000 years?...10 at a stretch?

What's the longest any one civilization on the planet has lasted?
100s of years?...I have no idea (China doesn't count as one civilization, sorry).

So assuming either:

A: Our civilization somehow survives hundreds of thousands of years
or
B: Our civilization doesn't last but somehow our medical technology survives.

...then maybe we'll see an observable change in our evolution due to medicine.

al28283

stevejr wrote: »

Yes but if people starting opini being born without little toes. Would that be recognised as evolution? I think it would be called an abnormally...Would the immediacy aspect of modern medicine be able to recognise evolution? Or would such a condition be classed as an abnormallity and be eradicated. 4 toes doesn't seem to be a benefit...in the short term.

I think that's where natural selection may come into play. People born with 4 toes may be seen as abnormal but If there really is an advantage to having 4 toes then they will eventually do better in life, be more successful procreating, and eventually become the majority and therefore normal way of being for humans.
I imagine it will be something more subtle that will predict how successful people are at procreating, possibly vacous reasons seeing as survival might not be such a pressing concern in our society i.e, height, hair colour etc.
On the other hand it might be people more resistant to things like cancer, heart disease and other illnesses who might die out early and leave the healthiest of us behind.

Lanaier

stevejr wrote: »

Yes but if people starting opini being born without little toes. Would that be recognised as evolution? I think it would be called an abnormally...Would the immediacy aspect of modern medicine be able to recognise evolution? Or would such a condition be classed as an abnormallity and be eradicated. 4 toes doesn't seem to be a benefit...in the short term.

But what use would that be?
If 4 toes became more useful than 5 than I guess people with that anomaly would have an edge and may prosper....but in modern terms that seems less likely...so it would remain an anomaly.

stevejr

Lanaier wrote: »

But what use would that be?
If 4 toes became more useful than 5 than I guess people with that anomaly would have an edge and may prosper....but in modern terms that seems less likely...so it would remain an anomaly.

An anomaly designated by medicine perhaps...one's man's anomaly is another man's(historian's) evolution?

deathrider

My pikachu evolved into a riachu... Just thought I'd throw that in there.

haydar

There is no such thing as evolution!!!!!!!

ballsymchugh

lower jaws are getting smaller. ever since man figured out how to cook food, it became easier to chew so the lower jaw has adapted to this.
will probably have less teeth in future, no place for the wisdom teeth to develop.

al28283

I think the biggest change over the last few thousand years have been in the nose, though I can't remember where i read that. Anyone hear anything like that?

mickrock

K. Pilkington points out that, over time, we will lose the use of our little finger.

thebostoncrab

I don't think the next stage of our evolution will be anything external since modern medical science is quick to correct anything that appears different at birth. If a child is born without a baby toe or finger then a parent or doctor won't go "Oh wow, this must be the next stage of our evolution" , instead it would be more along the lines of "What the hell is wrong with my child, quick fix her!"

Changes such us as adapting to disease, no longer growing our wisdom teeth or heightening our senses; these are how humans will evolve next, because they are not inatanly noticeable and medical science won't look at them as deformities.

Saying that, if I found our that at birth I has 4 arms bug the doctor removes them, I'd be pissed!

gbee

stevejr wrote: »

Medicine and technology have probably been, in the past, our greatest ally. Both technologies have brought us to a pinnacle of dominance that no known terrestrial species has ever achieved. Natural selection is obsolete in the face of such technology. So therefore is evolution dead?

Considering we've been made extinct a few times and owe our very existence to yet another extinction event and knowing that a global extinction series of event is imminent, then there are two answers, for this race on this planet at this time, it seems so.

But as the new planet reforms there will be opportunities for other growth, whether the Dinosaurs return, we return or a new dominant species evolves to take the leadership reigns remains to be seen.

As there is some debate as to our unaided arrival at our position of dominance it is speculative that natural forces on this planet might not have produced us thus our evolution may have been destined for a different track.

So with that in mind then it is probably fair to say that evolution for us has more or less ceased. However, nature is still adaptive and with it's basic programming will accommodate us to a point in the future, whether we can achieve our ultimate destiny is uncertain at this time.

Biggins

NIMAN wrote: »

Have their been any reports or info on how the human might evolve over the next few million years?

Will we change much? Will we get less/extra fingers? Extra eyes? Taller? Thicker skin?

Always wondered about this.

There is a great deal of talk and scientific evidence on the net to show we are progressing and even that the speed of rate has even got faster.
For example read:

* http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=the-future-of-man
* http://www.abovetopsecret.com/forum/thread4565/pg1
* http://www.thenakedscientists.com/forum/index.php?topic=18283
* http://www.livescience.com/5859-future-evolution.html
* http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2009/11/091124-origin-of-species-150-darwin-human-evolution.html

When it comes to looking into areas like this, the internet is very useful.

One observation:

Actually our brains are getting bigger for the first time in centuries. Our brains are very slowly starting to expand on the sides, last I heard. Our heads are not getting "bigger," as much as getting "wider." The male and female brains work a lot differently. Genetic engineering might put us both back on the right track. Men have better spacial recognition, while women can multitask and have better connection between the hemispheres (corpus collosum (sp?)). If we wired our brain correctly, we would learn much faster and store things more efficiently. We might be able to use all that left over space .

Larger eyes can have an advantage, but more importantly, how our brain interprets the signals our eyes receive will determine whether we can see more colors, infrared, ultraviolet, and a large spectra of other wavelengths. Essentially, larger eyes will allow us to see a wider area at one time... along with eye positioning. Eyes too far apart lose the 3-d effect.

Our overall body stature is not likely to change that much because certain body types are seen as more beautiful or able to survive. Taller men, perhaps unfairly, are seen as more attractive, virile, and powerful. These allow mating possibilities to be more readily available. Evolution would not get rid of these things unless there was a drastic change in nearly every aspect of living. More surface area helps the body to sweat more. More hair keeps the body warm. Whiter skin allows for vitamin D to be formed from sunlight. The layer of fat attached to our skin allows for better swimming and thermal control. The list goes on and on. We are designed very well and the future will not change us unless we have to adapt to a terribly different environment.... perhaps space.

PREDICTION ONE
Human Evolution Is Dead

"Because we have evolved, it's natural to imagine we will continue to do so, but I think that's wrong," anthropologist Ian Tattersall of New York's American Museum of Natural History said in an email.

"Everything we know about evolutionary change suggests that genetic innovations are only likely to become fixed in small, isolated populations," he said. For example, Darwin's famous Galápagos finches each evolved from their mainland ancestor to fit a unique habitat on the isolated islands in the Pacific.

Natural selection, as outlined in On the Origin of Species, occurs when a genetic mutation—say, resulting in a spine suited to upright walking—is passed down through generations, because it affords some benefit. Eventually the mutation becomes the norm.

But if populations aren't isolated, crossbreeding makes it much less likely for potentially significant mutations to become established in the gene pool—and that's exactly where we are now, Tattersall said.

"Since the advent of settled life, human populations have expanded enormously. Homo sapiens is densely packed across the Earth, and individuals are unprecedentedly mobile.

"In this situation, the fixation of any meaningful evolutionary novelties in the human population is highly improbable." Tattersall said. "Human beings are just going to have to learn to live with themselves as they are."

Steve Jones, a genetics professor at University College London, put forward a similar scenario during a recent lecture series marking the bicentenary of Darwin's birth and the 150th anniversary of On the Origin of Species at the University of Cambridge.

The human population will become more alike as races merge, he said, but "Darwin's machine has lost its power."

That's because natural selection—Darwin's "survival of the fittest" concept—is being sidelined in humans, according to Jones.

The fittest will no longer spearhead evolutionary change, because, thanks to medical advances, the weakest also live on and pass down their genes.

When On the Origin of Species was published in 1859, only about half of British children survived to 21. Today that number has swelled to 99 percent.

In developed countries, "the fact that everybody stays alive, at least until they're sexually mature, means got nothing to work with," Jones said. "That part of the Darwinian fuel has gone."


PREDICTION TWO
Humans Will Continue to Evolve

Other scientists see plenty of evidence that human evolution is far from over.

For instance, a study published last month in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences suggested that women of the future could become shorter and stouter.

A team led by Yale University evolutionary biologist Stephen Stearns found that, due to ovulatory characteristics, shorter, slightly plumper women tend to have more children than their peers. These physical traits are passed on to their offspring, suggesting natural selection in humans is alive and well.

Geoffrey Miller, an evolutionary psychologist at the University of New Mexico, believes Darwinian evolution in humans is actually speeding up. He highlighted sexual selection through mate choice as one key driver.

"You still have powerful mate choice shaping mental traits particularly … traits that are needed to succeed economically and in raising kids," Miller said.

"We're also going to get stronger sexual selection, because the more advanced the technology gets, the greater an effect general intelligence will have on each individual's economic and social success, because as technology gets more complex, you need more intelligence to master it," he said.

"That intelligence results in higher earnings, social status, and sexual attractiveness."

Miller added that artificial selection using genetic technologies will likely accentuate these changes in the future.

"Parents could basically choose which sperm and egg get to meet up to produce a baby based on genetic information about which genes contribute to which physical and mental traits," he said.

"If the rich and powerful keep the artificial-selection technology to themselves, then you could get that kind of split between a kind of upper-class, dominant population and a lower-class, genetically oppressed population," he added.

"But I think it's very likely the new genetic technologies will be widespread in their use, simply because that's more profitable. So I think there will actually be a leveling effect, where both the poor and the rich are going to be able to have the best kids they can genetically.

"You will probably see a rise in average physical attractiveness and health," he added. "You will probably get selection for physical traits that tend to be attractive in both males and females—things like height, muscularity, energy levels."

But "regular" natural selection will also continue to play a major role, Miller believes.

"What you're facing now is a global pathogen pool of viruses and bacteria that get spread around by air travel to every corner of the Earth, and that's going to increase," he said.

"We're going to get a lot more epidemics," Miller added. "That will increase the importance of the genetic immune system in human survival"—and result in a human species with stronger immune systems, he speculated.


PREDICTION THREE
Humans to Achieve Electronic Immortality

A philosophy known as transhumanism sees humans taking charge of their evolution and transcending their biological limitations via technology.

In essence, the old-fashioned evolution of On the Origin of Species may be beside the point: The future may belong to unnatural selection.

Nick Bostrom, director of the Future of Humanity Institute at the University of Oxford, said Darwinian evolution "is happening on a very slow time scale now relative to other things that are leading to changes in the human condition"—cloning, genetic enhancement, robotics, artificial intelligence, and nanotechnology, for starters.

Transhumanism raises a spectacular array of possibilities, from supersoldiers and new breeds of athletes to immortal beings who, having had their brains scanned atom by atom, transfer their minds to computers.

In addition to living forever, "uploaded" beings would be able to "travel at the speed of light as an information pattern," download themselves into robots for the occasional stroll through the real world, think faster when running on advanced operating systems, and cut their food budget down to zero, Bostrom imagines in his paper "The Transhumanist FAQ," available on the Humanity+ Web site.

If that were to happen, a new type of evolution would emerge, Bostrom said.

"Evolutionary selection could occur in a population of uploads or artificial intelligence just as much as it could in a population of biological organisms," he told National Geographic News. "In fact, it might operate much faster there, because artificial intellects could reproduce much faster."

Whereas the current human generational cycle takes some 20 years, a digitalized individual could replicate themselves in seconds or minutes, Bostrom said.

Of course copying yourself isn't without complications, Bostrom acknowledges.

"Which one of them is you?" he writes. "Who owns your property? Who is married to your spouse?"


PREDICTION FOUR
New Era of Evolution Awaits on Off-World Colonies?

"Some major new isolating mechanism" would be needed for a new human species to arise, according to John Hawks, an anthropologist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Despite up to 30,000 years of partial isolation among populations in places such as Australia and Papua New Guinea, human speciation did not occur, he noted.

But if, in the far distant future, habitable planets beyond our solar system were colonized by Earth migrants, that could provide the necessary isolation for new human species to evolve.

"If we had spacefaring people who went on one-way voyages to distant stars, that might be enough to trigger speciation," Hawks said.

But, he added, "if you think about it, a small group of people went on a one-way voyage to [the Americas] 14,000 years ago, and then when new people [Europeans] showed up 500 years ago, they were still the same species."

Lando Griffin

It hasent ended in my village anyway, there are still lads dragging their knuckles on the ground when they walk and use a series of grunts when tcommunitating. There is also their inability to wash during the millenium. Great hurlers though.

Duggy747

Nano technology and integrating with machines.

Though I suppose that's already happening with men with small willies shagging Japanese sex dolls. :pac:

tonysea

Bbbbolger wrote: »

Definitely not at an end. Among the predictions for whats in store are losing the little toe and possibly the little finger. One group of scientists came up with a supported theory that eventually we will evolve into two separate species. One will be exceedingly tall and genetically strong. The other will be small by relative terms and will not live in the light. Most likely they will be forced underground...sewer people almost.

Lose our little fingers?!.....how will we pick our ears?

stovelid

NIMAN wrote: »

When I sit in work and watch supposedly grown adults (mostly men) in their 30s and 40s refuse to take part in conversation at the dinner table due to the fact that they are fiddling with their smart phone or playing Angry Birds, then I sometimes wonder about human evolution.

Or the quality of conversation on offer at table that you have to resort to your phone.

opinion guy

The future of human evolution:
http://t3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRg6EtaocxZq3c2H6bg2dpBeDQSiI7sbM5ItMHZIpSAQqS3W-Xvfw

Lanaier

opinion guy wrote: »

The future of human evolution:
http://t3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRg6EtaocxZq3c2H6bg2dpBeDQSiI7sbM5ItMHZIpSAQqS3W-Xvfw

Is that the new iPhone?
Looks great on him.

jimbobaloobob

Medicine and technology are likely to keep discovering new things.

We are still evolving but probably not for the better of the human race.

Its still evolution

Wibbs

As far as genetic change goes, we've evolved more in the last 10,000 years than we did in the 60,000 years previous to that. A lot of dietary adaptations for a start. In the last 100,000 years we've become much less robust, our teeth, jaws and skull have gotten smaller, as have our brains overall. Size isn't everything when it comes to brains though. EG Einstein had a small brain for a modern human and a significantly smaller brain than the average Neanderthal.

Humans are unusual if not unique as we're the first to be truly extrasomatic in evolutionary terms. Our evolution happens not just within our genes but outside the body of the individual. EG We didn't have to 'wait' to grow bigger teeth or claws we made tools and weapons. Cooking releases more nutrients from food(overall) so although we had a more carnivorous diet we didn't require more acidic stomachs. Clothing(and fire) mean we can exploit cold niches without having to wait around to come up with blubber and thick fur. We can create or manipulate our environment to suit ourselves. Other animals show some small examples of this tweaking of selection pressures, but not even within sniffing distance of us.

The next phase is tinkering with the tool that is the human genome itself. Adding to it, linking it to 'machines'. Exciting stuff. Imagine in a thousand years time. Practically immortal engineered Homo Machina with all human knowledge at his or her mental fingertips. We reading this may see and be the last unaugmented Homo Sapiens Sapiens. I would say IMHO that if you're 20 reading this then chances are pretty good, barring accidents that you'll see the 22nd century and maybe beyond. If you keep yourself healthy until life extension becomes possible(and it will it's just very complex engineering) you may never die as such. You'll live long enough to plug into some global network brain consciousness.

Well if we don't go backwards which is also possible. Though latterly I've been thinking the end probably isn't nigh. Or anywhere close. Yes previous societies have all fallen, but I think we've hit a critical mass event sometime in the mid 20th century. The global village as it were. For all the derision of homogenised culture it may well protect us from civilisation collapse. One may fall back, but another will both take it's place and keep the old one ticking over. So all this talk about China taking over(tm) and the US failing. It may, but this global critical mass thing will just mean china holds the position but continues with the overall Human culture. IE Are the Chinese while growing wearing Chinese clothes, listening to Chinese music, driving Chinese cars? Nope. They're wearing suits and listening to pop music and driving european/US designed cars. All that stuff may be produced by the Chinese themselves but they're all expressions of the global human culture. They'll add to it of course and when the Indians or whomever 'take over' they'll do the same, but global human culture will remain. In the past it was different. When Rome ruled Europe a very different culture existed in China and a very different culture existed in meso America. If one fell, there was some continuation, but we had none of the cultural buffers we have today. This could mean stagnation of course. China being a good example of that in the past. I doubt it. The pace of change now is so rapid and so many people and groups have access to the global human culture that I doubt we'l stagnate.

biko

Ask me again in 10.000 years.

pragmatic1

Knasher wrote: »

Absolutely not. While medicine and science has advanced to great height in many ways (and yet is unbelievably primitive in others), we aren't yet at the stage where we can fully understand (or implement) changes to our DNA. However even when we get there it will still just be evolution++, natural selection will still ultimately be the basis for deciding if a change is beneficial and implemented or rejected.

Yes we are.

Kasabian

Human Evolution will be at an end with human destruction of our planet.

Krusader

opinion guy

Wibbs wrote: »

As far as genetic change goes, we've evolved more in the last 10,000 years than we did in the 60,000 years previous to that. A lot of dietary adaptations for a start. In the last 100,000 years we've become much less robust, our teeth, jaws and skull have gotten smaller, as have our brains overall. Size isn't everything when it comes to brains though. EG Einstein had a small brain for a modern human and a significantly smaller brain than the average Neanderthal.

Humans are unusual if not unique as we're the first to be truly extrasomatic in evolutionary terms. Our evolution happens not just within our genes but outside the body of the individual. EG We didn't have to 'wait' to grow bigger teeth or claws we made tools and weapons. Cooking releases more nutrients from food(overall) so although we had a more carnivorous diet we didn't require more acidic stomachs. Clothing(and fire) mean we can exploit cold niches without having to wait around to come up with blubber and thick fur. We can create or manipulate our environment to suit ourselves. Other animals show some small examples of this tweaking of selection pressures, but not even within sniffing distance of us.

The next phase is tinkering with the tool that is the human genome itself. Adding to it, linking it to 'machines'. Exciting stuff. Imagine in a thousand years time. Practically immortal engineered Homo Machina with all human knowledge at his or her mental fingertips. We reading this may see and be the last unaugmented Homo Sapiens Sapiens. I would say IMHO that if you're 20 reading this then chances are pretty good, barring accidents that you'll see the 22nd century and maybe beyond. If you keep yourself healthy until life extension becomes possible(and it will it's just very complex engineering) you may never die as such. You'll live long enough to plug into some global network brain consciousness.

Well if we don't go backwards which is also possible. Though latterly I've been thinking the end probably isn't nigh. Or anywhere close. Yes previous societies have all fallen, but I think we've hit a critical mass event sometime in the mid 20th century. The global village as it were. For all the derision of homogenised culture it may well protect us from civilisation collapse. One may fall back, but another will both take it's place and keep the old one ticking over. So all this talk about China taking over(tm) and the US failing. It may, but this global critical mass thing will just mean china holds the position but continues with the overall Human culture. IE Are the Chinese while growing wearing Chinese clothes, listening to Chinese music, driving Chinese cars? Nope. They're wearing suits and listening to pop music and driving european/US designed cars. All that stuff may be produced by the Chinese themselves but they're all expressions of the global human culture. They'll add to it of course and when the Indians or whomever 'take over' they'll do the same, but global human culture will remain. In the past it was different. When Rome ruled Europe a very different culture existed in China and a very different culture existed in meso America. If one fell, there was some continuation, but we had none of the cultural buffers we have today. This could mean stagnation of course. China being a good example of that in the past. I doubt it. The pace of change now is so rapid and so many people and groups have access to the global human culture that I doubt we'l stagnate.

Dude you are like so much more positive than me.
For one thing I think there's a high chance we'll wipe each other out. If not us then some extinction level event or other is probably overdue. And if we do persist I think some sort of borg like existence is far more likely than some sort of mecha-humanoid utopia

Biggins

opinion guy wrote: »

...For one thing I think there's a high chance we'll wipe each other out. If not us then some extinction level event or other is probably overdue. And if we do persist I think some sort of borg like existence is far more likely than some sort of mecha-humanoid utopia

:eek:

We're doomed!

orourkeda

Humans beings are too stupid.

Evolution cant possibly have stopped.

Logical Fallacy

stevejr wrote: »

Medicine and technology have probably been, in the past, our greatest ally. Both technologies have brought us to a pinnacle of dominance that no known terrestrial species has ever achieved. Natural selection is obsolete in the face of such technology. So therefore is evolution dead?

In all fairness, learning how to make fire and put a sharp stone at the end of a long stick did that.

Natural selection is a process, and an adaptive one, all we have done is affect the environment and circumstances that natural selection will operate within, we haven't supplanted it in any way.

Sea Sharp

So long as women and men still say "I'd rather fcuk person A than person B" evolution will continue.

onlyrocknroll

Sea Sharp wrote: »

So long as women and men still say "I'd rather fcuk person A than person B" evolution will continue.

I think people who say it like that probably don't fcuk anybody.

Sea Sharp

onlyrocknroll wrote: »

I think people who say it like that probably don't fcuk anybody.

Person B is such a hottie.

Wibbs

Logical Fallacy wrote: »

In all fairness, learning how to make fire and put a sharp stone at the end of a long stick did that.

Well not so much LF. Homo Erectus had both and remained in a static state for the guts of a million years. An unimaginable period of time to be pretty much culturally stagnant.

I know there's been a (natural) swung away from the Judeochristian idea of Man being the pinnacle of creation towards the "we're just another ape you know" idea, but IMHO the pendulum has swung too far. We are special, we are different, we are the universe becoming self aware. We're not just another animal/ape.

Natural selection is a process, and an adaptive one, all we have done is affect the environment and circumstances that natural selection will operate within, we haven't supplanted it in any way.

I dunno. For a start we're the first and only animal(on earth) to discover and understand the process of evolution. In doing so we've seen the gears and springs of the clock of life. We're at the beginnings of making our own gears and springs. The blind process of natural selection now has our eyes. That is a huge seachange in the story of life on this planet. We're a fair few rungs up the ladder of supplanting natural selection if we so chose to do so.

hatrickpatrick

Actually it sort of is, every time someone is born with something unusual it's automatically attempted to be "corrected" without really considering whether it could be a positive evolution trait.

We're obsessed with conformity and uniformity. It depresses me. Anyone who doesn't fit the narrow profile of "normality" has a "disorder" or a "syndrome".

Depressing sh*t. We're probably the most intolerant species ever when it comes to diversity.

SirenX

of course we are still evolving, it has just slowed down quite alot

wait for the next global natural disaster where we, as a species, will be forced to change in order to survive