Are we stopping evolution?

El Guapo!

Ok this may be a stupid question but it just popped into my head so I thought I'd ask!

Are we hindering evolution?
What I mean is the theory of evolution states that we evolved from micro-organisms to what we are today. But what is the next evolutionary step?
Is this it?
Is this the end of the line and as far as we go, or is there more to come?

Or could we potentially be stopping/ slowing the evolution of mankind?
We constantly strive to find "cures" for illnesses.
We try to correct gene mutations that we consider harmful/detrimental to society.
We practically blast ourselves with radiation on a daily basis.
But what if this is the natural progression and will lead to further evolution of the human race, but we spend all our time trying to stop it.

Could there be any substance to this or am I just ranting about something I have no clue about?! :pac:

nozzferrahhtoo

This is something of a simplification but it is generally true: For evolution to occur what you essentially need is two things. Diversity within a species and differential success of reproduction within that species.

Look around. We have diversity. Diversity of intelligence. Diversity of resistances to disease. Diversity of lactose tolerance (sometimes with whole countries being intolerant). Diversity of size, strength, color, and many other attributes I could list for pages at a time.

We also have diversity of reproductive success. Whether family size, child mortality rates and more.

Evolution is also affected by changes in environment. The evolving species has to respond to environmental changes which are never fixed. For us that environment is not just the climate… but our changing economic and political environments, our changing environment of disease. Our technology. Over population. Resources. And much more.

So THAT evolution will continue to affect our species is a safe assumption I think. WHAT that evolution will be, the direction it will take, and whether it would be favorable to us subjectively now where we to know it… are all massively unclear. Evolution is never an easy process to predict. We have enough trouble tracing the path it has taken up until today.

The Film „Idocracy“ is scarey for that very reason. It is a comedy film that I think should be categorized as horror instead. Not just because of the bad script and bad acting which was horrific in itself. But also because of the picture it painted of a world where stupid people are out reproducing more intelligent people and so this may cause a trend of increasing stupidity in our species… a trend that some American media, especially news programmers, seem to be doing their best to make look like is actually occurring.

NecroSteve

You've made the mistake of thinking that evolution is a consistent linear process when it isn't. It's just what happens when species adapt and change over time due to environmental pressures. It has no "goals" of any kind, it just comes about, or not, as a result of who survives and reproduces and who doesn't.

ClimberC

We are evolving according to two theories that i have read.

1, Our jaws are getting smaller due the decreased need foe molars due to more cooked and processed food (less munching on fibrous food). This has led to the problem of the wisdom teeth, with smaller jaws we cant fit the teeth, which is why they cause so much pain and hence have to be removed.

2, Women are able to have children at older ages than prevously. This is apparently due to the fact that most women want to put off having children in favor of their careers, and to facilitate the advancement of the species, the genes allow for later menopause.

I will do a search for the reading material when i have time....... :cool:

NotCarrotRidge

Evolution won't stop. We'll respond to the pressures, as you said.

Regarding the notion that we'll get more stupid, I think not. If this really is a phenomenon that continues for long enough to have a real effect, maybe Homo sapiens will split in two, but we're talking hundreds of thousands of years at least before a discernible difference is seen.

cavedave

Human evolution changes us at about one bit per year. This is not very much. Human evolution has speed up massively in recent centuries. These stats come from Kevin Kelly's 'What technology wants'.

What do you want evolution to do? Let us say you want it to increase intelligence and reduce really nasty person on person violence. If these changes were happening without evolution due to cultural changes you could say we were bypassing evolution but getting to the same good results.

The Flynn effect says that IQ is increasing by about a point a decade. This is huge.

Rape has declined significantly in the last three decades. Murder has been declining for hundreds of years. War deaths have been declining for hundereds of years.

Eugenics was a pseudo science that nearly destroyed science. Sex, Science and profits has a great chapter on how it perverted the scientific method.

Very many good things are happening to people. Evolution is continuing, the increased mixing of genes due to people now being able to have children with others born thousands of miles away alone is causing a huge boon in human diversity.

Evolution is still happening and much better 'cultural evolution' is occurring blindingly fast by biological standards.