Recent studies show that, in contrast to the idea that humans are not evolving at all anymore, for the past 5,000 years we have been evolving 100 times faster than in the past! They speculate that this is due to the massive growth in human population and the movement of humans into new territories. http://in.news.yahoo.com/071210/137/6oa5z.html
I recall that quite the contrary was true. Evolution was accelerated with increased sedenteriness (as e.g. agricultural developments made possible).
I recall reading speculation about that, but it was that the end of the hunter-gatherer lifestyle would spur evolution. New ecological niche, new selective pressures related to that new niche, new adaptations. Interesting that there may be evidence of that now. Still, I expect genetic engineering will likely be more important than evolution in the future of humanity. By the time evolution starts producing manifest differences, we should be churning out designer babies.
It makes sense. Agreed Imagine a future in which the rich have the advantage of superior genetics to add to their advantage in education and opportunities. I think Gattaca gave us a fairly accurate look at the future.
That's because evolution never *&$*^$*!! happened in the first place. They're trying to make us feel good so we'll go out and spend more money... and prop up their degenerating global economy. I'm not buying jack sh*t this Christmas I can tell you.
That was a different era and a different engine. They pointed out that the diaspora out of Africa 70,000 years ago was an engine of change just as the agricultural revolution was. Both forced us to adapt to wrenching changes in environment, whether it was because of a new locale or a new lifestyle. They pointed out that the separation of the populations during prehistoric times was a factor. In the past five hundred years, and especially in the past fifty years, this has been reversed. If the modern economy that is bringing prosperity and mobility to India and China finally does the same thing to the rest of the Third World, our descendants will all be various shades of brown in a few generations and the rest of their DNA will be homogenized along with it. This is a place of science and you're posting on one of the science subforums. Evolution is an established scientific principle, which in layman's language means it is "true beyond a reasonable doubt." If you harbor an unreasonable doubt about evolution there is a sticky for discussions of the Evolution Denial movement. Do not post it here or it qualifies as trolling. We try to ensure that people who stumble into SciForums from a Google hit encounter science, not pseudoscience. A critical discussion of evolution is appropriate and, for fairness, there is one. Replication of the same tiresome arguments in other threads is not permitted.
By the time that happens, we'll have started building designer babies via genetic enginering and be well on the way to separating into Morlocks and Eloi.
Title: Why do we buy things we don't want, to impress people we don't like, with money we don't have? —some quote/observation about shopping trends That's fine, as Christmas isn't supposed to be about all the materialism anyway. But I thought the real to boycott the economy, and buy less, is to protest the stupid socialist income and property taxes, and the price-gouged gasoline. If we can't afford to go anywhere in our cars, what for should we feel like shopping? You don't think that's the only reason for these stupid news articles, do you? No, they come up with all this stuff, for people to justify their jobs, or for this or that special interest group, to grab the limelight, and pretend like they are somehow more important than the next special interest group. So many liberal or special interest groups seem to like to hear themselves talk, otherwise they don't seem so significant or important. Another reason to boycott the global economy, is to protest low wages always Wal-Mart for taking the lead into junkifying all the competitor store shelves, with shoddy cheap crappy products Made In China. I can't hardly find electronics not made in China. I can't update my ancient ailing microwave oven, because most every countertop model in the stores, is too big, too underpowered/small, or too cheap-looking. Where are the bells-and-whistles? I am a feature-shopper. I need lots of cool/useful bells-and-whistles to help justify my purchase. I want a product to say "Take me home with you, and I will do all sorts of cool stuff for you!" But no, they all say the same thing to me, "Yawn, give us your money for a cheap inferior boring product, indistinguishable from the next crappy product." Computers and iPods are pretty crappy too. Just think how few years it will take, for the hard drive to give out, for the rechargable battery to go lame and not hold a charge, or the device otherwise fail and lose all your data. And if it does last, it will go obsolete, and there won't be any software to convert data to the new trendy gadget to replace it. Doesn't the Bible say something about people with itching ears, always eager to hear some new thing? That's really what a lot of these lame news stories are about. Just somebody trying to get their stupid sound bite heard, and give the stupid gullible crowd, some "new" thing to confuse their small little unimaginative carnal minds.
I've given up reading about any kind of science news from sites like Yahoo. Physorg.com at least goes into some detail about what was found out, but to get the real story you have to start with the actual press release from the scientists, then the report they released in whatever journal. Everything else is usually bloated with all kinds of sensationalism and general BS, to make it a "good news story".
Life, and therefore, the selection of genes, have changed quite a bit with the advent of civilzation.
Well it is curious to note, that the huge "boom" in human population, would seem to have some helpful effect on the (growing) gene pool. Could all that procreation be having some rather positive biological effects, like passing on traits like being rather well sexually endowed, or the ability to birth babies rather easily? But it's wrong to call it "evolution," but more like "natural selection," that is, if that effect is all that noticable in humans? God's role for people, may somehow downplay some of the genetics issues? And I wish to avoid the stupid Nazi-like eugenics issues, and the answer to that is, we don't decide who gets to breed and who doesn't, but rather "everybody breeds."
