Will humans evolve further?

G

grazzhoppa

yawwn
Valued Senior Member
Hi everyone!

I have a limtied understanding of evolution and I would like to see what others think. -With all the advances in medicine and surgery to fix genetic problems will humans continue to evolve? Does evolution even apply to how human society is? I find it very hard to answer these questions because relatively humans have been on Earth for a short time and evolution takes millions of years.
 
Does evolution mean we increase in complexity or that we become more suitable to our environments?

I believe, and I'm not sure if it's possible, that we are not evolving, but devolving. Technology has made it possible for people with bad genes to live and pass their genes on down the road. Have you noticed that only stupid people are breeding? Anyone of average intelligence knows the world is already overpopulated. Why are you indulging yourself?! Idiot. If you go back in time, I think you'll find that you're really not more advanced than someone from 2,000 years ago. Because chances are, if you were dumb at that time, you were dead. Sure, you can say, "I can use a computer and a cell phone!" Well yes, you probably can, but you're still dumb.

Take an average person and put them in a time-machine and send them to 0 A.D. Strip them naked, and they'll die instantly. Probably by walking off a cliff or pissing off a wild animal.
 
Life will evolve...whether the new specis will claim humans as their ancesters is another matter. It is possible in another 100,000 to 500,000 years...but somehow, I think unlikely...
 
I believe, and I'm not sure if it's possible, that we are not evolving, but devolving. Technology has made it possible for people with bad genes to live and pass their genes on down the road. Have you noticed that only stupid people are breeding? Anyone of average intelligence knows the world is already overpopulated. Why are you indulging yourself?! Idiot. If you go back in time, I think you'll find that you're really not more advanced than someone from 2,000 years ago. Because chances are, if you were dumb at that time, you were dead. Sure, you can say, "I can use a computer and a cell phone!" Well yes, you probably can, but you're still dumb.
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I wouldn't worry about it too much. Soon the food supply might start running out, then life should get much more fun. Unless we develop synthetic proteins we can inject in our veins instead of food. (they already exist in life support machines don't they?)
 
Bebelina, what would be so bad about all human life ending?
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All human life ending, perhaps?

Humans are cute little critters. I don't wanna see them exterminate themselves.

Grazzhoppa:

Welcome to Sciforums. Interesting question.

In answer, I think that if we survive the next 100-200 years, we will not only evolve further, but we will start guiding our evolution through genetic modification.
 
I always thought us Americans were the next step in evolution.

We're still waiting for the rest of the World to catch up to us on the evoultionary scale...:D
 
Originally posted by grazzhoppa
Hi everyone!

I have a limtied understanding of evolution and I would like to see what others think. -With all the advances in medicine and surgery to fix genetic problems will humans continue to evolve? Does evolution even apply to how human society is? I find it very hard to answer these questions because relatively humans have been on Earth for a short time and evolution takes millions of years.
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Good question. As long as health-care is not made widely available ... both quality and quantity wise, natural selection will continue to play a part.

Whats scary is .... while these people get fitter and fitter(genetically), we become less and less fit. And its likely that some widespread epidemic will kill all the rest but leave them intact.

But for those of us who do have access to reasonably good health-care, the new replicators may not be genes, but memes.

- Sivakami.
 
We will evolve, but by different means than past evolution. It is true that we have stunted, if not eliminated, natural selection of our own species. We will instead evolve through our technology. We will continue to enhance ourselves until we will probably not be recognizable as humans in current standards in a couple hundred years. That's what I think at least.
 
Should not there be a difference between evolution and enhancement?

We sure are getting enhanced everyday....but that should not be called evolution....just look at Hollywood....:D
 
Should not there be a difference between evolution and enhancement?
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You are right. We will not 'evolve' (random genetic variation guided by natural selection) but will be enhanced. I was using evolution in too loose of terms.
 
Originally posted by Bebelina
Yes, we will, unless we kill ourselves first. :eek:
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Bebelina- you took words out of my mouth.
Actually I have said the same phrase to some of my friends.

About ebchanting and evoluion.
Enchanting is a short term process, where we see the result in one generation.
Evolution is a long term process , where the result comes visible after 100 000s of years
 
Someday...if the Universe is willing....we will experience what it can be for us say 500,000 years hence...from a visit from those specis to our planet.....

That would be cool....knowing that they were like us...way back when...

But can we communicate with them? (like monkeys communicate with us?)
 
Like what?

Just imagine, we found a way to punch through space and land in a planet of monkey people who have an agricultural society. Yes they can speak with rudimentary stuff, no abstract concepts, space, time, math, computers etc.

What are you going to tell them? And would they believe or think, you are there to still their food?
 
they would take me as a god

exactly as supposedly our ancestors did

Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.
Arthur C. Clarke


but unfortunately

The saddest aspect of life right now is that science gathers knowledge faster than society gathers wisdom.
Isaac Asimov
 
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Originally posted by Avatar
The saddest aspect of life right now is that science gathers knowledge faster than society gathers wisdom.
Isaac Asimov
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He is my all time favorite author next to Clarke boy.

I recently reread 3001 and I got more out of it than several years ago when I read it first.
 
So the consensus is that humans are past natural selection and are now "enhancing" themselves through technology?
 
we can't say that, because macro-evolution is a very long process- we can not dirrectly observe it.
It is happening, but slowly (we becoming taller, loosing our teeth, apendix)

technological enchantment s smth with what we can guide our own evolution where we want it to and the effects will be visible in one or 5 generations- but it would not certainly take 100 000s of years
 
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