Whats next in human evolution?

You know you get these pictures that show the human evolution process from monkey to homo sapiens(us now). Does any body have an idea what will evolve next and what will people look like next in the next 10,000 years or so. Does any body know any links to any info or pics on this subject?

I've seen a program called 'The future is wild' and shows what animals will look like in million years time. but i'm more interested what humans will look like in the future. Any ideas?

Cheers

Hope you can help.

cheers from cb.

I believe humans will no longer evolve based on the environment. The next stage in our evolution will be by our own hand through DNA manipulation and other technologies.

Be prepared for resistance to the very idea...seems to be many from the religious right around this board!

IMO, if we don't blow ourselves to smithereens (or release some 100% deadly disease) in the meantime, based on where genetic engineering is heading, humans will end up looking pretty much like they want to look.

Here's one link with a prediction for 50 years hence: link

I don't have any links but I can use my imagination here.

I think that people will get much paler from staying inside because of the sun getting hotter.
Our fingers might get more long and thin from useing them at computer keyboards.
We will get more "immune" to pollution the longer we live in it.
We might lose our body hair. (I just have hunch about this.)
Physically we'll become more "atrophied" looking from lack of exercise and the advances in technology that do away with much manual labor.
Our heads will become much larger due to our brain getting bigger.
We'll develop excellent night vision.
Our psychic abilities might advance so that we can communicate non-verbally.

There ya have it. We'll look like those pictures of aliens.

Well, most people dont even know what evolution is. Its natural selection, the weak die, so only the adept pass their genes.
Human evolution is over! Today everyone has kids, natural selection doesn't exist!
I totaly agree with "kinglizard" the only way we will evolve is throught gene augmentations, bet we will have to brake from religions first, as they had cept us from open mindnes and progres for thousand of years


[edit on 30-11-2004 by Pavel]

i think the next in human evolution should be gills, because of the liquefy of the poles. We have to prepare our human race for a big amount of water

Kinglizard´s idea is a very good one..but first we need such laws to do this..I think a lot of scientists abuse this possibilty, if these "pro DNA-Manipulation" laws take charge.

Coolbreeze, I watched that same show. And if im not mistaken, I believe it said that man would not survive in those conditions. i believe it went on to say that by then, man would eventually develop the technology to explore and colonize other planets. In our place, there would be some squid/monkey lookin animals that live in colonys on top of trees which happen to be about 250ft tall. The Discovery Channell has some cool shows.

It would be awsome if we could develop powers like in the X-men series. Just imagine what we could accomplish with powers like that. Reptilian aliens wouldnt stand a change against one of us (if we were to develop incredible powers like that). We would make them OUR ginnie pigs!!!

But thats just me talkin nonsense. hahaha

I know this might sound ridiculous, but being left handed myself, I was very interested to read an article a couple of years back which said that the next stage in human development would include, for some inexplicable reason, a switch to mass left-handedness.

i made a post in space exploration about our species on other planets i personally think the next step will be genetic modification at the forefront but environment will play a role.

And when we start cloning and things like that (we will its only a matter of time)
we will have to have very hard laws on any person that thinks hes god, remember its differences like this that made the german nazis think they were the master race

we must watch this

Well, this doesnt matter...me too

Cheers!

Physicaly probably the same, maybe a few differences, I think all people will have psionic abilities, maybe something like the ancients were before they ascended in Stargate, or maybe we will become energy beings.

Well in 10,000 years we wont see much of a change. Interesting stuff happens over hundred of thousands or even millions of years. So I will think more along that timescale.

I dont think our brains will get much bigger as we have pretty much reached the allowed size for a human head to pass through the birth canal. If our head get much bigger natural birth will not be possible.

We have to remember one of the major rules of evolution if you dont use it you lose it.

So expect humans to go bald and lose body hair in the far future there is no need for hair. We dont need it anymore to keep in body heat we have clothes and hats nice warm artifical enviorments. I think male pattern baldness is the start of this.

On the other side of the spectrum something we use alot our eyesight one of our most important senses will get better and bigger.

But since any changes like this will take a very long time I think science will be changing our Genes and DNA long before this in ways and at rates evolution could never match. Then there is really no way to try to guess how we will change.


[edit on 1-12-2004 by ShadowXIX]

Human evolution and ending up as we did physicaly makes no sense. Out in the environment and elements our bodies don't last well at all. Truly a naked ape. The human brain is truly what sets us apart from the rest of the animal kingdom. To evolve physicaly mutation needs to happen. With that in mind it is unlikely that our physical traits will change much. Humans in general want to be with what we consider normal/good looking. If a mutation occurs and a human is born with 3 eyes and four arms the chance of that mutation being passed on is probably none.

Human brains have become over the centuries powerful. Maybe to much so. If basics are not taught and people simply come to live by the computer reverse knowledge will occur. Like every other part of the body the brain needs exercise. When people start using a computer for a simple geometric problem such as building a house, what will happen if one day for some reason all computers crash? Better know some geometry.

We are gonna look like the typical alien described by people who've claimed to have been abducted. Big eyes, bigger brains, skinny bodies...It actually kinda makes sense.

Im not so sure about that. Humans in general are like sheep and follow the heard. They also tend to be vain. Trying to get a human as we know them today to mate with a giant headed bug eyed version would be tough. Plus as someone pointed out big head plus skinny body would be a tough cookie for the female when child birth came.

Unless by some natural disaster, earthquake or deadly natural disease kills us over, we will pretty much remain the same.

Evolution is there for the species to adapt with the environment, give us better tools to survive, with the technology and medicine we got these days we don't need anything, we are almost self-sustainable, or at least we will be in 50 years, so bascially we will remain the same, maybe very subtle changes, but that is it.

Surf

I have heard the theory that ADD is actually the next evolution. Basically, it is a primitive (ie ineffective) form of multitasking. Once it is a more developed trait, perhaps humans will be better at interacting with things such as computers. It also makes sense from an athletic standpoint.

If any of you ever played football (either kind) you would know that "vision" is one of the great traits that seperates athletes. The ability to see "the whole field" so to speak, and to know when to cut to the place that will leave you with the best chance to escape from the next defender.

Translate that into the remnents of some evolution that was to make humans more survivable - it makes some sense.

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Some of you think we will become streamlined and efficient. If you look at all the evolutionary developments that have no practical use except as an attractant to the opposite sex, I suspect we may develop many exagerated features, not less. [Peacock Tails, Throat Bladders in many species, dancing and behaviors]

Part of the joy of being young is to upset your parents with the strange ways you dress and decorate yourselves that your own generation sees as cool.

The actual genetic changes will probably be lab engineered. Even if outlawed people will get them bootleg for their kids. Eventually people will accept the variations.
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Yes. The image I try to cover up every morning, before I go to work, is scareingly resembling those grey ones... -And actually when I look around, there are more of those guys in my callcenter... -Except for some of them that are actually rather fat and stocky. Aha! Those pesky grey ones we manage to capture, are welltrained, and therefore sleek. Aha. -Doh! Why didn't I see that already. Woe me ignorant fool!