Are sports athletes proof that humans are physically & mentally evolving?

We have some amazing human athletes, some 7ft tall, some racing against machines on foot, some with amazing calculations like in pool and some with lightning fast reflexes like in boxing. Maybe in the future most people are gonna average 7ft, sprinting 30mph and with lightning fast mental calculations, separated from the lesser developed population nicknamed the disabled? Or would nano machines make us super humans and organic evolution goes extinct?

a reply to: Richsac89

My question is, will athletes ever stop whining like cry babies every time they the think they were fouled? Or when they throw tantrums over bad calls or plays?

As for your question. That would be interesting but I don't think so. With selective breeding, possibly. But Mini Cooper would have to redesign their cars.

a reply to: Richsac89

People are always getting better and larger in times of good fortune and adequate nutrition. I think the real question is with all of the 'frankenfood', that is essentially devoid of the nutrition and benefits of natural and organic food, will we see a regression in the coming years.

This might only happen in the United States where the politicians and Monsanto are in bed together. It seems that other places in the world are smart enough to keep this criminals out of their countries.

Evolution is all about reproduction - who produces the most live, viable offspring.

So... No. Idiocracy is probably a more realistic glimpse of where we are going as a species.

As population grows in size we will see more athletic outliers, but they are unlikely to alter the course of evolution. It's a numbers game.

a reply to: Richsac89

This is an interesting question, and one I've wondered about too.

I might be completely wrong about this, but I thought I read something about how our nutrition and access to food has changed us. Not sure.

If you look at old gold medal Olympic athletes and compare them to today the difference is staggering. There's a video floating around that highlights this. My focus is a little split right now so I'm not going to actually hunt. Now that might just be because we've developed better training and understanding.

You see this with our IQs.

The Flynn effect is the substantial and long-sustained increase in both fluid and crystallized intelligence test scores measured in many parts of the world from roughly 1930 to the present day. When intelligence quotient (IQ) tests are initially standardized using a sample of test-takers, by convention the average of the test results is set to 100 and their standard deviation is set to 15 or 16 IQ points. When IQ tests are revised, they are again standardized using a new sample of test-takers, usually born more recently than the first. Again, the average result is set to 100. However, when the new test subjects take the older tests, in almost every case their average scores are significantly above 100.

I also want to say I read something that indicated a teenager today was probably stronger than a warrior back in the day. I should start paying attention to what I read more often.

Here is a TED talk about it. Don't really have the time to watch, but hopefully it helps.

Nice post OP.

a reply to: Richsac89

It's called sexual selection, and selective selection.

Those who reach their maximum evolutionary potential will most likely attract the most mates. Therefore those genes will be passed on. All it takes is two - three generations of physically fit humans to make some extremely fit human.
But, everyone has different tastes, so we have variety in our genetics. Someone like say Micheal Jordan could have either made children with another athletic female, or an average, or what ever. So, it's hit or miss.

This might be a touchy subject, but, there is a theory out there that most African american men who have lineages going back to a certain time are larger and can build muscle more efficiently than European decent because of the slave trade. A crude and harsh reality of selectively breeding humans.

Athletes may have super physical performance but they pay for it in other ways. They are very far from being ideal or even basically healthy specimens of humanity. They are like racehorses, bred for special purposes and absolutely hopeless at surviving in a natural environment. They are, in fact, a kind of freak.

As for sexual selection, they may get bedded a lot, but their reproductive success doesn’t appear to be any better than other people’s. In fact — since so many athletes die young, either from the consequences of their punishing, unhealthy training regimes and the performance-enhancing drugs they all take, or simply from being absolutely hopeless at everything in life except running, jumping, throwing things or lifting heavy objects — they probably have fewer grandchildren than the average.

a reply to: Domo1

Nutrition is so true. Being a first generation American, I've witnessed how much taller and mentally developed my little niece and nephews are compared to us when we were their age.

a reply to: Richsac89

Absolutely agree with you.Both of my daughters (15+13) are heading towards six foot in height.All the rest of my family are either short or tiny.I broke the mould by being the first six-footer but I live in Germany where a surprising amount of SEVEN-FOOT TALL people run aboot.Yeah,okay,I've seen three.

Average height here seems to be about six three.One of the kids in my eldest daughters class is six foot six.

Athletes are improving because nutrition and techniques are improving,also some *ahem* supplements are also going high-tech.😃

a reply to: Richsac89

no

a reply to: Richsac89

Successful athletes represent a sample of excellence which has been selected from a wider popualation who were less fortunate. They don't reflect us as an evolving species; at least, not in the way your OP imagines.

An overweight person with poor cardio and average intelligence is the norm in the West. Obesity stats vary and point to between a quarter and third of us being 'obese' with over half classed as 'overweight.'

No, it's proof that the diet research and pharmaceuticals have evolved significantly in the last 100 years

As well as nutrition, training methods are continually improving and being tweaked to give athletes advantages. You also have a lot of PEDs that go under the radar or can be cycled off easily to avoid detection.

Modern professional athletes tend to be a weird mix of genetically gifted, highly trained petri dishes.

originally posted by: Kandinsky
a reply to: Richsac89

Successful athletes represent a sample of excellence which has been selected from a wider popualation who were less fortunate. They don't reflect us as an evolving species; at least, not in the way your OP imagines.

An overweight person with poor cardio and average intelligence is the norm in the West. Obesity stats vary and point to between a quarter and third of us being 'obese' with over half classed as 'overweight.'

Quoted for truth.
Some might say athletes of ancient times, whom had no technology, no advances in medicine, no 'HGH' ; were performing masterful feats long before us in modern day.
I dont think evolution, if i understand the theory correctly, would manifest via athletes first when there approx 7 billion other humans, By comparison of athletes vs non athletes the numbers wouldnt make sense.


This is just an imaginative idea.
Id probably look at the last few remaining indigenous and secluded tribes around the world to see how they have adpted to changes in climates, vegetation, sea level, food supply, and pollution. That would be a better study in seeing human evolution not tinted with science and the artificial.

a reply to: odzeandennz

This is just an imaginative idea. Id probably look at the last few remaining indigenous and secluded tribes around the world to see how they have adpted to changes in climates, vegetation, sea level, food supply, and pollution. That would be a better study in seeing human evolution not tinted with science and the artificial.

Agreed

We're usually forming judgements based on our own cultures and experiences. We can't see past our noses unless we make the effort.

originally posted by: Metallicus
a reply to: Richsac89

People are always getting better and larger in times of good fortune and adequate nutrition. I think the real question is with all of the 'frankenfood', that is essentially devoid of the nutrition and benefits of natural and organic food, will we see a regression in the coming years.

This might only happen in the United States where the politicians and Monsanto are in bed together. It seems that other places in the world are smart enough to keep this criminals out of their countries.

I agree with this, and would add that in professional sports, regardless of the efforts of testing, there have always been and will always be newer and better performance enhancing drugs.

Other considerations include humanity as a whole evolving. DNA is constantly mixing, blending attributes, often selecting better combinations. Also, the population is growing. That means there's greater numbers of 7' tall guys. Of those, a certain percentage will be fast. Of those, a certain percentage will have an ideal build for balance, etc. Of the now higher number of physically-ideal individuals, some will dedicate the training it takes to earn that $20M/yr+

originally posted by: Metallicus
a reply to: Richsac89

People are always getting better and larger in times of good fortune and adequate nutrition. I think the real question is with all of the 'frankenfood', that is essentially devoid of the nutrition and benefits of natural and organic food, will we see a regression in the coming years.

This might only happen in the United States where the politicians and Monsanto are in bed together. It seems that other places in the world are smart enough to keep this criminals out of their countries.

I agree with this, and would add that in professional sports, regardless of the efforts of testing, there have always been and will always be newer and better performance enhancing drugs.

Other considerations include humanity as a whole evolving. DNA is constantly mixing, blending attributes, often selecting better combinations. Also, the population is growing. That means there's greater numbers of 7' tall guys. Of those, a certain percentage will be fast. Of those, a certain percentage will have an ideal build for balance, etc. Of the now higher number of physically-ideal individuals, some will dedicate the training it takes to earn that $20M/yr+

originally posted by: Metallicus
a reply to: Richsac89

People are always getting better and larger in times of good fortune and adequate nutrition. I think the real question is with all of the 'frankenfood', that is essentially devoid of the nutrition and benefits of natural and organic food, will we see a regression in the coming years.

This might only happen in the United States where the politicians and Monsanto are in bed together. It seems that other places in the world are smart enough to keep this criminals out of their countries.

I agree with this, and would add that in professional sports, regardless of the efforts of testing, there have always been and will always be newer and better performance enhancing drugs.

Other considerations include humanity as a whole evolving. DNA is constantly mixing, blending attributes, often selecting better combinations. Also, the population is growing. That means there's greater numbers of 7' tall guys. Of those, a certain percentage will be fast. Of those, a certain percentage will have an ideal build for balance, etc. Of the now higher number of physically-ideal individuals, some will dedicate the training it takes to earn that $20M/yr+

a reply to: Richsac89



To the subject line you post: The increase in all physical abilities can be laid to better training physical and mentally and the vast number of drugs to improve performance both physically and mentally.


Actually, in the longer haul, it seems likely that the human animal has lost many of its physical attributes.

It's odds on the children of two 6' plus athletic parents will be 6' plus and athletic themselves. Now if someone say 6'6" has a child by a midget the odds decrease somewhat.

I worked with a you lad who was 7' 2". He was really good at was lifting heavy stuff and reaching up high. He certainly was no all round athlete though. Here's the Lad in question uncle. www.thetallestman.com...

Maybe one day we will have a Man who can out swim a Dolphin...But then maybe the Dolphins will evolve to out punch us in a boxing match.