Evolution stops here: Future Man will look the same, says scientist

Originally posted by ElectroMagnetic Multivers ... You have some good points, and I agree, 'Steve' may have jumped the gun slightly. People here are using the 'designer' babies argument, and thats fair, but surely, this is not evolution?!!? evolution is to allow us to adapt to our environment, this, IMO, is genetic manipulation and not evolution. ...

Edit to add:

"or rather physical evolution may have been halted by modern medicine."

It's more likely, excluding disasters which only certain types of people survive, that modern medicine will be at the forefront of future evolution.

Genetic manipulation is a change to the inheritance we pass on. We are now in a position to cause evolution scientifically

An example of where this could be done is Vitamin C synthesis. Almost all animals produce their own vitamin C, and they produce it in vast quantities compared to what humans obtain in their diets. The animals that don't, live on fruit, as did our ancestors when they lost this ability.

As our not so distant ancestors had this ability, little has changed genetically, and it should be easy to restore by genetic manipulation. If this was done to enough people the whole human race would eventually have the health benefits of producing their own Vitamin C.

There is no knowing what direction humans could choose to go in with purposeful evolution. We may have to one day fight against slave races being bred.

reply to post by lee anoma


Actually it's more proof that evolution is correct. Evolution is basically random mutations that at least do not confer a disadvantage to reproduction. If there is a mutational defect then that genetic trait dies out, but if there is a mutational advantage, then that becomes dominant. However, since we are basically able to keep most babies alive whatever mutations they are born with, then they cancel each other out. Ergo we no longer see new traits because there's no longer an environment in which they matter.

I think man and machine will come together and, before you know it, most current human characteristics will be phased out.

A thousand years from now, do you really think that you'd see even half of the population resembling today's humans? I bet we'll have people with eight mechanical legs, no eyes, no pregnant women, etc.. So how can you possibly see how evolution will impact us in a hundred thousand years?

i dont believe that we will stop evolving. what, we are suppose to be perfect the way we are now?

if anything I think we will evolve more so than usual because of all the crap thats in foods and the air we breathe.

I have to disagree with this guy.

There are a few points of which we know we are evolving along.

1: The fifth fingers and toes are being de-evolved. Eventually future generations will be born completely devoid of pinky fingers and pinky toes.

2: Hair is still de-evolving. Future humans will have noticeably less hair on their bodies, as well as the head. As have all generational jumps throughout history.

3: Appendix. This part should be obvious to you. We haven't finished de-evolving the appendix yet.

4: Mental capacity. As our environment turns from an environment of hands on dexterity to mental + hand eye coordination, so will our mental capabilities. Unfortunately, our ability to think sternly enough to complete complex math is de-evolving... this has been replaced by aides such as the calculator, etc.

5: Collar bones. Yep, we're losing them... or at least a few families in the world are. In Egypt there are a number of cases of humans with no collarbones. The collar bone was originally a support structure for the upper forward chassis, back when we spent more time on all fours.
Nowadays, all the collar bone does is provides an easily fractured and prone structure, that limits arm movement. Not exactly useful... but damned annoying when damaged.
That is slowly being de-evolved.

6: Height. We're still getting noticeably taller from generation to generation.

7: Eye color. Blue eyes are dying out... though, they were apparently a defect to begin with... if you ask some. I have blue eyes, and don't see how it could be classified as such.

8: Hair color. Red hair is also dying out... as is Blond.

... there are literally hundreds of examples of continuing evolution in the human species alone...


... I fail to see how anyone can make a generalized assumption that we've stopped evolving, when there is so much evidence to the contrary.

I'll just file this opinion with the guys who claim that nothing else can be invented.
Just because you aren't intelligent enough to envision it, doesn't mean it can't be done.
It just means you're not intelligent enough to envision it.

ok i may be way off on this, but this is how I see it. Evolution is animals mutating to take advantage of their surrounding environment. So if a frog one day appeared with webbed feet, this would give him an advantage over frogs without webbed feet. the frog could swim faster to food. It could probably get to female frogs faster to mate, etc. eventually the webbed feet frogs would take over.

Now look at present day man. This is why i feel we have stopped evolving. First point, we have created our own environment. we dont need to evolve to make us better suited. we no longer need hair covering our bodies to keep us warm or protect us from the sun. We have houses now with heaters for warmth and air conditioning to keep us cool. we have clothing to protect us from the sun. we dont need strong legs or strong lungs because we have cars to drive us every where. there are several examples like this but ill stop with those. heres my point. we have come to a point in mankind where we no longer need evolution to help us survive. we can change our surroundings to fit our needs now.

second point. If there was a mutation that could be advantageous to the human race, would anyone really allow it? we as a species are so obsessed with appearance that anything different from the norm is looked down on. For example, lets say that i was born with a third eye on the back of my head. this could be a huge advantage for me over others. I could see my enemies or predators coming up from behind me so i could have plenty of time to escape where as others would not. I would definitely have an advantage. But what are the chances of me reproducing? Im pretty sure i would be hard pressed to find some one to be with. every woman would more than likely be embarrassed to be seen with a person with a third eye, and would be afraid to pass it on to their kids. so in essence, evolution will stop for mankind due to our own fear of being different.

reply to post by lee anoma


What we lack in natural evolution will be made up for us with technology. This in no way will slow us down or prohibit our ability to be much more than what we are now. Think of how technology has affected us in the last thirty years? Now image the same progressiveness happening every thirty years for a million more years?

[edit on 7-10-2008 by rapinbatsisaltherage]

The is at least one major flaw in his argument. He is assuming that no selective pressure could ever act upon us as a species ever again. I would beg to differ.

[edit on 7-10-2008 by seenitall]

i would actually like to see what man would look like if we hadnt learned to manipulate our surroundings. Im sure we would have looked much different than what we turned out as today.

We wont need out thumbs typing. Our hands will change because we type and use the computer and dont exercise or go out much. The whole world will is chemicalised so there will be mutations and more technology because noone will have the brain capacity to do anything for themselves anymore. The water and food is poisoned more people will eat gmo foods and the people will have no chouce but to reply on the government who will possess all that technology.

reply to post by lee anoma


I agree that, as a biological being, man's evolution has come to an end, mainly due to technology making any major evolution redundant. However, that same technology is part of the nest Great Human Evolution, the integration between man and machine. Such evolution is already a reality, specially in the replacement of defected or severed "parts"; we are now, or have been for the past decade, entering a "Brave New World" of technology improving the brain...

The biological evolution of the brain, as you stated, would be almost impossible due to the high penalty we would have to face, the brains huge consumption of energy (currently ~73% of the total energy consumed by our bodies)...

Humans have "chosen" technology and I think that is where the future will take our evolution. The perfect symbiosis between Man and Machine...

Originally posted by lee anoma


And here I had hopes of us turning into giant telepathic brains.

It's odd to me that if evolution is real that it would suddenly stop.

Why must evolution be false if it stops? Is this some veiled attempt to introduce creationism?

What he actually said was that the mechanisms that drive evolution in humans have essentially stopped and therefore any evolution will be very small such that in a million years we will not have changed very much.

He did say we will all end brown! Oh dear that will upset the white supremacists! This is happening becasue of the global interconnection between all peoples of all races and cultures, modern medicine, heated homes etc. This is causing an averaging affect. For example: everyone now survives not just the strong hence the strong (jungle) survival genetic variation is averaged with the weak. People in Iceland live in a house with a temperature of 20C. Those in desert areas have climate control to cool the home to......20C DAH DAH no environmental pressure on genetics there either! Food is global so that thinsg like lactose tolerance in northern europeans due to slow migration no longer occurs.

Ok get it? So evolution is trying but human integration is conteracting it.

I completely agree with JohnSky...also, another thing to add to that list is humans are developing quicker, girls are having their periods as young as 9 and 10 years old now.

Saying we will no longer evolve as we did in past times, is, in a sense, rediculous.

One's environment plays a huge role in one's evolution. What happens to our Earth in the coming years are unknown to us. And, if it is something that requires the body to adapt in order for the body to survive, it will.

You cannot say it stops here. Because, the fact is...you do now know if what we have in place currently to keep us the way we are, will always be here.

Originally posted by Venit
reply to post by lee anoma

 

since we are basically able to keep most babies alive whatever mutations they are born with, then they cancel each other out. Ergo we no longer see new traits because there's no longer an environment in which they matter.

That logic only applies in civilized countries and then only to those who can afford appropriate healthcare.

On a side note, how convenient that we can stop looking for signs of evolution in humans. Might as well give up looking for that missing link too.

I do not totally agree w/the OP. I believe that based on today's global society (i.e., one can travel anywhere in the world and procreate) that the genetic pool will not be given the opportunity to "bottleneck". With that being the case, the OP is correct. However, time will reveal that there will be some earth shattering event (i.e., asteroid collision, nuclear war, disease, famine, etc.) when one of these recurring events occurs, we will be exposed, as a species, to genetic bottlenecking, and thus, exposed to the potential for evolutionary changes (i.e., distinct genetic changes).

Originally posted by lee anoma
It's odd to me that if evolution is real that it would suddenly stop.

Why is that odd? Take a look at crocodiles and you will see a similarity in this hault.

reply to post by 44soulslayer



Well, I am not sure about this one, my daughter has an IQ in the top 5% of the population, she likes her guys "dumber" than she is, oh much "dumber". Though she is 15. But then again, maybe she is on to something LOL.


Also, many men who are very intelligent, like women who are less intelligent, as they can then "control" the relationship. So I am not so sure about your ideas here, that intelligent people only choose intelligent people and stupid people only choose stupid people. I think the situation is far more complex that this.

I also do not agree that "evolution" has stopped, because every single day we have new things we are "adapting" to. Maybe our physical appearance evolutionary stage has slowed/stopped but not our emotional or spiritual or intellectual evolution.

I also think that when we do make it into "space" on a large scale, that this will "kick off" some forms of evolution physically that will not take place while on earth. To me this will also continue if we ever populate other planets, and humans will begin to evolve to adapt to the new planet that they have populated.

We only use a small portion of our brains, and I do see a future where we learn to tap into more and more of the parts we are not utilizing as of now. I think this would be happening at a faster pace if we did not have so many harmful chemicals in our bodies ie: poisons in the environment, food, water. I also think (physically) these chemicals that are invading our everyday lives will in the end show that some form of adaptation will have to take place. Those that adapt survive, those that don't die off (cancers etc.). So the chemicals in our lives are to me "slowing" our brains down, but will "kick off" some form of physical adaptation.

The idea that human evolution is at its end is, to say the least, ridiculous.
That's like saying human beings never evolved to begin with, animals even. You would have to throw out the theory of evolution entirely.

Just because typical human life is spent on the couch cushions or the padded seats of our cars mindlessly wandering through the remaining days of our lives does not mean that we're going to see the end of the future of human evolution.

How can they spew this trash to the public in the name of science?

Shame.



[edit on 07/05/2008 by leakingignorance]

I was just talking about this with a friend a few days ago. A major concern for the human race is, "How do we make this more convenient?" Drive through convenience stores, Tivo, movies on demand, escalators, cars that parallel park themselves, etc. All these different things to make life a little easier right? Now i'm not bashing innovation or new technologies. I think all of these things are great ideas. All kinds of historical and current information is readily available on the internet for everyone to use. We can live in and thrive in almost any condition/environment on this planet. My point in all this is this, why should our bodies change to adapt to our environment when we can change our environment to suit our needs. We're pretty comfortable where we're at aren't we?

evolution n

1: a process in which something passes by degrees to a different stage (especially a more advanced or mature stage);