How much further can humans evolve?

[DaJoW]

You can't stop evolution. There's supposedly a study showing humans are evolving at a higher pace than previously, but that's a study from 2007 and I don't know if it's been shown to be false.

 

[hannan4mitch]

Humans can't evolve any further. Evolution happens to further the survival of a species by passing down genes that assist in survival. (There are some evolutionary changes that don't matter much like eye color, but most of it is for survival.)

Because of the medical field and the refusal to 'cull' those with mental/physical deficiencies from the gene pool, humans have hit a plateau where ALL genes are getting passed down instead of just the good ones. It's too bad people were so against Eugenics.

Evolution can't stop, what happened is that the paradigm of evolution has changed. Maybe the next step along the human genome is not superpowers (sorry, X-Men fans), but a human who can utilize the technology that surrounds us better (like Technopaths from Shadowrun), because life evolves according to it's surrounding and environment, change happens not when change is due, but gradually.

 

[6037084]

well neanderthals were smarter than us so we can evolve the question is will we evolve and that depends on a lot of things

 

[Gudrests]

Humans have.....evolved? Not from what I've just seen in the crowd lurking outside of McDonalds.

They could be flinging poo.....wait...nvm. Well...someone are slower than others

 

[Scrustle]

I personally believe that humans have all but stopped evolving. Not completely, that can't be stopped. We will always mutate through different generations but I don't believe that we are evolving in the sense that we are becoming more suited to our environment. Like the OP says, since we no longer have to worry about predators, foraging or environmental factors, we are no longer being killed off if we are not able to survive in the natural world. But I think the biggest factor towards this is modern medicine. So many illnesses that would kill people without modern medicine are now passed down through the generation, so the human race isn't really "progressing" in the sense that our evolution is not heading in the direction of resistance to illness and better survival ability.

The way I see it is that humans are now spreading out, in terms of genetic variation, instead of heading in a direction. Because all types of people are able to survive now and pass on their genes the human race is spreading out in to all types, most of which are really required for survival.

That could be a good thing or a bad thing. Good because if we are required to head in a direction in the future we may be more likely have members of the species that are already suited, instead of all of us dying through overspecialisation. Although it could be bad because if we are required to go back to nature and lose our reliance on technology. Then again perhaps those things amount to the same thing anyway. And perhaps the members of our species whose lives haven't changed in tens out thousands of years will be the ones who survive any catastrophe in which we are unable to rely on our technology.

 

[Vykrel]

there is no limit to evolution. we will continue to change depending on our environment and lifestyles. even if both were to remain in a constant state, i doubt we would reach an end-road in our evolutionary process.

 

[satanslawer123]

well we could grow wings (face it were going to need some sort of transport in the future that isnt cars or trains and what have you) oh and maybe we could get our tails back ive always wanted a tail.

 

[coolkirb]

are we not loseing are pinky toes slowely because we dont walk as much anymore?

 

[Jak LesStrange]

One Word... Downstreamers

 

[Treblaine]

Red heads are a dying breed. I assume our pinky toe and pinky finger will vanish since the same happened to horses all those millions of years ago.

shift keys on keyboards and dozens of other devices suggest otherwise.

The rule with evolution is: "Use it, or lose it"

We lost our keen animalistic sense of smell when millions of years ago our ancestors began walking on two legs, so several feet off the ground is no position to be following the scent trail of things left on the ground. Our sense of smell for telling if food is rotten (as we bring it to our mouths to eat) is actually very good because we keep using that.

You can tell by sniffing when milk has gone off far sooner than all but the most expensive scientific equipment. Yet we can't follow the trail of animal musk on the ground like a dog can.

A function we are not using much right now is callous formation. We wear very comfortable shoes outside almost universally, and gloves for any abrasive work, we don't really need to form callouses on our skin where it is worn the most. The presence of man-made physical pollutants (broken glass, nails, etc) pretty much mandate shoes to protect from cuts that callouses never could. So this is likely to be a long term trend in humanity.

You aren't going to lose something that could cost your chances of making a family.

Being "deformed" and missing digits does reduce your chances of finding a partner and passing on your genes. It's not like it takes a huge amount of energy to have pinkie fingers.

Our ape ancestors for millions of years lived on a high fruit diet which gave them plenty of vitamin C, so much so the process in their liver of synthesising vitamin C became redundant and there was no pressure to retain it. Now all the great apes - including humans - are quite unique among mammals in absolutely NEEDING vitamin C in our diet, if we don't get it from an outside source then we get scurvy as out blood vessels disintegrate and eventually we die from massive haemoraging and infection.

 

[Project_Omega]

Stop listening to Kesha, Eminem and Black Eye Peas could be next step perhaps, and switch to something that could actually be called music.

Technology wise?

Well, we could build a monorail.

 

[Kriptonite]

This is just a thought which came to me the other day. I was looking out the window of the bus and realised how far humanity has come since the early days. Scientific and technological advancements have compensated for nearly all our shortcomings. Cars, heavy machinery, computers, medical achievements, have allowed us to become lords of the planet.
Then a thought struck me; have we taken ourselves outside of evolution? Wild animals have predation, harsh weather conditions, foraging or hunting for food, sickness, and a myriad other worries, but for humans, dangerous animals can be repelled or destroyed, houses (and in extreme cases, bunkers) protect us from the weather, or food is easier to access than ever, and we have a greater understanding of diseases and inherent frailties and how to compensate for them than ever before. So I wonder, do humans have ANY remaining evolutionary pressures, in the First World climate at least, and if so what traits would they select for?

Sir, you are amazing. I've always wondered that and no one has ever truly understood what I was saying. I've asked myself, and many others, that same question for years yet I've been unable to come up with anything solid. Either way, thanks for making me feel like I've been asking a good question.

 

[Mathak]

We can always continue with Micro-evolution but as for Macro-evolution (such as us coming from apes) that is scientifically impossible, Macro-Evolution is pure sci-fi seeing as both the Law of Biogenesis and the second law of thermodynamics both go against Macro-evolution. Though Micro-evolution is a very well proven thing and is constantly happening.

With all due respect, but you, sir, would not be able to recognise the Second Law of Thermodynamics if Rudolf Clausius himself showed up at your doorstep and smacked you over the head with a copy of 'On the mechanical theory of heat'.

Not to mention that Biogenesis is not even relevant to the entire theory of evolution.

 

[ElPatron]

Evolution is kinda tough for me since I'm a Christian, but at the same time I acknowledge scientific fact, but I still believe in God. I believe God gave humanity(if not all sentient species in other galaxies) gave each of the divine spark. The ability to be creative and think. I think that's where evolution came in, maybe subconsciously the early homo erectus' DNA realized the need to evolve and started changing.

No animal evolves because it wants to or needs to. Nature simply wipes out anyone who isn't fit for survival.

By the way, DNA changes all the time. Anyone who has ever been exposed to the sun has had their DNA altered in some cells.

Evolution is not harder just because you believe in something. Evolution is a matter of disposing of what is unwanted - whatever survives gets to die another day.

 

[AndyFromMonday]

I don't know what path evolution is going to take humanity but one thing's for sure, we will never stop adapting. I'm hoping gills...

 

[Rex Fallout]

Humans have.....evolved? Not from what I've just seen in the crowd lurking outside of McDonalds.

Exactly what I was thinking. I think Society will be the one to evolve. Not us. Not genetically anyways.

 

[Rex Fallout]

I know that some things can be carried in our genes without being passed on, (recessive alleles), but I don't think that's the way it works with hair colour, rather that say a man with black hair has a child with a blonde woman, and the child has brown hair, (though his hair could be almost entirely blonde, or more likely, almost entirely black). It's like height or skin colour, it's not one or the other, but a random compromise between the two, though the hair colour or skin colour genes favour darkness. I'm not saying that blondes exist eventually, just that one day, those who are will be at a result of genetic mutation rather than the appearing of a recessive allele that has been dormant for multiple generations.

Err that isn't how it works. The child has dark hair because dark hair is the dominant gene. And unless the man has a recessive dark haired gene it will not be passed down. However, if that child were to grow up, lets say its a girl, and have a child with a blonde haired man/dark haired man with the recessive blonde hair gene, then they could have a child with blonde hair.

Personally I don't think any hair color will, 'die out'.

 

[OmegaWarmech]

There's no end to evolution.