The next step in evolution?

[inertia1215]

I was doing some writing and got to thinking about the next step of human evolution (assuming you believe scientific proof, and not a story, sorry if I offend). I began bouncing this idea off of people and got some great responses. So if you have anything to throw out there please do, maybe it will spark something creative.

Going very scientifically, and biologically, what do you think some of the next human evolutions will be? Eg. gills, webbed feet, super sight, telekinetic powers? Now like I said I am thinking very scientific based, so it must have evolved for a reason, not just because it would be cool! Also keep in mind us losing some of what we already have, wisdom teeth, tonsils, etc....

Thanks guys!!!

[flaggwalkstheline]

I have 2 things 2 say: Some scientists believe that we have reached a point where rather than our bodys evolving, our tools evolve instead (point in case the computers used to talk here)

another thing is that the current crop of young people are exhibiting an interesting bit of selective adaptation, our thumbs are replacing our pointer fingers as the dominant finger on our hands due to videogames

[a fan]

the next step in evilotion is gills if globel warming exist

[Emily]

In high school my biology teacher told us she thought the next step in evolution would be that we'd lose our pinky fingers. I can't remember what else she said about it, first period classes were the bane of my existence back then.

[inertia1215]

Flagg - great point about the thumbs and index fingers, having a 9 yr old sister definitely shows that gap!

[Ka-mai]

Actually poor eyesight is a dominant trait, so I see our vision going downhill... which is depressing, especially for someone as blind as me who hopes to someday produce children who can see anything.

Either loss or gain of phalanges.

Less hair... I believe overall we've been getting less hairy as a species over the past few million years. (And women everywhere rejoice. )

PS: This is super interesting to me, thanks for making this!

[Matt]

I understand human being's heads are getting too large for a natural birth.

[inertia1215]

I understand human being's heads are getting too large for a natural birth.

really? thats crazy, I mean it makes sense, but I haven't heard of that anywhere!?! cool though! C-sections are getting more and more common.

The loss of hair is a definite. I would like to believe as far as eye sight, I think evolution and technology are going to run pretty closely. With advanced prosthetic limbs and camera eyes being done already!!

[tamez]

i don't know about science,
but i want to move things
with my mind..
'cause... the remote...
it's like...
waaaay over there.

[Ka-mai]

I don't really know how that would work, considering evolution takes hundreds of thousands of years and C-sections haven't been widely available until recently. Women's hips are adapted to giving birth to larger-headed babies than other species. Also, C-sections are often performed when they aren't necessarily needed, just to simplify/speed up the process. There's a large movement to reverse this process because it actually carries more risk than vaginal delivery.

[Matt]

I just heard it somewhere, not sure if it's science.

But I would think if the human head has been growing for say...10,000 years, but just recently hit the breaking point on what a run of the mill vag could handle, could happen.

[flaggwalkstheline]

natural birth was never a perfect process, prior 2 the 20th century it was a major killer of women

[Matt]

Exactly!

It's those melon heads!!

[Ka-mai]

natural birth was never a perfect process, prior 2 the 20th century it was a major killer of women

It still is in many countries.

The thing is, animals die in childbirth. It happens. But we've turned it into something that is seen as "wrong" because we can prevent it now if provided with the proper medical attention.

[John_and_Yoko]

I don't really know how we'd evolve from where we are now, but if evolution were progressive (which it isn't, it's adaptive, but humor me), I have my own idea for how "posthumans" might look if the evolutionary trends from apes to humans continued into the future.

I imagine rather large walrus-like creatures that, from a distance, would somewhat resemble human babies (only much larger--bigger than today's ADULT humans). They wouldn't walk on two legs, and for the most part they wouldn't walk at all--they'd be marine mammals without hair, but with a lot of blubber all over their bodies. Occasionally they might come out of the water and onto land, but not often--and they'd waddle like walruses when they did, pulling themselves along with their arms.

There would be no sexual dimorphism (barring primary sexual characteristics), and the species would be monogamous, to all intents and purposes--thus the males would have smaller testicles producing fewer sperm.

Interesting traits to note would include: tapir-like trunks which have some ability to move (and whose nostrils can close shut), breastlike organs on the chest (in BOTH sexes), webbed hands and feet.

They would have larger brains and we would largely think of them as the primate equivalent of whales in terms of their abilities.

Yes, I like to think about things like this. Anyway, I don't think that's actually going to happen, as evolution is adaptive, not progressive, and there's no guarantee of a particular path--it can only be guided by what's happening now, and I don't know quite how we might adapt to that.

(Perhaps even more interesting is the idea that we might evolve towards a more PRIMITIVE state--in other words, humans evolving into more apelike forms....)

[Sam]

The next stage in human evolution. I saw something a few days ago, on the Discovery Channel I think, that suggested that humanity's last evolution was being able to tolerate lactose. Perhaps the next evolution will not be something we can see, but something we can smell, or having a stronger immune system (one resistant to the viruses and bacteria we have so far encountered).

[Ka-mai]

The problem with a stronger immune system is eventually the viruses will mutate until they can overcome it... it's a vicious cycle.

[Sam]

True, but it seems reasonable that the evolution would go that way.

[Lady_Macbeth]

I heard somewhere that one of the next steps in evolution is that we'll have no hair, because hair was only meant to keep us warm, and we won't be needing it due to global warming. Scary thought.

[Brice]

I think maybe we've begun devolving.

[BROWNINGS CHILDE]

Since "fit" in Darwinian terms has nothing to do with an animal being "new and improved" but rather defines an animal that simply reproduces more often. I am inclined to believe that there will be a general dumbing down of the average population of humans.
This idea was demonstrated in the movie Idiocracy.

Although this hilarious movie took the idea to extremes, I think Mike Judge hit upon some valid points.
1. The number of children born to parents with a college education is dramatically lower than the number of children born to high school dropouts.
2. More educated individuals tend to plan for there children and thus wait until later in life to have children, and are often unsuccessful at that time.
3. Meanwhile Cleatus the town idiot has 14 kids.
4. People that have children at a young age (before they are mentally ready) tend to not finish school, have a lower standard of living, have more than the avg. number of kids.
5. Children born to adolescent parents are more likely to be teen parents themselves.
6. The more children you have, the less ability you have to be vigilant and know what they are doing. This makes them more likely to be teen parents themselves.

[educatedlady]

True, but it seems reasonable that the evolution would go that way.

I was actually reading an article about immune systems (of course I can't remember where) and it said that immunity is declining, especially in the U.S.
There was something about how most of our immunity comes from breast feeding and more and more women are not breast feeding their children and so the new generation of children have weaker immune systems.

I don't know the reality of this but it seems to make sense.

As far as evolution, I have no idea where we will go. Perhaps nowhere.

[Iwritecode]

Since "fit" in Darwinian terms has nothing to do with an animal being "new and improved" but rather defines an animal that simply reproduces more often. I am inclined to believe that there will be a general dumbing down of the average population of humans.
This idea was demonstrated in the movie Idiocracy.

Although this hilarious movie took the idea to extremes, I think Mike Judge hit upon some valid points.
1. The number of children born to parents with a college education is dramatically lower than the number of children born to high school dropouts.
2. More educated individuals tend to plan for there children and thus wait until later in life to have children, and are often unsuccessful at that time.
3. Meanwhile Cleatus the town idiot has 14 kids.
4. People that have children at a young age (before they are mentally ready) tend to not finish school, have a lower standard of living, have more than the avg. number of kids.
5. Children born to adolescent parents are more likely to be teen parents themselves.
6. The more children you have, the less ability you have to be vigilant and know what they are doing. This makes them more likely to be teen parents themselves.

That is the exact movie I started thinking of when I read this thread.

True, but it seems reasonable that the evolution would go that way.

I was actually reading an article about immune systems (of course I can't remember where) and it said that immunity is declining, especially in the U.S.
There was something about how most of our immunity comes from breast feeding and more and more women are not breast feeding their children and so the new generation of children have weaker immune systems.

I don't know the reality of this but it seems to make sense.

As far as evolution, I have no idea where we will go. Perhaps nowhere.

Considering the unbelievable number of kids that have peanut allergies these days, I don't doubt for a second that our immune systems are actually going backwards. I didn't even know what the word allergy meant when I was a kid. Now we can barely send a PB&J sandwich with our kids for lunch because the kid sitting next to them might be allergic.

I've heard that not breast feeding is a cause of it but I've also read that people are using way too much anti-bacterial soaps and sanitizers.

I used to come home every day covered in dirt. Now kids are getting their hands cleaned every time they touch something.

[idk, my bff jill?]

Very interesting thread, inertia!
I'm afraid John and Yoko read my mind as to what I think the future human being will look like, but I will say this:
The way things are looking, I think we're going to be referring to human evolution as "devolution".

[inertia1215]

Considering the unbelievable number of kids that have peanut allergies these days, I don't doubt for a second that our immune systems are actually going backwards. I didn't even know what the word allergy meant when I was a kid. Now we can barely send a PB&J sandwich with our kids for lunch because the kid sitting next to them might be allergic.

I've heard that not breast feeding is a cause of it but I've also read that people are using way too much anti-bacterial soaps and sanitizers.

I used to come home every day covered in dirt. Now kids are getting their hands cleaned every time they touch something.

you are absolutely right on that one. our immune systems are getting terrible because of our clean freak ways. Lifestyle changes have definitely had a huge impact on our development. I think the loss is hair is a natural devolution, but i'd have to go with Brice on this one. We are devolving, there is no way around it.


John_and_Yoko your description of future "beings" kind of reminds me a lot of the movie Wall-E for those of you who have seen it. The future humans are all entirely obese, inactive, dependent, dumb creatures who hover around on an electronic hover chair. They speak there every desire into a computer and have any pleasure they want without having to do anything to earn it.

I had a friend who brought up autism as a possible human evolution/devolution? Compartmentalizing the human brain and gearing it more towards technical thinking.