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Posted: 1 year ago by donteatpoop:
What do you think the next step in evolution will be?
As a species we are constantly adapting to our surroundings, variations of skin tone due to climate, the shrinking of our little toes because of our use of shoes, the virtual uselessness of the appendix now that we cook our meat, etc… What do you think will happen in the future?
Things to consider are the increase in climate variations which is only going to become more frequent and more drastic as time goes on, our ever increasing dependency on technology, and our dietary choices (what the f**k is it with high fructose corn syrup anyway?).
Alos what are your thought on other species evolution/de-evolution? Plants & animals, etc...
Score: [-] 55 [+].
Posted: 1 year ago by ReBoot:
I think that society's current fascination with Paris Hilton, Anna Nicole Smith, Britney Spears and others will cause our species to de-evolve into slobbering couch-potato tabloid-snatchers.
Score: [-] 48 [+].
Posted: 1 year ago by Bornbad:
The third eye. Then we can wear those "really cool" sunglasses. Eventually those fuking meeks will inheret the Earth, but not without a fight.(I fear no meek)
Score: [-] 53 [+].
Posted: 1 year ago by ReBoot:
« Bornbad: Eventually those fuking meeks will inheret the Earth, but not without a fight.(I fear no meek) Maybe because we're so. . . meek? lol.
Score: [-] 0 [+].
Posted: 1 year ago by rambler:
Well it's a known fact that we humans have grown taller, and live longer than we did in the previous century and the one before that. Could also be a dietary effect, though, I'm told that in the first world we eat better and healthier. (This clearly does not fit with the overall image of pizza-gobbling, fizzy drink-slurping, overweight people in some parts, though...)
Score: [-] 31 [+].
Posted: 1 year ago by Bornbad:
« rambler : (This clearly does not fit with the overall image of pizza-gobbling, fizzy drink-slurping, overweight people in some parts, though...) I resent that! *burp*
Score: [-] 4 [+].
Posted: 1 year ago by rambler:
One of the evolutionary features of homo sapiens is the "opposing thumb" which allows us to grasp tools better than with all digits on the same side of a hand.
Perhaps the next evolutionary step will be the development of the "ball-jointed thumb", very useful for sms-ing from your cellphone or blackberry, operating various handheld game machines, etc. Today, kids who are better at this than others, are clearly seen as more desirable, and this trait would then be "bred into" future humanity...?
Score: [-] 21 [+].
Posted: 1 year ago by donteatpoop:
Do you think the little toe will eventually disappear completely?
Score: [-] 0 [+].
Posted: 1 year ago by Mershaullk:
« ReBoot : I think that society's current fascination with Paris Hilton, Anna Nicole Smith, Britney Spears and others will cause our species to de-evolve into slobbering couch-potato tabloid-snatchers. Ever seen Idiocracy?
Score: [-] 0 [+].
Posted: 1 year ago by rambler:
It will disappear too late for me to keep slamming it into all sorts of furniture in my house when I'm barefoot. From my point of view, it would almost be worth it to have it amputated! (Would save me from cutting those annoying little toenails too.)
Score: [-] 14 [+].
Posted: 1 year ago by rambler:
No, unfortunately I haven't, the plot outline looks cool. Unfortunately, I think it may be true that society is "dumbing down" (not just in the USA), also see the thread on the reading of classic books elsewhere on plime.
Score: [-] 0 [+].
Posted: 1 year ago by VooDooPeacock:
It depends on what the environmental factors in the future will be. Short term factors are easy to predict (perhaps humanity combating rising global temps and increased sunlight by adopting a more Masai-like body type, tall and thin to shed heat and very dark skinned to screen out UV) but who knows what will happen in millions of years hence?
There's also the idea that as long as we remain tool-using animals we won't be evolving very much because we change the environs to suit ourselves rather than the other way around. And of course we can practice genetic engineering to change our forms into whatever we'd like.
Dougal Dixon wrote a pretty nifty "biology of the future" based on this idea, "Man: After Man", in which humans become so dependant on technology they mostly die out, and the only survivors are humans who have been genetically manipulated to replace extinct large animals. Everything rolls on smoothly for about 10 million years, until the descendants of astronauts who left for other planets come back and don't recognize their long-lost cousins . . . Stephen Baxter also wrote several books on the subject (to the point of stealing some of Dixon's ideas) with "Evolution" probably being the best.
You could also check out the transhumanists who think we'll eventually merge with our technology and become sort of flesh-computer hybrids.
Score: [-] 18 [+].
Posted: 1 year ago by Bornbad:
That is weird. I got "Idiocracy" in the netflix mail today.
Score: [-] 0 [+].
Posted: 1 year ago by rambler:
The way I understand evolution, it works over VERY long periods of time. Short-term environmental factors are then unlikely to be an influence unless mutation rates increase a lot.
And, yes, we do use tools (including clothing, etc.), and therefore do not need to adapt so much to the environment as making our local environment adapt to us.
This may make us as a species less adaptable, and less hardy from a physical point of view, since those traits will not be seen as particularly useful any more.
Score: [-] 14 [+].
Posted: 1 year ago by VooDooPeacock:
« rambler : The way I understand evolution, it works over VERY long periods of time. Short-term environmental factors are then unlikely to be an influence unless mutation rates increase a lot.
Sorry, I was unclear. I meant environmental changes we are able to *predict* over the short term.
Score: [-] 4 [+].
Posted: 1 year ago by heymrp:
I think evolution is moving humanity in the direction of being more like me. I'm friggin' awesome.
Score: [-] 34 [+].
Posted: 1 year ago by ReBoot:
« heymrp : I think evolution is moving humanity in the direction of being more like me. I'm friggin' awesome. And so humble, too! Lol.
Score: [-] 15 [+].
Posted: 1 year ago by BrownTrout:
I think the next step may be less of a physical one and more of a cognitive change - with enhanced sensory perception and perhaps even an emerging sixth (or seventh) sense.
We may even see society start splitting into predominantly physical and intellectual components.
(i.e. enhanced physical traits in those who live harder lives that depend on their ability to withstand the physical elements... and enhanced cognitive traits in those who do not have to withstand a harsh environment)
Score: [-] 47 [+].
Posted: 1 year ago by VooDooPeacock:
« BrownTrout : I think the next step may be less of a physical one and more of a cognitive change - with enhanced sensory perception and perhaps even an emerging sixth (or seventh) sense.
What would a 6th or 7th sense percieve, BT?
Score: [-] 0 [+].
Posted: 1 year ago by Bornbad:
« BrownTrout : I think the next step may be less of a physical one and more of a cognitive change - with enhanced sensory perception and perhaps even an emerging sixth (or seventh) sense.
We may even see society start splitting into predominantly physical and intellectual components.
(i.e. enhanced physical traits in those who live harder lives that depend on their ability to withstand the physical elements... and enhanced cognitive traits in those who do not have to withstand a harsh environment) Isn't that what true evolution is, haven't we already experienced this in ongoing human development? (Bornbad doesn't really know what's going on)
Score: [-] 19 [+].
Posted: 1 year ago by rambler:
« BrownTrout :
We may even see society start splitting into predominantly physical and intellectual components.
(i.e. enhanced physical traits in those who live harder lives that depend on their ability to withstand the physical elements... and enhanced cognitive traits in those who do not have to withstand a harsh environment) Don't we see those different components already? In the past, I guess you always had certain individuals in a group/tribe/whatever specialising in certain skills, but all contributing to the common cause/survival of the group.
I believe this phenominon has moved up to a higher level: Entire sections of our society are specialising (banking people in London, farming communities in the countryside somewhere, probably even in another country, etc.), and mostly procreating within those communities. The particular skills they need will likely be entrenched and strengthened there.
If I new any latin then I could find cool names for the subspecies of homo sapiens sapiens, corresponding to:
homo sapiens huntergatherer and
homo sapiens serviceprovider
(There must be much more interesting names...?)
Score: [-] 16 [+].
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