Are humans through evolving? (Think Darwin)?

Question

With modern medicine alone survival of the fittest is no longer the key element in evolution...

Answer 1

We are constantly evolving because we are still subject to natural selection. Natural selection is the driving force of evolution. Natural selection is why evolution is not purely chance. Nature 'saves' successes and discards the failures. A perfect example of humans subject to natural selection is our constant battle against pathogens. Some diseases cannot be cured, but mutation arise within a population that lend some resistance to the infection. Those people surivive to breed and pass on that trait. The offspring are also resistant to the disease. This happened with the tuberculosis epidemics and the black plague.

The problem with this question is that it assumes that modern medicine is somehow 'outside' or 'above' nature. It isn't. Our species evolved pattern seeking, and other clever survival behaviors that allows us to study our environment and test it. This is an advantageous trait. Modern medicine, and other technology is really just complex tool use by us clever primates. We are still subject to selection forces. Anything that kills us and prevents us from passing on genes to the next generation is negative selection. Our successful use of our brains is a positive selection force.

Of course we're still evolving.

Most of the arguments against evolution seem to be because of misunderstandings of basic principles of the theory. The other arguments are because of a misunderstanding of what is still being debated about within the theory.

I suggest some readining, then you can answer this question for yourself. After all, when I ask you to take my answer at face value that is just an argument from authority. I have a microbiology degree, but I could be a loony.

Look at the evidence and judge for yourself. Science is about evidence, not faith. Science says, "Your house is blue" and you say "Prove it" and science says, "okay, let's look at your house then". Religion says, "God says your house is blue." and you say, "whatever you say. You're god after all. The house doesn't look blue, it looks red to me, but you're god and therefore infallible. My eyes must decieve me!"

Answer 2

Quite frankly, it is strange that it is a popular question. Evolution is a mechanical process that needs variation, selection and mutation. A variation is selected upon in a species. Mutation is needed to provide the variation. Humans have variations. There are Asian, Negroids, Caucasians and stuff. These variations are selected for their characteristics and will speciate at some point. Therefore, evolution is working and survival of the fittest is not really different from earlier ages, only the selection pressures are different. If you think that there are no more isolated populations, please try and rework that statement. If you study evolutionary theory, this isolation is not really physical, but genetic. If you have a gene pool that is not in flux, you will find it to be an isolated population. This means that the population does breed with foreigners. You will probably be thinking that survival of the fittest is in terms of physical power and strength but like I told you earlier, the medical intervention is actually altering the pressures of the selection mechanism and not the process of evolution.

Answer 3

Evolution is a never ending process. At its root, its caused from mutations at the cellular level. I see your point with modern medicine taking care of sickness and disease so that those people can live on and have children, in turn passing those genes on. There are other changes however that medicine, at least not today, cannot cure. Such as climate changes and changes to the atmosphere. I really think that in thoughts of evolution, the brain is often left out as well. We know so little about the brain. We can tell from skeletons from the past and from our ancestors, that the growth of the brain, at least in size, happened fairly recently. I feel that due to the fact that now humans are working with their minds more and their bodies less, that the brain will see huge leaps in evolution in the future.

I do believe though, that our bodies definately arent done evolving yet either. Over time we will see more of a human race instead of the current situation with different races living in different nations. With travel getting cheaper and easier, and the internet and satelites linking everyone together, more and more people are marrying outside their race making the whole planet a melting pot.

Answer 4

the way evolution works is always hand in hand with how our planet changes. even with medicine and finding ways to keep all people alive longer, evolution will take a new path. more then likely the evolution that we will notice most over the next few generations will be the human mind and how it works.

the way evolution works best is a mutation of the gene is a fluke that makes a person succeed better in the environment that they are in. back in the days that would mean the strongest and fastest would survive. in the world we live in now, the smartest will survive. as long as our environment remains one of the smarter people advance in life, then more then likely the next step in evolution would be the advance in the human brain. this would be the only option that evolution would have to take to make a better human in this society.
how ever nothing last for ever. if we end up destroying our own world, by what ever means. lets toxins in the air hit levels that start killing people off. well the people that can tolerate high toxins will be the ones to survive and their children will create the new branch of evolution.

the world will forever be changing. be it society or physical aspects. as long as there is change there would be some form of evolution that creates a better species for that situation.

Answer 5

Depends. Due to the fact that air travel is becoming so prevalent, the isolation that evolution requires has virtually disappeared. The only time species really evolve is when they are cut off. For instance, if a sudden earthquake permantly seperates two groups of the same species, they will evolve in very different directions. If they had stayed together however, no evolution would have taken place.

Hence, due to the fact that I can hop on a plane and spread my genes anywhere in the world, and with immigration being so prevalent, I would have to say that humans are largely through evolving. Simply no genetic isolation.

Answer 6

Yes, we are still evolving. You think survival of the fittest no longer applies? Think about all those young gang-bangers and drug addicts who assume room temperature before they have children. Over a period of thousands of years the genes that lead people to act like that will be bred out.

Modern Medicine does create a moral dilemma however. By enabling those with genetic weaknesses to live, are we sabotaging our own species? We can't withhold treatment though, that would be monstrous. Perhaps this is why we've never found E.T., intelligence is self-defeating.

Answer 7

by no means are we done evolving...biologically we are becoming destined to be born with genetically inherited bad, mutated, DNA. If medicine prolongs the time of the individual with the poor genes, then that individual possibly passes on that same poor genes to the next generation. Eventually along some timeline, (assuming we don't blow ourselves up with nuclear weapons) a generation of people wouldn't survive long enough to reproduce. However our knowledge of medicine is progressing so fast as to do the work of (strongest survive) such that we will one day, if not already, be selecting the healthy sperm and eggs that are not hindered by poor genes to produce superhumans (humans that are not at risk from disease)

Answer 8

Humans are definitely not done evolving . . . I hate the trend of thought that humans are done with "survival of the fittest" just because we are self-aware . . . if you read about it you realize that there are a lot of things controlling who we choose for our mates that we're not even aware of . . . and it is true that those with the most obvious mutations are generally not considered sexually attractive, we just call them "mentally ill" or "physically deformed." But the next time humans change dramatically shouldn't be for almost another million years (one million years being generally how long between new species emerging in warmblooded vertebrates) so we'll all be long dead before seeing any of it firsthand.

Answer 9

I don't think humans are done evolving. Nothing on earth is done evolving. We are constantly (as humans) birthing new genetic "defects" that may one day be ideal to life on this earth. We only think we may be done because we cannot see the future but our past shows signs of rapid evolution (over millions of years).

Answer 10

No. Many new diseases will continue to surface throughout time for mankind, and those who can live through them, immune, will be considered the survival of the fittest, etc.