can evolution be eliminated through the process of evolution?

Question

“Humans can survive with little or no aid in any part of the world, besides the most arid, and cold environments. Humans, however need or want greater comfort in order to flourish". Read this somewhere sounds about right.

Through evolution mankind has been quite successful in developing the skills and knowledge necessary to provide this comfort. Humans have quite successfully populated the planet and it is obvious to see man kind is flourishing. So in saying this is there any longer a need for humans to evolve, and if there is no need for man to evolve will the evolution of man come to an end.

Answer 1

Evolution requires natural selection. this is the process by which having the physical or mental advantage increases your chance of survival and procreation.

Until very recently (evolutionarily speaking) advantages in humans such as increased intelligence have conferred an increased survival rate and so as a whole the human race has got smarter.

Before intelligence was a deciding factor, traits such as speed and strength were the deciding factors in conjunction with intelligence so we not only got smarter but stronger and bigger aswell.

In modern society the process of natural selection has been all but removed. Being more intelligent no longer gives you a reproductive advantage, in fact these days the more stupid you are the more likely you are to have a hoard of (equally stupid) children. This means that only through education does the race appear more intelligent.

The main problem I envisage is one of a class divide, intelligence breeds with intelligence and stupid breeds with stupid, bringing about a larger and larger gap between the 2 groups of people. (read 1984 to see where this leaves society!)

The idea that the human race will evolve in to creatures with large heads and massive brains is far fetched and very unlikely the way things are going.

Sorry if I dont get myself across clearly, its hard to make a point without writing thousands of words.

Answer 2

No, now we see the beginings of evolutionary trands based upon our current standards of living. Over the course of recorded human history, there are have been two measurable changes in the human form.
The first is height, where people alive today are taller by several inches than those who lived hundreds of years ago. (please note, talking about AVERAGES here, I don't want someone short saying this proves evolution is false)
The second is the length of the little toe on the human foot has gotten markedly shorter, especially since the development of shoes hundreds of years ago.
If you extend both of these trends anoth few hundred years, the human race will be a bunch of 6ft plus people with 8 toes.
It is somewhat reasonable to assume other changes may occur, such as increased finger dexterity if we keep typing and IMing so much. The danger here is that the adaptations are trending in one direction and the environment in another. Ask the dinosaurs how well that worked out for them in the long run.

Answer 3

Any species is not just competing with other species, but with itself. Humans will evolve forever not necessarily because they cannot survive in their current environment, but because better humans will come along by chance and gradually displace them. And just so you know, 'better humans' means: those able to viably reproduce themselves more often. Because that is nature's measuring stick. You can pass all the tests you want, own a nice SUV, have a big house on a hill. If you only have one or two kids, the poor family on the other side of town with four kids is more successful according to the rules of nature. You may be happier, but you have lost the evolutionary bid in the long term and will be replaced.

Answer 4

Interesting question equals interesting answer. This is mine: Human has already achieved remarkable evolutionary success in beating the rest of the species of the planet. Not only that, it has developed creative means making evolution several leaps obsolete. No need for human to evolve so it could develop wings to fly like birds, gills to breath underwater etc. We have all the contraptions to extend human capability unimaginable. I suspect the next evolution to alter human history is one that we neglect most: spiritual. One day human can connect with beings currently being debated of its existence(God, force, angels, ghost). I suspect we the human race maybe the star wars proponents of the future.

Answer 5

There will always be environmental challenges that will favor one gene over another. New pathogens arise constantly (with science following closely on the heels of each new pathogen to exterminate it). And the climate is in a constant state of flux (again, with human ingenuity always there to overcome each new challenge).

Also, much of what I've written, above, assumes that civilization will not be utterly destroyed and/or that most of our population will not be wiped out in a nuclear holocaust (or some similar gene-challenging disaster).

Still, though, I feel that it's valid to say that "there is no constant, other than change." So, although humans may no longer experience as much evolutionary pressure as the other species, I'd say that it's a safe bet that we will continue to evolve, rather than stagnate.

Answer 6

Thats like saying our environment is never going to change. Environmental change is what causes evolution to happen through natural selection. You're assuming that because we're flourishing now we don't need to evolve anymore. But thats silly. Of course the world is going to change. It's already changing with global warming and climate change.

Answer 7

In their search for greater comfort, humans are changing the environment (both natural and cultural) they live in--constantly. This will tend to cause a lot of death, through natural disasters, disease, and war. Massive death fuels natural selection--the genes of the survivors carry on.

Evolution only stops when death only takes the old.

Answer 8

Light particles at cellular level change DNA toward evolving. Nature doesn't go backwards. If man tries to go backwards it's called EVIL.....which is LIVE spelled backwards

Answer 9

umm, no

our brains will contiue to evolve as we get smarter. Soon our bodies will be even weaker and our heads will be huge brains, as we will be protected from harm with technology.

Answer 10

There will always be theories.