If human kind were to diverge (evolve) along two lines in the future, what would the 2 species be like?

Question

If there was a major event, say one group flew off to spend ten thousand years in space looking for another planet ... or the rich and poor countries were seperated for 10,000 years with no gene flow between them, what would the two species look like?

Please don't just tell me you don't believe in evolution. I'd like well considered answers.

Thanks

Answer 1

Considering the rapid advances of science, and its easy access to the rich countries, i'd say the two species of the future would be cyborgs and humans. The humans, ofcourse, would be devoid of their natural reproductive capacities, 'coz of pollution, radiation, stress, malnutrition, etc. If you believe in the 'survival of the fittest', you could go further to say that cyborgs will rule.

Answer 2

I don't think it would be possible to state what the two species would end up like, but dogs are reputed to have been domesticated from wolves between for 15,000 years (although it may have been earlier). Given that they have been the object of selective breeding, it is obvious that wide variations can occur over relatively short time scales.

However, in comparing evolution of separate human groups to dogs, we need to factor in the following differences:
1) Would evolutionary effects be as selective as breeding? Obviously not, except in certain circumstances (e.g. a virus which was lethal to wide groups of people without certain DNA). Most environmental evolutionary effects would be smaller and less selective.

2) Effects of evolution would be effectively diluted due to interbreeding, which a dog breeder would not allow. This would have the effect of slowing down the evolutionary effect for individuals but would enable the whole population to benefit from the evolutionary advantage.

3) Dogs have shorter lifetimes and breed more puppies so over any timescale there are more choices and variations available.

4) Humans can control their environment to effectively overcome evolutionary effects. Tools and technology allow humans to offset the pressures of evolution by the use of tools and we are also capable of manipulating the environment.

Evolution would occur most rapidly where the differences in the environment were most pronounced so the outcome of the differences would to some extent reflect this. There would also be other influences which may not directly be evolutionary in nature. We are reputed as humans to have a smaller variation in genes than other animals because of a a catastrophic narrowing down of the gene pool in the past when the number of humans on the planet became smaller for a time.

So, the question is would there be much variation over 10,000 years? I doubt it unless the environment was significantly different (different oxygen levels, gravity, etc.) . I think there would be variations in stature or physique but significant differences would be smoothed out by the other effects due to humans' ability to manipulate their environment .

Great question though! Makes a change from the teacher homework-lazy student driven questions and the god is/isn't real! I wonder how many biblical answers you'll get?

Answer 3

Currently, the only significant selection pressure on the human genome comes from partner selection. Women will get dummer because smart women focus on carriere and on the quality of their childrens' life rather than quantity. Men will get taller and smarter because women prefer tall and smart men when they commit adultery so tall and smart men will father more children. Those factors could differ between the two populations.

If one of the two populations made extensive use of reproductive technology that did not rely on high-quality sperm, sperm quality would get worse. Ultimately, if they turn to cloning, they may develop into a sterile species, possibly without sexes and/or without sexual desire.

Maybe some flue pandemic would wipe out genes for bad immune defense in one of the populations, or one population could acquire resistency against HIV or some other pandemic.

But 10,000 years is a very short time. See how little difference there is between Native Americans and their Asian relatives. Those two groups have been separated for more than 10,000 years.

Answer 4

The world is getting smaller day by day and our genes are being mixed like anything in the last few decades in a manner which did not happen for the last few millenia. For our species to develop two branches of evolution there should be isolation and difference in the ecology. A typical example will be the Innuit of the arctic and the human being in the tropics. If the Innuits were left alone they would have developed diverse physical traits to live in the subzero temperatures without the need for layers and layers of clothes.

Answer 5

Ha wierd question, but interesting.
I think one will have stumpy, useless limbs but big heads(the rich) and others will be long and skinny like apes(the poor).
As for the ppl who moved to another planed, they will probably end up looking like ET to adapt to the environment and those who stayed here will look the same as us.

Answer 6

The Borg and ... the Borg.

It would take a little while for the poor to catch up, but remember that the human race was completely impoverished when it began, i.e., poor living conditions, poor diet, short lifespan, etc.

Answer 7

the group that remained here have evolved into a being with one short arm, one giant eye, with a couch shaped behind. the short arm holds a cell phone to the ear, while reclining on the couch shaped behind, watching monocularly the television. the group that went into space can communicate telepathically, but their bodies have atrophied from the weightlessness of space, and they have to be kept in jars to retain their consistency.

Answer 8

Some (descended from George Bush) would look like chicken.... emaciated at that.

Others from Osama would look like chimpanzees that forgot to shave

Answer 9

humans left here on earth wud look much the same..but people in space wud loose some of their bone structure due to lack of gravity....pale due to lack of sunlight...in general, they could be man eaters depending on the environment they will be set in..

Answer 10

Haven’t you ever heard of X-men? If you think my answer sounds stupid you should listen to your question.