Another Evolution Question?

Question

Do you think animals will even survive in a humans world without our help? If you think that animals could evolve into something greater (if given enough time to) wouldn't we have a moral responsibility to try and find a way to help them? (ie Genetic altering, or even searching out a new habitable planet to populate with animals to let them follow their own natural paths).

Answer 1

I am looking forward to the day when all humans vacate the Earth in order to colonize other planets and other star systems. I believe that this will take place within the next 1,000 years or so. People will only be allowed back on Earth to do scientific research, or maybe a little tourism might be allowed also. Then the Earth will be left to itself to continue to evolve life forms undisturbed by human activity. If you want to read more about the future of mankind, please read "Entering Space" by Dr Robert Zubrin, PhD. for a nuts and bolts engineering discussion of the future of mankind.

Answer 2

No, they've got to make their way by their own! We don't even imagine what they could evolve into so altering they're dna or something to make "greater" and then saying: "they're evolved!" wouldn't be a good idea, it'd almost be a human creation since it'd be a human who'd had altered the animal's dna. And human creation is not evolution, it has no links with it, we have to let nature make it's way. And for the "animal planet", it wouldn't be a good idea for two reasons: 1) If we do find an inhabitable planet, humans will want to establish on it, so there would be wars for it's territory, then maybe after a hundred years, it'd have calmed down and it would make the same as on earth, but with a lesser population. 2) If humans, for an unknowed reason, would not want to establish the planet, it would still not be good to send all the animals there because they'd live alone without the presence of humans. They'd then grow into something really different from something they'd been with human contact, then when human, because human will still for sure go to this planet, go to check wath it has done, there'll be a big shock of the civilizations because the future evolved-animals would have never seen what a human is. For some, it may be a good idea because they'd live in peace, but I do think this peace wouldn't last long because human is so curious that it'd have to check it evolution did with his animals.

Answer 3

We as humans evolved to be very good at making tools. We have used that skill along with other skills such as language and become the most successful large animal in the world. It is not an accident that we benefit from our skills, but it is rather a function of evolution that the skills that help us have babies that have babies is what survives.

Now, a strange thing has happened with our large brains, we can reason to such an extent as to foresee failures in our path that might destroy not only ourselves, but those other species that share this planet with us. We are probably not the first species to become too successful and thereby destroyed itself. We are, however probably the first animal to have a deep understanding of the damage s/he was doing. At least some of us can see.

Now to your questions:

1st. Will the Animals survive man? I would say most likely some of them will. Maybe just the cockroaches and centipedes, but most likely we will be survived by something. Of course the future is not easy to predict.

2nd. Will the hypothetical surviving animals evolve? As long as reproduction occurs and especially some form of sexual reproduction occurs evolution will take place.

3rd. Do we have the moral obligation help animals survive us? It is definitely in our own best interest to have biodiversity. Is it morally or ethically responsible? I would hope that most people would say yes, but that is not a question that one person can answer for other people. Morals and ethics are not universal. Some people do not see it a moral challenge to destroy the Artic Wildlife Preserves as Long as there is a buck in it for them!

4th. Should we alter Animals DNA to make them better able to survive us? Some how this sounds like the plot to a science fiction novel where a lot of people in some small town become mutants. No, this is a good question. It is one that requires a lot of ethical considerations. In theory it sounds good and once we really fully understand ALL of the possible implications there might be a place for it, but I don't think we are there yet. Evolution has been tinkering with genetics for at least billions of years, and (not counting breeding) we have a couple of decade’s experience. We could make some bad mistakes, and it is easier to let the cat out of the bag than to put it back in.

Answer 4

Absolutely. The reason we have to help them is because we cause many of their problems. Deforestation, habitat destruction, pollution, poachers...

I do not believe that any species needs help in evolving. They do this on their own.
It would be nice if there was another planet with the same environment as Earth, but finding this will take many many years, perhaps even after our great grandchildren are long gone... So many of the species will be extinct due to the factors I have stated above. Our greatest hope would be saving the species on the planet by preventing further habitat destruction.

Every new shopping plaza takes the place where a pond or a forest could be, in turn taking away animal's homes.

Answer 5

I don't think today's animals will evolve unless there is another global change to institute it. If you look at the evolutional record Things would remain the same for eons, then a cataclysmic event caused the changes. About the same time our ancestor came down from the trees there was a die off of tree eating antelopes. Both were caused by a transition of Africa from forest to savanna. What caused this is up for debate.