Are we going to evolve at any point??

Question

The way we act, the things we do, are making me think is this thing going to happen to our brain, or we`ll just die like the dinosaurs?

Answer 1

we may evolve into alien type people when we emmigrate to mars in the thosands of years ahead. as our world may be in ruins

Answer 2

Evolution works on the process of natural selection. The point is, the DNA is very diverse and mistakes can occur during replication. So sometimes animals give birth to offspring with different traits to any of that species. Most of the time that trait is bad, such as a bird with smaller wings. But sometimes, nature makes a good mistake, a mistake which gives that animals a significant advantage. For example a slighty longer beak which is better suited to getting food from trees. Traits such as these will work in the favour of that animal and if the trait is dominant it will be passed onto successive offspring. A good trait will spread and if conditions change those who are better suited will be more likely to survive.

For those of you who don't believe in evolution you should go do some research, with an open mind. These new superbugs are a great example (MRSA). We first had antibiotics which killed nearly every time of bacteria known. however, a few bacteria with slightly different protein shells were immue to the anti-bacterial effects of the antibiotics and survived. In those cases, over millions of generations, they were able to reproduce and multiply, resistant to the drugs. A great example of natural selection.

We as people find it difficult to imagine how long such a process occurs. We're talking about millions of years over thousands of generations. A bacteria can multiply once every 10 minutes so positive mutations can spread quickly (and their sheer numbers means that more mutations will obviously exist - good and bad). We has humans maybe reproduce once or twice in our lifetime and so positive mutations are less likely to be seen in the same timeframe and less likely to occur. The difference between man and neanderthol was man could imagine where neoman couldn't.

Another problem, and it's a delicate situation is the social responsiblity which exists in our society. In the past, genetic mutations such as cistic fibrosis would naturally be negative mutations and natural selection would eventually select these genes out. However, we now can keep defective genes in the genome and such we, man are the natural selectors and sometimes we choose to keep the defective genes alive because we deem it is our social responsiblity. This is obviously a deep argument, one which i won't even attempt to discuss, but it's worth bearing in mind. I doubt in our lifetime we will see any significant positive mutation - maybe man will find a way to artificially create them and artificially select them into our genome.

Answer 3

Yes, but you won't notice it happening.
Evolution is a very slow process. It normally takes hundreds, maybe thousands of years for any noticeable changed in a species.
Of course, there are rare instances where evolutionary steps can take place in the space of about 10 years. Two spring to mind.
Firstly the emergence of the new cross-breed species of squirrell caused by the reds and the greys inter-breeding.
Secondly, tthe new Land Gulls, which were once seagulls, but they now live inland, scavenging off rubbish dumps, and are noticeably different in that they have lost the famous squalking call the sagulls used to have. These ones are silent.

Answer 4

Given the history of man, one would expect that evolution will continue. The dinosaurs were victims of a rapid change in climate and subsequent loss of their food sources. We, in my opinion, face much the same dilemma...we are rapidly entering an unprecedented warming period and the fresh water from the glaciers melting will at some point change the salinity of the oceans. This will then start to deplete the food chain in the oceans - and subsequently ours, too. Some believe we've gone beyond the point of no return, and I feel that may be true.

Answer 5

I think Annissia's got it...

We will continue to evolve until a natural or self-made disaster pushes us back.

Humans are the most adaptive beings on the planet. We can live in the desert, at the south pole, on top of a mountain...

It is reasonable to expect that we will continue to change - radically, in fact.

I just a read a report that puts the last neanderthals living in caves in southern Spain beteween 24,000 to 35,000 years ago. That was just yesterday in evolutionary terms! So things are moving VERY quickly...

Answer 6

We are evolving all the time. Compare today with 2000 years ago, agreed it does appear to be more mental than physical at the moment. It also depends how long we have left what with global warming and all.

Answer 7

Well we are evolving right now. Just look at our bodies. For example: At the beginning of the 20th century, the average size shoes for women was 5, now it's 9. The average height for a man was was 5.7 foot, now 5.9. The homo sapiens specie is 200,000 years old, who knows what we'll look like 200,000 years from now.

Answer 8

everything's evolving constantly - individual members of a species do not evolve within themselves but as soon as a successful mutation occurs by chance in a species, this will mean that it will slowly spread through an entire species. So in simple terms yes, but we won't live to see it. It takes millions of years.

Answer 9

We are evolving, alright. I just wonder if we're involving into more intelligent beings are reverting back to primitive animals based on what I see every day in the news and dealing with people.

Answer 10

I think we're always evolving it just takes thousands of years.

It's like watching the clock, you need really see the minute hand mvoe, but it does!

You only have to look at the exceptionally bright people, or strong people to see it is happening though!

Answer 11

Half of us can't even believe evolution happens. Until we wise up and are able to accept scientific fact over religious supersition, we may as well be dinosaurs.