Does human evolution continue?

Question

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evolution

Answer 1

of course

but not at a rate that could be noticed during a lifetime

you would need to look at intervals of hundreds of generations probably

Answer 2

Of course. It's so slow that we don't really see it, though. However, have you heard of things like how certain mixed-race populations are gradually becoming lighter-skinned? That's one example. Since the lighter skinned people are considered more beautiful in those places, they're more likely to have children to pass the trait down to. That means there are more lighter skinned children, which means a lighter population.

In general, for a species that has so few children and such a long lifespan, you're not going to see vast evolutionary changes in your lifetime. The changes do not occur in one person, or a couple of generations. They tend to be tiny things that eventually build up to big changes. You can see it more easily in short-lived species such as bacteria. That's why you need a new flu shot every year: the bacteria responsible for the flu evolves to the point where the old shot doesn't work (yeah, that's simplistic, but it's one of the principles behind the new shots). With people, though, we pretty much look the same as we did a few thousand years ago.

Also, with our technology advanced the way it has, the playing field has changed a lot. One of the ways evolution works is because individuals who are not suited to the environment they live in die before they have children. Nowadays, we've forced the environment to be suitable for all sorts of people who would have died just a hundred years ago. Now, I think that's a good think, because, without that, we wouldn't have Stephen Hawking, one of the greatest physics minds of our time, but it has slowed or stopped one of the ways evolution works.

Answer 3

I hope the humans keep on evolving because if "homo Sapien" is the final advance stage for mankind, then like all species who have reached their evolving limit, they die out. You can't have a perfectly evolved species or it can't grow anymore and dies out.

I hope humanity still manages to keep on the right side of darwin's evolution. I predict people may want to completely change their body structure once genetic alteration is accessible to anyone in the future.

Answer 4

Yes humans are still evolving. You see athletes breaking records every few years for speed, high jump, what have you. If you ever go to a civil war museum and see uniforms on display, they look like they would fit a 12 year old kid.

Answer 5

Indeed - but just like it always has: very slowly.

One evolutionary change I've heard about has been an increasing tolerance to lactose. Most mammals don't have such tolerance past infanthood, but more and more humans do now.

Answer 6

yeah in a sense but this is quite slow processes and u can observe changes in only height hairs and structure ppl 50yrs back are longer, heavier and more hairy than us.
I don't know any other physiological changes :)

Answer 7

All organisms change constantly but that doesn't mean that we visibly evolve within a couple of generation.

Answer 8

I don't think so ...not in the classic sense..we are changing in some ways ..growing taller etc...but not evolving to be something different

Answer 9

yeah we are pretty advanced now according to bush ... we are the "civilized world"

Answer 10

Sorry, we don't stagnate....