What will be the next stage in the evolution of the human species?

Question

From single cell organisms to basic amphibious creatures through to apes and then homo sapiens. Where is the next evolutionary leap going to come from? What is the most obvious way that humans are going to evolve to prove Darwins theory of 'survival of the fittest? Or will our fate be the same as the dinosaurs?

Answer 1

If it happens or not, an auto-deflector for political spin would be a sensible evolution.

"Survival of the Fittest" now seems only to apply in 2nd and 3rd world regions ... maybe this is the progression of the theory, I wouldnt know. Of cause if sea-levels continue to rise then the ability to get on with people living in close proximatey and to swiftly become immune to disease wound be a boon. (Unfortunately due to overuse of anti-biotics etc., this may actually be the reverse)

People living way into years not previously attained is a logical step, 150+ years a possibilty. Combined with the theory that the world wishes everyone to live forever, it could lead to over-population and problems with food and water. This in itself I believe will lead to the destruction of man-kind by disease ... Time will tell.

Answer 2

With out question the senses will have to adapt the most. As the more significant evolutionary changes take place in our environment. Smell, sight, taste, and audio will and have probably have been affected farther than any other part of our bodies.

That only includes earth with natural occurring changes for business, industry, food, water, dirt and the sun. Changes that are more supernatural (nuclear events, meteorites) could upset evolutionary changes in different ways.

Answer 3

Fate will be the same as the dinosaurs, except one detail. Humans will kill off themselves. Over population will end up killing us all. Soon enough there will be more people than space or food supply. Then countries will fight for land and resources to keep their own people alive. This will lead to massive battles and nuclear exchanges. The fact that nukes exist confirms that they will be used. They have been used in the past for the exact reason I stated. One country, in an attempt to save its own people used atomic weapons. That is how it will all end.

Answer 4

I don't think we will. We're pretty much adapted to our environment and although we have rather large flaws in our "design" we're pretty well built.

Like quite a few people have said already, we're outside of evolution now due to technology. Natural selection doesn't apply because it doesn't matter whether you're strong or weak, it's still possible to procreate and pass on your good or bad genes.

I think the only thing that we can do is continue to become immune to the major problems micro-organisms throw at us. And even then it's likely to be in the form of vaccines rather than evolutionary development.

Answer 5

I think survival of the fittest applies alot less now than it did a few hundred years ago. Hundreds of years ago it was ALWAYS a case of the strongest would mate more and so populate the planet. Not any more. I think this marks the end of the current age and dawning of the new age of Aquarius.

I think human beings will evolve to use more of their brains and open up alot more to the spiritual side of themselves.

Answer 6

Actually we are going downhill. We are now a more compassionate species and we strongly believe in survival of all - even the most unfit. It's just natural that as we breed with all the 'less strong' the species will suffer in the long run.

That's ok though, I'm all for it.

Answer 7

Within 500 years, humanity will colonize Mars, as an encapsulated community at first, and within several generations it is believed that our weight will be lighter, we will become taller and become better jumpers, partially due to less gravity...

Also, these people will be highly educated in science, especially electronics, which will be passed on to their offspring, out of survival necessity...

If an asteroid destroys earth, in the meantime, these will be the only remaining representatives of humanity...

Answer 8

I wonder if it will be somehow a response to
global warming - perhaps if the ozone layer goes
away, we'll all end up with more melanin in our
skin.

Or we may all went up with bad eye sight (since
glasses, contacts and surgery no longer make
bad eye sight an evolutionary de-selector).

Answer 9

Not being able to see what new effects may come into play, and relying on past experiance-
Humans will have spread weak genes farther around in the population, making them more and more reliant on health care to survive...e.g. diabetes and other such genetic 'defects' will become more common. While people who had such problems in the distant past died younger, now they survive and have more children.

Answer 10

Humans can't be judged by Darwin's theory because we aren't "Naturally selected" but are, instead, selected by humankind. (If you know anything about Darwin, he did not consider variation under domestication to be natural selection- and we are very much using the technique we used on dogs and sheep- not that which occured in the wild.)

Unless colonization of other planets leads to geographic isolation lasting generations, we will stay the same species, with little or no significant change.

There are lots of species that have done this, including sharks and horseshoe crabs, because they are, in essence, "perfectly adapted" to their niche.