Human Evolution- Sensible answers please?

Question

do you think that we will ever evolve again and if not why have we stopped evolveing.

Answer 1

Yes we may continue to evolve!! If however we did not evolve the reason why we would not have evolved would be due to lack of OUR environmental changes!! The environment is continuously changing and animals (humans included) adapt to these changes if their environment is altered. Those who don't, die out. There are animals, or rather I should say reptiles that have not changed. For example, the alligator has changed very little since the days of the dinosaurs. The reason being is THEIR environment has changed very little and thus they have not needed to adapt. Because their survival strategies have not needed to be altered because the strategies they already have, have continued to successful for their environment.

Another way in which species can change is through genetic mutations. If this mutation is successful it will thrive, resulting in an alteration of the species!!

Answer 2

We are always changing, but there are reasons we will not evolve much in the normal way, for the following reasons:

-- Rapid genetic evolution requires pressure on a species. While changes may come about in humans now, the large number of humans and the fact that we are not geographically restricted 'smoothes' out evolutionary change. For example, suppose you, by chance, mutated an allele of your gene that made you resistant to skin cancer. Because there are so many humans, and skin cancer is a small reason for our death rate, you would not survive more than someone else, in all likelyhood. As you had children it would be blended into the noise, and the evolution would likely be lost. (There are some exceptions to this. In many places in africa, for example, there is rising suspicion that some people, in particular some prostitutes, are resistant to HIV. These people would have a clear advantage and evolution might be seen there).

Secondly, many evolutionary advances are lost. Evolution is entirely measured by reproduction, and typically people reproduce (have children) before 45-50. So if someone evolved a resistance to, say breast or colon cancer, diseases that affect people typically after they have had children, it would have no evolutionary effect (even if it has a strong societal effect).

On the other hand, an newer type of natural selection is taking place. Evolution, at its root, is measured by reproduction, and there is a strong selection in our society favoring the least motivated and least educated social groups. The poor, impoverished, and uneducated are, in general, having children earlier and more often than the rich and privliaged. To point, the most successful in our society are weighing themselves negatively from an evolutionary perspective. As such, there is some evolutionary movement, based on the number of children, toward less educated and gifted humans.

Answer 3

we are still evolving its obvious who has had their wisdom teeth removed because they didn't have enough room in their mouth. However any major evolution like that of x-men is unlikely to oocur unless through a rare cross-breeding of genes and even then it will be more of a super human than an evolution. Humans have not much more reason to evolve for the simple reason that the majority of our deaths are from things that can't be given to our children, if someone is murdered than how can they pass on the gene that says oh maybe if you could do this that won't happen again and we're pretty comfy in our living so there is no need for us to evolve we need to challenge oursleves i suggest extreme mind problems introductions to small dosages of common poisons, caffeine, nicotine, alcohol and so on and also some sort of extreme sport parkour is best but any should help your children have a better start.

Answer 4

I think we have stopped evolving.

Evolution takes place in response to environmental pressures. If (for example) the temperature falls then animals who happen to have more fat, or thicker fur, do better and hence the species evolves. However we can just put on a thicker sweater.

Today we use technology to basically insulate us from the evolutionary factors that affect other species. Success in evolutionary terms is measured by the 'fittest' of the species reproducing more. But in human society who has more children? It's not the most intelligent or the strongest or the fastest, instead it's determined by sociological factors rather than genetics.

However, random mutations will still occur in our DNA. But since we are dependent on technology rather than our genetic heritage, these will remain effectively 'invisible' to natural selection. So our genetic make-up will change, but in a random way, and as such these are as likely as not to be changes for the worse. So I can see the human race in the future losing it's evolutionary 'edge' and becoming less fit, less intelligent, and more dependent on technology. Already we can see this happening in the deterioration in eyesight. Today there is almost 50% chance that you use glasses or contacts. A few thousand years ago your chances of survival would be much reduced by this whereas today it doesn't matter in the least.

Answer 5

We have not stopped evolving it is a small gradual thing. Evolution is when gene in a human body changes for the better this person is then better at surviving. The problem is that with humans changing the world so quickly that it is almost impossible for species and our own to adapt/evolve quick enough.

P.S. Soz you probably did not want all that!

Answer 6

We will not evolve in the true sense because there is no natural selection any more, now people are kept alive artificially, take diabetes, heart disease or some cancers, if we had natural selection and did not medicate against them eventually it would die out.

So the only way we evolve now is to grow taller and bigger through better nutrition.

It may well be that we are evolving our own destruction by breeding into weaker humans who will not be able to survive a natural epidemic

Answer 7

I have just learned at college that the way evolution moves forward is through the occasional mutation having a positive effect rather than the usual negative effect. According to evolution theory we haven't stopped evolving it will just take time.

Answer 8

We haven't stopped evolving and we won't. It is fact that the gene pool of humans has changed over the last 10,000 years. Even over the last 200 years. Eventually we will be a different species, not able to interbreed with the humans from 1000 BC.

Answer 9

We have not stopped evolving we just evolve so slowly we do not notice. The changes are small and we don't notice. For example do you realize that the disease "Sickle Cell Anemia" is a way of fighting off Malaria? To me that is evolution because it came about to help certain people deal with what effects them and what they need to live better. People who spend more time in the sun over time develop darker skin and a resistance to certain types of skin cancers. The movement is small we have to remember getting to where we are now took Millions of years so a few thousand years is a mere drop in the bucket!

Answer 10

just going back to the beginning of the 1900's 1 in 5 children died of a disease, malnutrition or a syndrome or genetic defect which in itself caused some form of mental imperfection. As advances in medicine continue, all these are being past into the human reproduction system. Now we have an explosion of genetic defects, mental health problems, disorders and syndromes, once uncommon, now rife within the population. These affects are occurring quicker than evolution can find time to adjust and the consequences for the future of mankind will be in serious peril.