Can mankind now control it's own evolution?

Question

Nice one all ,thanks for your answers and point of view, I too think we have long since started to control our evolution, just taming the enviroment to suit our personal needs was the start and with the advancement in the human genome project I would speculate, than humans will be engineered for a purpose, like say space travel etc.

Thanks again for your views a pleasure to read, and Green cheers for the info on the berries I will be looking into that.

Answer 1

The problem with the majority of the answers that you have recieved so far is that they presume "unnatural selection" to be a synonym with "natural selection" yet, in fact they are polar opposites. Evolution is driven by natural selection. The fact that we are continually adding additional sources of unnatural selection does not mean that we are controlling our evolution, it means that we are cheating the evolutionary process from expressing itself. In so doing we are controlling the way that we develop as a species, by increasingly negating the effects of environment and diluting the evolutionary process as it applies to our species. By creating this vacuum in our selective process we are allowing more evolutionary defects to become commonplace within our genetic code, and for this to be passed on through generations. We are increasingly becoming more invasive at controlling our genetic path, and in so doing we usually have to also become more creative in how to also adapt to all the negative side effects that we did not anticipate in our medling in the first place. Yes we are controlling thia genetic path to a degree... and we are doing it poorly... but this is NOT evolution. The question should be "can mankind now eliminate many of the effects of evolution as they apply to us as a species?" Add if you like"and replace 'survival of the fittest' as our developmental path with 'medical tinkering'"

Answer 2

Yes, we already are, through all the advances in medicine & science, like the other person said. But, I really wanted to tell you: the acai berry is even more potent than blueberries and cranberries etc., but that question was closed (This is my first night signing onto this place) It's grown in the Amazon. I just started drinking this stuff called Mona Vie. It's a blend of 19 potent berries and fruits. Google it. Try it. Yahoo Question it! LOL! Maybe this globalization we're going through, where we can share knowledge from all over the world in just seconds is just another advancement for mankind to control our own evelution. Kinda scary. You know in the bible where it talks about the Tower of Babylon, something about God scrambling our communication because we were all working together and trying to reach the Heavens.....how long before we try that again? What will God do this time? We are playing God with all these scientific advances in medicine and cloning and stopping death, and stopping life. What God must think of us! Do you think He's mad at us? Do you think He will retaliate? We all know we will never stop ourselves.

Answer 3

Yes, I think so. We can scientifically select desired traits and eliminate negative genetic qualities. I don't think we will ever do this on a wide enough scale to really alter ourselves as a species though. And this still doesn't factor in random mutations and epic events out of our control.

One thing I find interesting about humans is that ecological adaptations are at this point cultural or scientific as opposed to biological. Does scientific progress and cultural accumulation therefore count as evolution?

Answer 4

Messing with the environment as we do, we are probably affecting all evolution. We purposely control some of it in creating domestic breads of animals, (artificial selection.) We easily control our own. African Americans look distinctly different than African Africans; even though, they have the same African origins. The Latino race was created just a few centuries ago by Spanish Conquistadors. Interracial dating continues this kind of evolution.

Answer 5

There are 2 uncomplicated meanings of 'nature'. One is plant life/fauna/fungi, the international etc. the different is a extra precis term for the actual regulations of the universe. We needless to say (from our skill to break it) have dominion over the former. no you may administration the latter. EDIT: No, i've got self belief that we are able to administration 'nature' in case you employ the 1st definition of nature that I gave, the earth, the ecosystems, that form of difficulty. Physicists, although, in many situations use the 2nd definition I gave (the latter) of nature, meaning the required actual regulations of the universe (such because of the fact the dating between the strengths of the 4 necessary forces, gravity, electomagnetic tension and the vulnerable and robust nuclear forces). We needless to say have no administration over those issues, yet they are in many situations used to stipulate 'nature'. i'm hoping this clears issues up.

Answer 6

There's been a suggestion that the "latest" changes were more cultural/social than biological.

The cultural adaption/change of clothing meant humans did not have to change biologically to deal with Ice Ages etc.

Where this puts us as an evolving animal is anyone's guess.

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Answer 7

Mankind can never control evolution, maybe slow down some of the effects of this natural process, but evolution is inevitable.

Answer 8

yes. its what Hitler tried to do and what we know scientifically have much more advanced capabilities of achieving. Its know as eugenics. We can now create babies to our own design, we can abort those who are not to a standard we decide on, stick ears on the backs of mice, make monkeys turn green, cure many fatal illnesses and are searching for cures for many more.
But then you could argue that as soon as mankind moved out of nature and built cities and fortresses against the wild then evolution (survival of the fittest) could no longer work upon us so we have been controlling our own evolution since the founding of such cities as Ur.

Answer 9

Yes. We are already doing it. By advances on medicine we have weakened the species by being able to save individuals who otherwise would not have lived long enough to pass on their genetic code (I myself being one). On the other side we are better able to prevent the birth of individuals who have genetically herited problems. From there it is a short step to being able to control other aspects of our offspring. The movie "Gattaca" gave us a extreme example of that. There is a moral issue on meddling with our own species. However we have controlled evolution of the plants and animals we use for a living for centuries with selective breeding, lately speeding it up with genetic manipulation.

Answer 10

Yes, we can and we do. As a whole, the human race has decided
that it will evolve into fanatical theocrats, because the theocrats
have decided to produce many offspring, and the atheists have
decided to produce comparatively few offspring.