Do you think Humans are the ultimate product of evolution on this planet?

Question

If we are not? What will happen to us and what will replace us?

If so - will we evolve further?

Maybe our future evolution will be more technology driven - which is evolving quicker than our biology??

Answer 1

There is a tendency among some to be a little too humble about our place in the world. I believe this is because they don't want to seem anthropocentric. But I think, in all fairness, that we would be considered the most highly evolved species on the planet. We are certainly not an "inferior" species. Our bias toward intelligence is not trivial or self-adoring. The superior traits of many other species, such as speed, durability, reproductive success, etc., are characteristics of life forms which remain powerless subjects of their environment. We are the only species with the ability to save or destroy the planet. We can cure diseases, evacuate disaster areas, explore other worlds, record history, and consciously apply all the forces of nature to our advantage. No other species can come close to doing any of these things. From a cosmic perspective, the evolution which made these abilities possible must be considered highly significant.

What will follow us? Great question. If we don't destroy our civilization, technology could possibly stall our evolution. Selective pressures would be relatively non-existent. But it is possible that we might evolve into a more advanced species with time. What kind of species that will be, is hard to tell, but I believe they will almost certainly be our descendants, rather than those of some other current species.

If we destroy the world to the point where higher life forms become extinct, or if there is a global catastrophe like a large meteorite or comet hitting us, there's no telling who will survive and what their potential for evolution will be. Some taxa have the ability to evolve more than others. Because of their structure, insects, for example, will probably never be anything more than bugs.

Answer 2

Evolution is a continuous process. It never ends. What we call Humans now may not be what this words describes in the distant future; ie. the species Homo Sapiens Sapiens. Many theories exist as to what happen to us and what will replace us. However you should not think you'll wake up tomorrow and find people with three eyes or what...Evolution is continuous but if it takes place it will do so over a long period of time such that we may not really notice the changes or we may no longer be there to notice them...Some say our thumbs will increase in size along with the first opposable finger on each hand so we can grasp things or use our 'mobile phone' technology better. Other theories point out muscular atrophy or shrinkage because we may no longer have to move as much in the future- the workplace or toilet will come to us instead of us having to walk to go there.

Answer 3

No this is one of the major misconceptions of evolution, humans are not the apex of evolution, we are well adapted to our habitat but not others. This line is getting blurred due to major advances in technology making it possible for us to live almost anywhere, but by ourselves we could only survive for extended periods of time in a particular range of terrestrial habitat.
I know this is a silly example but imagine for a moment a human and a fish swapped habitats, neither of us could survive for long because we are not adapted to live in the other habitat. Humans do not have enough osmotic regulation, we are not efficient swimmers, we could not catch prey easily, the list goes on. The fish would obviously die without water.

The question of whither humans are evolving currently is a matter of contention, humans can not stop evolution so I do believe we are evolving but on a very small scale. modern technology has largely put an end to natural selection in humans. Now people with serious illnesses can be cured and have just as much of a chance to pass along their genes through reproduction, something that was not possible just a few hundred years ago. So that being said humans are so well adapted and so inventive that we probably not be replaced barring some massive catastrophe.

Answer 4

It depends on how you define the ultimate product...

We are certainly the most advanced. We are not the most adapted to our environment (we instead adapt the environment to us) or the most unique.

And yes, we are still evolving. We're getting larger (could be in part due to diet), smarter (one would hope), losing body hair, trending away from wisdom teeth, the appendix is still there but doesn't seem to do anything at this point, etc...

Evolution is not a myth. Natural selection is an observable phenomenon with observable results. You can attribute this to the design of a creator if you like (just replace natural selection with intelligent design), but to deny evolution exists is to deny reality. Species can and do change over time.

Answer 5

I do not think we are the ultimate product of evolution on this planet....I mean...we are such an inferior species! Honey, this planet was around with other species (cockroaches, turtles, etc...) for millions of years..when we kill ourselves off, there will be plenty of fauna and flora to replace us.
Now, if we will evolve further...now thats a question! Now we have proof that we have evolved into what you see today...it would take a really really long time to see not if we evolve but how and what we will evolve too...thats if we dont kill ourselves off.

Answer 6

If you consider the ability of over-populating the world to the point where human survival becomes impossible, then, yes, humans are currently the most successful species.

Arrogant humans like to think of their intelligence as the epitome of evolution, but that so-called intelligence is not being used to stop the thing that is going to destroy humanity - uncontrolled over-breeding.

Significant evolutionary change occurs over 100s of thousands of years or more. Over-population and accompanying war will wipe us out before much change can happen.

Answer 7

Our scientist say that we are the ultimate product of evolution, but you have to wonder what every other creature on this planet thinks of us!!!

Answer 8

No, because I think Evolution is an illusion created by the assumption that the cosmos is an absolute (the central tenet of modern science).