Believers in Evolution, do you think that human control over nature slows the evolutionary process?

Question

What are your thoughts? The human has been able to control many aspects of the nature. He has controlled many diseases and found many cures for different diseases. Do you think this limits or slows the evolutionary process? or more than that it will stop it and the human will not be able to evolve anymore to a better species?

Will this at one age cause our extinction and the evolution of a better animal or other species that can control us?

Just a thought!

Mammon, this is not your forum either, the best you can do bogart is to report it.

Mammon, I will just ignore you. I gave you thumbs up for your effort you made to write such impolite answer. But really your rudness is unmatched.

Toadaly, I agree with you. But don't you think we are slowing this process?

3 and others who don't like my answer to be posted here. Nobody pushed you to answer it. You can just ignore it. I posted it in this section because there are many people here that believe yes believe in it. (3 tell me another word to use iinstead of believe)

mammon, did anybody slap you while walking on the street? and you are coming here to take all your stress. Just bug of.

3 thanks for your respectable answer!

Answer 1

wow... some of these answers... are... well... typical of R&S I guess.

Humans have an impact on themselves and their environment. they can affect many other animals (artificial selection) and their own survival like no other animals can.

One could say that humans have a impact on evolution, but this is not really true in a general sense. we can make a change in the way/rate animals or ourselves evolve but that's just another form of evolution.

those that say we don't affect anything forget that humans can willfully go and take another animal to the verge of extinction (and beyond)... to say that has no effect on the evolution of that animal is nonsense.

for humans modern medicine has the impact that we could prevent things that would drastically affect our evolution (elimination of the plague for example). these kinds of things will never stop evolution but they call alter it. one aspect may be slowed or stopped... but overall evolution still happens, it just maybe slightly altered.

Answer 2

It is what it is - if humans have evolved to the point that we can extend our lives more and control disease, then that is all part of evolution. However, I don't see how we can truly evolve as a species any further considering how large the gene pool is.

Evolution happens over long periods where mutations have a chance to propagate, and with so many genes in the pool, any mutations that are beneficial will not have a significant impact on the population as a whole.

Answer 3

I think humans have accelerated evolution for other species because they have made there world a much harsher place to live. The species that manage to survive a human dominated Earth are much more evolved than animals from prehuman times. As for evolution in humans has stopped, I would have to say yes, but humans use intelligence to improve our species rather than evolution. Here is an example instead of evolving better immune systems we developed medicines to help fight off diseases.

Answer 4

The process of evolution cannot be changed by humans. That's like saying we can change the laws of physics. Evolution includes the introduction of language, culture, technology, and even our ability to alter our DNA and destroy the planet. "Altering" evolution implies that there is some true path or destiny that humanity is heading towards. There's no guarantee that the choices we as a species are making aren't steps backwards. Life is what it is. For whatever reason, life will not be impeded by ice ages, mass extinctions, comets, or our own inability to create equilibrium. Life will continue with or without us.

Answer 5

It would actually tend to accelerate it - quite dramatically, actually.
Because we have such an impact on the environment, we are rapidly changing the conditions under which most species on earth live. Natural selection works by weeding out species and individuals which are not adapted to changing conditions. By making those conditions change more drastically, we are accelerating that process.

The appearance of strong viruses capable of resisting antibiotics, for example, is only a relatively recent phenomenon. In evolutionary terms, the rate of their transformation is phenomenal.

Answer 6

Human evolution is stalled out because we keep every baby even though nature wouldn't support them all. Ever wonder why creatures look so strange when they are advanced? All the offspring are allowed to live and breed back in. That means stupid breeds withstupid, ugly might breed with pretty. Would you really want to raise your ugly baby when you could raise someone's pretty one? Would a person withlow IQ really want more of himself running around or would he like a smarter baby? Its all about choosing better but all we see are trash marrying trash bumping out babies and farmingem out for welfare. If we could have rules for procreation we would see humans jump back on the evolutionary train because we could selectively breed ourselves better.

Answer 7

Evolution has not slowed down. Humans are already showing signs of genetic drift in areas that used to be key to survival, and adaptations in other areas important to reproductive advantage in more modern lifestyles - such as an imunity to a high fat diet in Italy.

Answer 8

Evolution isn't about belief. It has nothing to do with religion. Its a scientifically confirmed fact.

Your question should be directed to the biology section.

The answer is: Yes, we are slowing evolution. This is occurring multiple ways. Instead of allowing the sick or diseased to die, we keep them alive, often long enough to reproduce. Rather than let stupid people kill themselves, we make everything as fluffy and sheltered as possible. Rather than keep to a particular niche, we are reproducing with people from all over the world - making one huge melting pot. The consequences of all these things are yet to be known...

EDIT: I guess "believe" is technically correct. Just as some people (still!) believe the world is flat, but most of us believe it is spherical, despite not having been in space and observing it for ourselves. The combination of the word "believe" along with posting this in the religion section left a bad taste in my mouth.

Answer 9

speeds up obviously, and what do you mean "believers in evolution" evolution is science fact, and anyone who disagrees is an idiot, but intitle to their own opinion, just as long as they know they are wrong.

no i think we're gonna screw up the genes so much we will be creating a new species every day, splicing them with everything, creating new species of plants and animals, massive tomatoes the sizes of our heads and tigers with human qualities and massive fog legs, eventually we'll be killed off, or become spliced with too many other animals the original human will become extinct and they'll be a new super race of half animal half human super beings, man the future is gonna be AWSOME

Answer 10

I was speaking about this in a round a bout way to my mum earlier
we were speaking about my sister who has the flu ... and off she goes to the doctors for some anti biotics
I was telling mum that I never use them , that is why we have honey and mustard and fruit etc
using anti biotics is reducing our immune system , and eventually we will be killed off by the common cold or something equally as common

we are trying to prevent things , before we become used to them
our bodies are so sensative now , we have allergies to all sorts
yes we are our own worst enemy