Could Technology Spark Evolution?

Question

Could Technology Spark Evolution?

After hours to the various BBC documentaries about the evolution of our planet and our species I wondered about this.
It has been assumed any further evolution in the human species is probably unlikely. Previous changes in our evolution (ie biological) might have been forced by drastic changes in enviroment. Our enviroment for dated civilizition has been stabble. Could this new world of Technology spark evolution? The changes that caused evolution before was changes in enviroment and the evolution took millions of years. All of our technology has been invented in the last 100 or so years. That to me seems like a very drastic change in a very short time.


Watch a 50-year old try to play with a gameboy,
and watch 7-year old master the computer.
This gap in comprehension is huge in only one generation.

There has been confusion about 'evolution', I am addressing the inherited characteristics that become more a articulated/dominate.

Answer 1

Yes. I have no doubt that technologies affect human evolution. But mainly in the following way..

Medicine technology has prolonged (and will continue to prolong) life expectancies by a lot; giving virtually everyone a chance to pass on their genes to the next generations even if their genes contain traits of congenital defects. Thus in the long run humans will face more varieties of congenital diseases/disorders/disabilities.

But then, most likely humans will solve those congenital problems using technologies. We develop cures/therapies faster than the speed of natural selection. Also, in small steps genetic engineering will improve humans by fixing bad genetic traits.

So, unless we manage to destroy humanity with it, technology will improve humans in our evolution. Longer lives. Better health. And, most likely, smarter, too. Not sure about wiser. But I hope so.

Answer 2

I think it is very possible that technology has already made us evolve into what we are today. Using tools and clothing is technology (albeit primative), and I'm not sure we could survive in nature without those things. That's why we have hands instead of claws. Once our evolutionary predecessors gained the ability to manipulate its surroundings in different ways, it altered the course of our evolution. Mental ability and dexterity became more important than brute stregnth and speed. As technology develops, those things that made us viable in the past may no longer matter. Physical stregnth may further deteriorate. If people shifted more towards cyber-communication, you may see the tools of verbal communication drift away from our genetic blueprints over many, many generations. There will be skills that made people more viable historically which no longer matter, so people who lack those traits by chance will still be able to reproduce, and those traits will begin to fade. For species-wide changes to occur, typically there has to be some kind of catastrophic event that simply wipes out anyone who DOESN't have certain traits. If you study evolution, you'll learn that scientists have acknowledged evolution is not the slow, gradual process many think of it as being, but rather something that happens rather quickly and sporadically following mass extinctions. So 10,000 years from now, there may be all shapes and sizes of people due to lack of environmental pressures. SOme may be very big and fat, some tiny and small. Some brilliant, some completely devoid of thought. Suddenly, an asteroid hits, and we're all struggling for resources sufficient only to support 1% of the world. Who will win? That will determine what the next phase of human evolution will look like... and technology could very well effect that. It may allow for weaker but smarter people to rule over the big strong dummies. But keep in mind that true evolution doesn't happen until some force splits up a species between survivors and losers, and does so based on some trait that distinguishes the two. Then the losing trait disappears and the winning trait multiplies and flourishes.

Answer 3

You are hinting here at the notion of the transhuman or posthuman. Could there be a way in which technology enhances a person to such a degree that the person no longer is a person (e.g., as a cyborg)? The term cyborg itself is a portmanteau made from CYBernetic ORGanism.

The easiest way to answer your question is to refer you to an excellent book on the subject; you should check out Ray Kurzweil's "The Singularity is Near" which illuminates how evolution can be understood as the rate at which information can be transfered or exchanged technologically. If you are not much of a reader, simply look at the graphs (found in Ch2 and 3) of technological advancement as it mixes with biological shifts. It give you a good idea about what you are thinking about.

Answer 4

Life is the greatest technology know to mankind.
Ironiclly, most 'manmade' technology, as much as it give an advantage to humans who use it, technology works against the health & well being of 'life-forms' on the planet. As a species, we have grown & continue to become even more dependant apon our technology. Since when does increased dependancy=evolution?

Answer 5

Evolution has to do with survival and procreation. It has nothing to do with leisure activities.

The things that will affect our evolution are: medical science, diet, environmental damage, etc...