Ev-Ol-Ut-Ion

[used:)]

This is about the long debated topic of evolution. This will not be just about the truth of it, but about what we might evolve into. Personally I believe we will into fat, sun blistered, ocean dwellers.

[Cyber-Slig]

Evolution isn't like that. If there's a body part a creature never uses (e.g. Our small toe), it shrinks and vanishes. If there's a body part a creature needs, it will eventually grow. If there's a body-part a creature uses allot, it will become bigger or stronger.

Personally, in the future, I think we're going to be a race that can breathe under-water, has only 8 fingers and 8 toes and very good eye-sight.

[CheeseOfGlory]

Hmm, what you just described sounds a lot more like lamarckism than the current theory of evolution, but I guess that's about right.

But personally I don't think the human race is going to evolve much more beyond what we currently are, we don't really have any of that necessary environmental pressure or geographical isolation for it to happen. If anything, we will all become a crazy homogenous (sp?) mixture of all sorts of races.

(isn't it ironic that the biggest population of people with the genes for more than 5 fingers on a hand are the ones that pretty much reject technology?)

evilution!

[Al the Vykker]

I just dont see evolution occuring with where we are headed at this point in time. It seems since humans have evolved to this point and civilization has "progressed" so to speak we have in a sense come to a stand still with evolution. We manipulate and control our environment to our own desires. Unless something drastic were to happen to force us in a situation(s) to once again live using survival skills, and the human race to once again require change and adaptations, we will be stuck in this point of evolutionary standstill for many generations to come.

[MojoMan220]

Personally, in the future, I think we're going to be a race that can breathe under-water, has only 8 fingers and 8 toes and very good eye-sight.

People use there pinky fingers for all sorts of things, whether it be playing an instrument, lifting things, etc. We use our pinky toes for balance I believe, so I doubt that we'd lose them.

The way things are looking in the world today, it doesn't look like we'll get the chance to evolve.

[Cyber-Slig]

People use there pinky fingers for all sorts of things, whether it be playing an instrument, lifting things, etc. We use our pinky toes for balance I believe, so I doubt that we'd lose them.

The way things are looking in the world today, it doesn't look like we'll get the chance to evolve.

Not quite, the pinky finger and toe are so small because we barely use them. Back about the start of man, the fingers and toes would all be the same size.

[Shrink]

It was recently discovered that in certain groups of humans, that the brain had evolved a couple of extra genes as of 5 thousand + years ago. They're not sure what purpose they have yet - ideas range from making us more intelligent to making us more dumb. Who knows what would be better for survival?
Nevertheless, this quenches the idea that humans stopped evolving millions of years ago, as previously thought.

As for the future: Well, it entirely depends on how our environment changes.
For example, if it becomes excrutiatingly hot out of doors, due to global warming, getting closer to the sun, or the ozone layer wearing away into nothing, and if we cannot at that time move to another planet, we will inevitably have to live in doors or underground, with zero exposure to sunlight.
This will increase the size of our eyes and our pupils, to make them able to see easier in the dark. Our skin will lose much pigmentation, become more translucent or simpler paler than the palest caucasian. We may become smaller in size, to accomodate being underground with close ceilings.
(In case anyone missed the reference, I just described how we could become those 'little grey men' traditional aliens, that some people believe are us, many millions of years in the future, travelling back in the time.)
Or, something else entirely may happen.

[used:)]

it would be cool if we juyst strated the evolution process all over again into small little things with underdveloped brains because we have had it easy for so long and evolved building off our cities from aeons ago. Kind of like in Time Machine. Just a thought.

[Incognito]

I really doubt that we ever will evolve again as we'll probably destroy each other before that's possible, either that or we'll destroy our planet before we're able to colonise anywhere else.

If by some miracle we actually don't destroy ourselves and the earth, then I could see humanity evolving into two separate species (or sub-species). With the technology developing I could see designer babies becoming a really big thing for those who can afford it; so the rich become stronger, smarter, healthier and resistance to disease, with the brain capacity of Einstein and the looks of Angelina Jolie or Kate Moss. As time goes on they become more and more different from the poorer society. One will probably destroy the other. Survival of the fittest.