Future humans?

[Sean K]

Are we going to evolve further, or is this it?

Do we get thinner with bigger heads and brains like ET?

Or, become Jabba-the-Hut type sloths with Carrie Fisher like slaves on a chain?

Will we be flying about in personal motion machines, or being beamed about by a Scotty on the bridge?

What might we see in our life time?

Computer chips in the head replacing mobile phones and computers?

Anyone been considering what the human might look like down the track?

Anyone have a very long term vision of where we are going?

 

[Mr J]

Genetic modification, biological implants etc. I think natural evolution will be completely insignficant compared to artificial evolution. I expect significant medical advances to be made over the next 50 years, so most of us will probably be around to experience it. I think that if I live for another 30 years, there's a good chance I'll live for another 100+.

 

[Sean K]

there's a good chance I'll live for another 100+.

Yes, good chance this will occur. Anyone born about now will live MUCH longer. People might be working till 80 or so..

 

[Solly]

Evolutionary theorist Oliver Curry of the London School of Economics expects a genetic upper class and a dim-witted underclass to emerge.

The human race would peak in the year 3000, he said - before a decline due to dependence on technology.

Read this sometime ago on the BBC

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/6057734.stm

 

[Mr J]

If cells can be fully regenerated, then age becomes irrelevant. It's definitely an interesting point in human history, and some of us may (likely?) end up becoming the first with extreme lifespans. I imagine the only real barrier is whether the world remains reasonably stable.

As for work, what will there be for us to do? Many of the services can be automated, and probably will be during our life time. So far, our advances have lead to new occupations, but I can imagine almost every role being filled by computers and robots.

 

[overit]

No longer is it only the strong that survive thus aiding evolution. The emergence of socialist mentalities and heavy reliance on technology seem to be propagating the soft underbelly of our society and creating an inferior artificial type of evolution which should conditions change we will be in for a rude shock. Physically we seem to be losing the plot and mentally we no longer need to think. The movie idiocracy is not far off the mark.

 

[Mr J]

Physically we seem to be losing the plot and mentally we no longer need to think.

I'm sure technology will change how we stay in shape, and mentally I doubt we're any different the previous generations in recent human history. People like to suggest humanity is becoming more stupid, more immoral etc, but it is not true.

 

[Riddick]

No longer is it only the strong that survive thus aiding evolution. The emergence of socialist mentalities and heavy reliance on technology seem to be propagating the soft underbelly of our society and creating an inferior artificial type of evolution which should conditions change we will be in for a rude shock. Physically we seem to be losing the plot and mentally we no longer need to think. The movie idiocracy is not far off the mark.

Totally right there and many influential people over the last century have come to this conclusion. Churchil and roosevelt we both fans of eugenics - essentially concerned about the apparent social pattern where the "less intelligent - as measured by IQ" and less financially able were given to having the largest amount of children. essentially that "only stupid people were breeding"
the pattern esentially follows that the gene pool becomes diluted and degenerated as a result of this.

another interesting point to note are the writings of thomas malthus of 120 years ago, where he asserts that the health and financial issues that severely affect the lower classes are essentially natural phenomena whose primary function is to limit out of control population growth. ie that the poor and less physically capable die off as a natural tonic to overcrowding and associated social ills.

anecdotal evidence would even indicate this pattern of unchecked breeding is currently happening in australia. the bogan oops baby bonus can be cited, where the vast bulk of new births are from the less educated and lower socioeconomic classes.

just my thoughts

 

[Tysonboss1]

Are we going to evolve further, or is this it?

I think the human race is going to go backwards.

When it comes to humans it is no longer survival of the fittest, We let people born with all sorts of genetic problems live and breed, where in the past these "weaker" gene holders would have died and not bred.

Babies born with all sorts of genetic faults like holes in their hearts, Guts on the outside of skin, digestive system not linked to anus, one leg shorter than the other, etc etc.

These people get treated and live normal lives now, which is great. How ever the natural process of survival of the fittest no longer lets these weaker genes die out.

There are a lot of people out there breeding who if they were dogs the breeders association would not allow to breed.

in 100 generations, the human race will be full of genetic problems

 

[ThingyMajiggy]

Yes, good chance this will occur. Anyone born about now will live MUCH longer. People might be working till 80 or so..

People can work till they are "80 or so" now, if you look after yourself, there is nothing stopping you. My grandfather was still working at 88, he is 91 now and thought it was time to retire

The human race would peak in the year 3000, he said - before a decline due to dependence on technology.

Decline due to technology? Ha, good one. Like that isn't already here, Australia and America are all fat arses who sit around watching TV and going on facebook as it is, we have already declined because of technology. If we were active and looked after ourselves, we could do the above, and work till 80.

Humans themselves will never change, never have up till now, never will. Only technology will, things that things less hard.

 

[Calliope]

Two extremes;

 

[RamonR]

Genetic modification, biological implants etc. I think natural evolution will be completely insignficant compared to artificial evolution. I expect significant medical advances to be made over the next 50 years, so most of us will probably be around to experience it. I think that if I live for another 30 years, there's a good chance I'll live for another 100+.

I agree, although it will probably be important to be under 65 or so when these treatments start to come on line.

Also they are going to be very expensive.
So important to get shares in the companies that offer these treatments.

 

[trainspotter]

Totally could be Jabba the Hut if I had Carrie Fisher as my personal slave on a chain.

 

[overit]

There seems to be an inverse relationship between technology advancing and the human species advancing! Our heavy reliance on technology worries me!

 

[springhill]

Or, become Jabba-the-Hut type sloths

What do you mean become? Walk down any street in the western world, or KFC store, they will be there ordering a bucket of grease with a diet coke

 

[Riddick]

Humans themselves will never change, never have up till now, never will. Only technology will, things that things less hard.

Are you serious? Have you not heard of E V O L U T I O N?

Homo spaiens as a distinc species has only been in existence for about the last 100 000 years. we didn't magically appear. we evolved from other bipedal hominids through natural selection. this process of change is still happening to the present day, most recently exemplified by the separation in to distinctly racial groups after the last ice age. racial traits, although themselves not indications of speciation - the process of creating new species from parent populations - are direct evidence of natural selection. The point that racial traits are one of the last additions to homosapiens gene pool highights this process of change.

Whilst all races still fit under the homo spaiens banner, the diversification within the species is a direct indicator of the early stages of speciation.

So - people are always changing and wil continue to do so. the very act of breeding changes the gene pool and the species.

However without the prerequisite conditions for speciation homo sapiens will not splinter into populations of genetically divergent bipedal hominids.

 

[trainspotter]

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=why-are-we-getting-taller

Hmmmmmmmmmm ... interesting reading there!

 

[joslad]

I think the human race is going to go backwards.

When it comes to humans it is no longer survival of the fittest, We let people born with all sorts of genetic problems live and breed, where in the past these "weaker" gene holders would have died and not bred.

Babies born with all sorts of genetic faults like holes in their hearts, Guts on the outside of skin, digestive system not linked to anus, one leg shorter than the other, etc etc.

These people get treated and live normal lives now, which is great. How ever the natural process of survival of the fittest no longer lets these weaker genes die out.

There are a lot of people out there breeding who if they were dogs the breeders association would not allow to breed.

in 100 generations, the human race will be full of genetic problems

Totally agree and was about to say something along the same lines. Thankfully Tyson got in first and said it much better ...

 

[ThingyMajiggy]

Are you serious? Have you not heard of E V O L U T I O N?

Homo spaiens as a distinc species has only been in existence for about the last 100 000 years. we didn't magically appear. we evolved from other bipedal hominids through natural selection. this process of change is still happening to the present day, most recently exemplified by the separation in to distinctly racial groups after the last ice age. racial traits, although themselves not indications of speciation - the process of creating new species from parent populations - are direct evidence of natural selection. The point that racial traits are one of the last additions to homosapiens gene pool highights this process of change.

Whilst all races still fit under the homo spaiens banner, the diversification within the species is a direct indicator of the early stages of speciation.

So - people are always changing and wil continue to do so. the very act of breeding changes the gene pool and the species.

However without the prerequisite conditions for speciation homo sapiens will not splinter into populations of genetically divergent bipedal hominids.

Right. Good luck with that. might want to repeat that in english, I'm just a normal human, and you people think we're the crazy ones

 

[Nyden]

Right. Good luck with that. might want to repeat that in english, I'm just a normal human, and you people think we're the crazy ones

I understood it quite well. It really is fact what he stated, not opinion.

The onus is on you to try to learn what's being explained Sam, as there's already enough dumbing down in the media. We don't need it here as well