How long will Homo Sapiens last?

[jonatas]

Ok, here's a crazy sci-fi question....

I know there are a few scientists who frequent the forum, and alot of posters with impressive scientific knowledge, so here's my question :

How long will Homo Sapiens last before we are superceded by the next evolutionary phase? How long before we go extinct? Will we be capable of conciously directing and manipulating our own evolution? How and what changes will take place? Are we the last hominid? What will come after us?

 

[Perfection]

Well, I'd say we're probobly not going to create some sort of situation where humans can evolve on thier own more to the point where a different species label would be appropriate. If we choose (which I find highly likely) to try to change ourselves the whole notion of species really becomes an innapropriate artifact of the Linnean Taxonomic system and really would have no societal bearing.

 

[ligertiger]

I'm merely speaking of continuing trends when I ask this question.

Is there a chance that as the West continues to develop and the East continues to catch up, that those who are still left behind will change due to lack of nutrition and development?

Otherwise, I think we'll last at least another century because our population starts declining around 2050.

 

[jonatas]

Well, I'd say we're probobly not going to create some sort of situation where humans can evolve on thier own more to the point where a different species label would be appropriate. If we choose (which I find highly likely) to try to change ourselves the whole notion of species really becomes an innapropriate artifact of the Linnean Taxonomic system and really would have no societal bearing.

good answer ... so the answer to how we would change ourselves would be through technology and therefore limitless? What would be your foreseeable predictions in future changes? How long before we become extinct? or completely unrecognizable because of our *modifications* ?

 

[Perfection]

Well, I figure we'll be pretty much unrecognizable once we start uploading our brains into some giant supercomputer.

 

[Vietcong]

evolution i thinked has slowed down. or for man atleast as ther is less stress on the human body from the enviorment *due to technolaogy, insted of being short and fat forcold places we can be tall and skiny cus we can use a heater and wear warmer clothing like thermal stuff*
so as we evolve slower, our minds may expand, so maby an increase in brain size. allso as the enviorment is deplated, or to make our selfs stronger we may combine our selfs with robotic technology.

 

[Gelion]

You want us to take into account the stats of Earth not just humans?

 

[Bozo Erectus]

How long will Homo Sapiens last?

According to a noted British geneticist (his name escapes me), the human race as we know it has about another 100,000 years. This is due to the ongoing deterioration of the Y chromosome. In other words, the demise of the Y chromosome would mean the end of men - only women would remain. Im sure though that long before that happened our genetic science would find a way around the problem.

edit: btw, almost forgot, the Y chromosome deterioration is happening to all mammals. Its a 'design' flaw in mammals.

 

[Winner]

Well, the natural evolution doesn't apply to humans anymore.

Think about it and you'll see why - the human society doesn't allow its weak members to die because of some serious health problems, which would otherwise kill them, if they were living like our ancestors few thousands years ago. It isn't "only the strongest survive" anymore.

 

[Steph]

That is not completly correct.

When the theory of evolution says only the strong survive, it's on the long term.

It doesn't mean the weak dies immediately. It means the strong will reproduce, while the weak will not reproduce. The strong are more likely to have offsprings, who will idealy combine the strong points of their parents and get rid of their weakness.

So what matter is not "do we allow our weak members to die", but "do we allow them to reproduce".

As long as men will be secude by healthy young beautiful women, and women by by strong handsome man, we can say evolution is still working with the good old fashion.

The question is "Is it still true?" Strength does no longer have the same importance now. Intelligence can also be a criteria. But if the most intelligent people can reproduce, it's not really a problem for the capacity to evolve, although we can change from a "body evolution" to a "mind evolution".

What I find more concerning is the importance of wealth / power (for men) and "theoretical beauty" (for women).

I mean, the fashion is now for skinny women (look at the top models who are supposed to be among the most desirable women). They are not really fit to carry babies...

Women can be attracted to man with wealth / power, who can "protect" them. But can this be transfer to offspring?

As a conclusion, I would say that we are starting to move from reproduction based on physical fitness (strenght, health), to a social fitness. But I'm afraid this could indeed have an effect of the way evolution works for the human specy.

 

[farting bob]

But theres no definite point in which we can say 'its a new species', so you could agrue that we are already advancing past homo sapian and into something else.
Anyway, i think apes will once again take over and humans will die out, except for a few lost astronauts, who accidently crash land on the transformed land and are greated by our hairy cousins (no, not the french, the apes)

 

[Winner]

That is not completly correct.

When the theory of evolution says only the strong survive, it's on the long term.

It doesn't mean the weak dies immediately. It means the strong will reproduce, while the weak will not reproduce. The strong are more likely to have offsprings, who will idealy combine the strong points of their parents and get rid of their weakness.

So what matter is not "do we allow our weak members to die", but "do we allow them to reproduce".

As long as men will be secude by healthy young beautiful women, and women by by strong handsome man, we can say evolution is still working with the good old fashion.

The question is "Is it still true?" Strength does no longer have the same importance now. Intelligence can also be a criteria. But if the most intelligent people can reproduce, it's not really a problem for the capacity to evolve, although we can change from a "body evolution" to a "mind evolution".

What I find more concerning is the importance of wealth / power (for men) and "theoretical beauty" (for women).

I mean, the fashion is now for skinny women (look at the top models who are supposed to be among the most desirable women). They are not really fit to carry babies...

Women can be attracted to man with wealth / power, who can "protect" them. But can this be transfer to offspring?

As a conclusion, I would say that we are starting to move from reproduction based on physical fitness (strenght, health), to a social fitness. But I'm afraid this could indeed have an effect of the way evolution works for the human specy.

That would be true if the intelligent, strong or emphatic (whatever) people had more children than the others. But in fact, the intelligent, successful people tend to have less children than the less intelligent or successful. In fact, we may be evolving, but this evolution leads not to greater intelligence or strenght, it leads to stupidity

 

[ybbor]

But theres no definite point in which we can say 'its a new species'

yes there is. when a homo spaien of today cannot produce feritle offspring with a homo spaian of tommorow

 

[Steph]

That would be true if the intelligent, strong or emphatic (whatever) people had more children than the others. But in fact, the intelligent, successful people tend to have less children than the less intelligent or successful. In fact, we may be evolving, but this evolution leads not to greater intelligence or strenght, it leads to stupidity

That's true. In most animal society, the leader of the pack is the strongest, the healthiest and the cunniest animal of the pack. The leader of the "most advanced" human pack is Bush...

 

[farting bob]

That's true. In most animal society, the leader of the pack is the strongest, the healthiest and the cunniest animal of the pack. The leader of the "most advanced" human pack is Bush...

Well if that is anything to go by, the human race is going down the toilet anytime soon.

 

[Winner]

That's true. In most animal society, the leader of the pack is the strongest, the healthiest and the cunniest animal of the pack. The leader of the "most advanced" human pack is Bush...

Yeah. When I think about it, the robots won't have to come with much of effort to destroy us. We'll be already too stupid, that they will maybe leave as alive as their pets. Especially blondes

 

[Steph]

... Especially blondes

You know... my wife is blonde...

 

[Winner]

You know... my wife is blonde...

You're a lucky man

 

[Steph]

Well if that is anything to go by, the human race is going down the toilet anytime soon.

At least, it gives you a new signature

 

[Longasc]

Happy news for everyone. You will probably be long dead before the end of humankind.