why humans dont evolve

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It's all about procreation. The characteristics that people have now will continue to be passed on. Regardless of a person's height, weight, attractiveness or intelligence, they'll find a compatible mate. As for environmental selection, it's not really a factor anymore. Unless some major catastrophe comes along and kills everyone on the planet except those in an area such as, say, China. In that case, all future humans will be Asian. But that probably won't happen. The most likely scenarios facing us are things like global warming, pandemics, famines, drought and maybe asteroid strikes, but these events will most likely be non-selective.

 

But evolution does go on, since the 1920's people are on average about a foot taller (Ever go into a victorian era building that hasn't been rehabbed and wonder why the doorway's are so much lower? I do, but I'm 6'5" so maybe I just notice more)

And it's a slow process which takes thousands, if not ten's of thousands of years so just because your Great-great Grandfather didn't have gills is no reason to wonder why you dont have them yet.

And kid's do get born with tails still, cutting them off at birth does not shut down the gene that put it there no prevent them from reproducing.

 

You don't seem to have any understanding of genetics at all.

 

About a year ago I was going to sprout wings, but I was afraid my friends wouldn't like me. So I didn't =(

 

Evidence of current human evolution would not be overtly apparent as changes occur over a geologic time scale. At the same time, no evolutionary advantage has ever been forgotten as a facsimile is restated time and again in the development of egg to adult. Human beings have not in fact fallen off of the evolutionary wagon.

 

im not even sure how to respond to something so dumb.

 

We as a race are evolving all the time. But as the process of natural selection has been erased - the evolution theory has become diluted.

By allowing the weak to survive - we are weakening ourselves.

 

how so? plz explain

 

Well, warning labels on everything from cigarettes, disposable lighters, plastic shopping bag's and paint buckets warning of choking, suffocation hazards or simply empaticly warning you to ensure the lighter is extinguished before putting it back in your pocket are a very few of the many examples which come to mind. I mean If you really need to be told that wrapping a plastic bag around your head may lead to suffocation and death, should you really be told? Do we next need to mark all kitchen appliances with "Warning, may be hot or potentially sharp and pointy!!"

:cheers2:

And while it may be a hairy subject to bring up, but have you noticed how breeding in our society occours? Many long-term couples who reproduce are joined for reasons of co-dependancy or fragile ego's if not simply unplanned pregnancy rather than the historical reasons of perceived health, sex appeal, intellectual capacity and ability to provide for a family.
Not to say these are no longer reasons involved, but not as much the norm as it once was.

 

You're dumb.

 

humans are always evolving but i believe that humans aren't under the control of natural selection as much as other organisms. but we still are. viruses, bacteria, and extreme weather or astronomical events are all part of nature, and we have to co evolve with all of that. but natural selection works "faster" on a deer or squirrel

 

With new technology, medicine, and other non-natural properties keeping humans alive which would not normally survive in the natural world.

Simple enough really. Natural selection - the fittest and strongest survive. If you keep the weak alive... this process no longer occurs.

There are many people in this world that are totally Dependant on these new advances - by keeping them alive their genes are kept in the gene pool. Spreading their disadvantages. If you cant understand that - then YOU are dumb.

 

We're not really destroying our gene pool. Sure some people from birth have depended on modern medicine to stay alive, but they're a fraction of the general population. Most medicine/technology goes to helping people in mid age who come down with things to survive, these people had already long had children.

And evolution takes hundreds of thousands of years. In the past 200,000 we've evolved slightly to fit our environment more, i.e. the differences in how Europeans, Africans, Asians, ect look.

As for getting taller, that may be part evolution, but a good deal of it has had to do with much better constant nutrition both in utero and in life. We haven't gone up a foot though since the victorian times, we've gone a few inches. In ancient Rome the average height for males was about 5'6", now it's between 5'10"-6ft(I believe the Dutch are currently the tallest at near 6'1" average) in the western world.

 

perhaps i didnt think this through as much as i could have, i tend to post when the idea hits me, but i do in fact, understand genetics. i havent studyed them in depth, but i have a fair idea relevent enough to this to understand what im talking about.


now that iv slept on it and seen some responses, ill say it like this:

1: i mean more drastic physical changes and would make us into more of a different species, to where we might grow scales and tails and become lizard like or something. i understand that we grow taller and tallers than our previous generations, but i want to talk about tails and wings and things like that

2: some one said something about surgery to remove things like tails. well, thats true, but alot of people who get these abnormalities are in poorer reigns where they cant get it removed, and laws of society put up some barriers to try to stop that person from passing genes, not that it works entirely. sure some people might not mind it, and his genes will pass, but its pretty hard wired that that is not normal and therefore that person isnt a desirable mate. though of corse, if the gene is already there, i supose it has a decent chance of staying.

of corse, people are working on genetic perfection, scientists are trying to find ways to change genes before birth and make "perfect" humans. if this happens, and if social laws continue as we have them today, then the human as we know it today, with our "faults" may die off in time, and that would probley end human evolution for good. (this all assuming genetic perfection can be created of corse)


~~~~~~~~~~~~~
With new technology, medicine, and other non-natural properties keeping humans alive which would not normally survive in the natural world.

Simple enough really. Natural selection - the fittest and strongest survive. If you keep the weak alive... this process no longer occurs.

There are many people in this world that are totally Dependant on these new advances - by keeping them alive their genes are kept in the gene pool. Spreading their disadvantages. If you cant understand that
-Luketrials
~~~~~~~~~~~

this was something i meant to add, though i think you explained it better than i would have at the time that i made this thread. but this goes hand in hand with what im saying

people are hard wired to want what they consider normal, and so fewer traits will pass through. and with science going as it is, these abnormalities will be fewer and fewer, slowing evolution in humans down dramaticly.



in nature, traits are not considered normal or not normal. traits pass if an animal can pass it based on them living and being able to successfully mate. if an animal that normaly doesnt have a tail was born with a small tail, and it didnt effect the animals balance or other aspects of its life in a negitive way, or it was infact a positive thing, then this trait would probly carey on, and develop till the tail became a problem with length and stop at that if it was so big a problem.


humans dont do this any more.

 

My reply is strictly based on theory but.....

I think the fact that the humans spiecies adapts the enviroment to fit there needs greatly slows down the ability for them to evolve. I also think that the use of all this new technology is making people stupid... example people that have GPS's dont really know where they are or where they're going. ive heard stories of people driving off cliffs because of a GPS.

Maybe thats our way of evolution though... we keep making technology so we dont have to think. I believe this is a bad thing though because soon we wont be able to think for ourselves or have any problem solving skills. There will be stupid people who rely on the technology and the smart people that create the technology controling everything.....

anythoughts?

 

evolution is happening.
and the way i see it is, evolution is just time. everything changes.
I think the monamorous marriage thing people have in their heads hinders genetic evolution.
and i think in the future instead of being on the negative side of "artificial selection", we'd take sides with it. well i guess you can just call that open-minded

 

Populations tend to evolve quicker when the species is under stress.
Humans are populating and living longer than ever, plus the human invention of altruism has greatly contributed to the slow pace of our evolution.
Plus phenotypes like tails aren't really adaptations they're just remnants of our tail-possessing ancestors (gill slits) that were not fully gone at birth.

Plus why do you say human aren't evolving?
Sickle-Cell anemia is a recent evolutionary adaptation that Africans have developed to be non-susceptible to malaria.
Red hair, albinism, trisomy 21, are all mutations that are still found all the time.

Plus the general scientific consensus is human evolution has greatly increased in the past 40,000 years.

 

:cheers2:

 

Genetically-defected people in poorer countries are usually seen as blessings, reincarnated gods, and other crazy things.

Plus how the fuck are we going to grow scales and wings? You need to watch less cartoons buddy. Flying requires hollow bones, caloric metabolic processes, predation style, weight management, digestive enzymes, internal organs, physical organs (claws??? better eye sight???), changes in homeostatic temperature maintanence (down feathers vs. fur) and a billion other things. How do you expect a system so devoted to "humanism" could suddenly turn to something so different?

You lack sense.