So what else could evolution do for us?

Do We Need to Evolve Any Further?

Does a tool making creature such as ourselves need to further evolve physiologically? Our adaptive abilities include inventiveness to deal with necessity. If I need to be warm then there are many ways I can do this and survive without evolving a fur coat. So in essence what I'm asking is: if we can artificially produce adaptive measures and processes to survive then are we effectively going to slow down the physical evolution of our species?

Have we reached a pinnacle of physical change? Are we more likely to have our appearance change subtly in the upcoming centuries or can we expect evolution to drastically alter our form? Since we don't need to evolve certain physical traits for some conditions then is it forseeable that our physiology will stagnate? Or are there physiological changes necessary for even a successfully adaptive creature to survive?

What kind of adaptive change do you think would benefit us in the future? Eyesight? Smell? or an extra pair of hands?

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Wings.

 

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I imagine that the next cool stage in our evolution will be when people want to experience new sensations, say with antennae, at first these will be mechanical plugins. They'll be cool - like tattoos. Someone will make them biological implants - which will work better. Eventually people will think their children need these too. Then genetically code for them and wa la evolution.

 

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didn't dolphins get some swimming adapations? sonar, fins and such. they are just waiting for gills at the moment. join the queue i would say. I want them too. and i am first.

 

so can scientists predict when dolphins and whales will get gills or is biology one of those inexact sciences like social sciecnes?

 

ask not what evolution can do for you but what you can do for evolution

we define the algorithm
we direct evolution

 

May be we could develop a new mental defense mechanism against the fear of death. So that we would perceive concepts like mortality, creator, freedom or eternity in a different way. :xctd: By a different way, I mean, may be we could cope with them better in the far far future, if we still exist though. I personally believe, the idea of god is something evolved between our primal fears and need of staying sane. So in my imagination, the future might be free of any kind of religion. He he,

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Wouldn't that be fine? Children would be studying religion as we study some ancient ones today. What an utopia. I wish we would lessen the need of sleep first.

Wings are a good idea. In one of Le Guin's books, there was a race like that. I think it was in "Changing Planes". But there was complications in the society as one of the races couldn't fly.

 

I once came across a reference to something called intelligence.
Do you think it's useful or that we'll ever get it?

 

Do you think people will evolve away from believing there's a "pinnacle" to evolution?

 

I think our thumbs will get longer and our ability to stretch our fingers wider will be next. What with keyboarding and texting, the speed of which you can do it will become desirable attributes. Big hands are gonna be the new sexy feature and its what us women will desire in a mate.

 

Maybe evolution could make us more resistant to cold.

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http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn17176-wolf-man-condition-down-to-huge-dna-malfunction.html

 

i think we will all get hypermetabolisms because only those people will be able to survive the enriched fat/sugar diet we are currently enjoying.

 

They will never get gills.

 

Not with attitudes like that, they won't.

Anyway: have we as a species "given up"? Are our allele frequencies just floating around under near 100% drift, <deleted> us over constantly? My suspicion is yes. If so, what should we be doing about it? Massive, widespread gene therapy and replacement? Works for me. Oh, and someone will now mention ethics. Well, <deleted> ethics.

"Hey, do you like apples? You like apples? Well, I just wiped out leukemia. What do you think of them apples?"