Human species may split in two

[Brian Ellis]

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

I'm not sure that the split has not already started!!!

[Dr Mordrid]

Eloi & Morlocks no doubt

[DukeP]

I cant help but to shake my head over an article like that.

Either the writer knows a lot about an area of evolutionary biology that I have yet to discover (possibly) or he is comletely ignorant about HW equilibration etc.

Anyhow - predicting 100.000 years into the furture is a tall order for anyone.

I am much more concerned about the social evolution.

That can, after all, happen within our lifetime.

~~DukeP~~

[Brian Ellis]

Actually, mentally it has already happened. Total incomprehensibility between the male and the female of the species!

Anyway, it is largely academic, as there is a goodish chance that if climate change does not fry us completely, a major nuclear power will do it for us, to complete the job within the century! Homo sapiens is not as sapiens as is widely believed and may not survive for any long-term study to be viable.

[Lizzard[MPE]]

ridiculous

[Strahd]

ridiculous

And rather humourous too.


The descendants of the genetic upper class would be tall, slim, healthy, attractive, intelligent, and creative and a far cry from the "underclass" humans who would have evolved into dim-witted, ugly, squat goblin-like creatures.

[Tjalfe]

I guess at 6'8", I am already evolved into the super class?

[Fat Tone]

Reading that article it sounded like it was going to turn in to a joke.

The last line said it all.

[GT98]

This ranks right up there with blondes dying out...

[Gurm]

It's interesting to read, but it's better to read the "predictions" from 100 years ago about what life would be like in the year 2000.

Point in fact is, idiots like this have no idea where technology is going. 100 years ago nobody could have conceived of the level of telecommunication we now have. Hell, in the 60's nobody could have conceived of it! In the 70's, nobody had conceived of miniaturization of technology. In the 80's... do you see where this is going?

We have NO IDEA what the "next step" is in technology, or what the next "big advancement" will be that radically changes society.

People are ALREADY choosier about their sexual partners. Sure, there's a lot of indiscriminate inbreeding going on in Louisiana, but around here people are pretty damn picky.

Our evolution has already begun. A couple hundred years ago, people were 5" tall at the outside. Look at suits of armor in a museum sometime, and you'll realize that fearsome knights were under 5 feet tall. I'm the shortest one of my brothers (curse my chain-smoking mother!) and I'm 5'11". The pediatrician predicts that both my kids will be 6'5" or taller. EVERYONE will be, pretty soon.

So these articles are humorous, but sadly misinformed. Someone gave that retard a doctorate, though.

[Nowhere]

Oh my, if I'm correctly translating this to SI, I'm also 5'11" (=180cm?). But new generations beeing higher has more to do with enviroment/nutricion, I believe.

And anyway, no point in prediction (especially such silly ones...), after the invention of first superinteligent "machine" all bets are off

[Technoid]

Our evolution has already begun. A couple hundred years ago, people were 5" tall at the outside. Look at suits of armor in a museum sometime, and you'll realize that fearsome knights were under 5 feet tall. I'm the shortest one of my brothers (curse my chain-smoking mother!) and I'm 5'11". The pediatrician predicts that both my kids will be 6'5" or taller. EVERYONE will be, pretty soon.

So these articles are humorous, but sadly misinformed. Someone gave that retard a doctorate, though.

Sorry Gurm but the "Humans have evolved since we are taller than our grandfathers" theory has been debunked quite throughly

50 000 years ago, the average height of humans was 175cm

Vikings averaged 174-176

Today we averages 169-182 according to wikipedia

It all depends on heredity and nutritional and a bit of environment thrown in

[KRSESQ]

It won't be too much longer and we'll be controlling our own evolution with genetic manipulation. I wouldn't mind having a few 'tweeks' myself (better night vision, better memory, longer lifespan, etc). Gills? No sweat. Bigger shlong? That'll be $12.95, please.

Kevin