Has man stopped evolving?

[Dante Writer]

Has man stopped evolving?

Other than being a little taller from a better diet and choosing taller mates what evolution is happening in modern man and if it has stopped why?

What do you think would start and/or stop the evolution of a species and what could restart that evolution in modern man?

 

[Parsimony]

Humans (and all species) are still evolving because realistic populations violate one or more of the assumptions of Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium.

 

[Dante Writer]

Humans (and all species) are still evolving because realistic populations violate one or more of the assumptions of Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium.

OK, and what evidence do you have of that?

We have DNA mutations occur in our populations all the time yet so far no mutation seems to produce a positive characteristic and instead results in negative results.

If that principle holds true why have we not seen a positive mutation that would promote mate choice towards that evolution?

 

[lewisnotmiller]

OK, and what evidence do you have of that?

We have DNA mutations occur in our populations all the time yet so far no mutation seems to produce a positive characteristic and instead results in negative results.

If that principle holds true why have we not seen a positive mutation that would promote mate choice towards that evolution?

Is there a reason you're assuming that evolution promotes positive traits? How are you defining 'positive'?

 

[Kirran]

Evolution is the change in allele frequencies over time. Certainly this is taking place.

One out-of-left-field example - there are certain alleles which are common than the global average among the populations of Niger, Somalia, Mali and Chad, which have the highest fertility rates globally. That means those alleles are going to be increasing in the global population.

More significantly, there is just general genetic drift in the population, mating is non-random globally, there's natural selection going on (aesthetic, health, etc).

 

[FearGod]

Has man stopped evolving?

Other than being a little taller from a better diet and choosing taller mates what evolution is happening in modern man and if it has stopped why?

What do you think would start and/or stop the evolution of a species and what could restart that evolution in modern man?

Less body weight and wings, we don't trust the planes anymore, we have to run and move our hands
as the birds do then after some thousands of years our species will fly.

.

 

[HonestJoe]

What do you think would start and/or stop the evolution of a species and what could restart that evolution in modern man?

The idea of evolution stopping just doesn’t make sense. It’s an inevitable aspect of sexual reproduction. Offspring get a genetic makeup that is a combination of those of their parents. That’s evolution regardless of the practical consequences. That doesn’t mean there will always be noticeable changes within a species, especially over relatively short periods of time but that wouldn’t mean we’re not still subject to evolution though. It’s like multiplying by one. 2 X 2 = 4 - It’s been subject to multiplication and has changed. 2 X 1 = 2 - It hasn’t changed but it’s still been subject to multiplication.

We could well be slowing the notable progress of evolutionary changes in our own species though (and others for that matter). Given that one of the key drivers of evolutionary changes is changes in environment, the fact we manage and control our environment so much now could well be a factor in reducing the scale and scope of evolutionary changes we’re subject to. We also have much more mixing and less division between sub-groups reducing the opportunity for divergent evolutionary changes. If a group of humans settled on another planet, I suspect they could relatively rapidly evolve identifiable differences from the population that remained on Earth due to the different environment and isolated population.

Regardless, there is still evidence of relatively recent evolutionary changes in humans. This article gives some examples; http://bigthink.com/daylight-atheism/evolution-is-still-happening-beneficial-mutations-in-humans

 

[Kirran]

Actually that intermixing is itself a contributor to evolution, as it lowers the degree to which positive assortative non-random mating is occurring, and therefore increases the heterozygosity.

But there are also still various traits a person can have which will increase their chances of having more children. Some of these are likely to have some form of partial genetic basis.

 

[Revoltingest]

As has been foretold, we're all going to look like this some day....

We'll be so powerful, we'll be able to cure bacon with our minds!

 

[Thief]

Has man stopped evolving?

Other than being a little taller from a better diet and choosing taller mates what evolution is happening in modern man and if it has stopped why?

What do you think would start and/or stop the evolution of a species and what could restart that evolution in modern man?

we are in a state of deterioration.
with each oncoming generation we are less and less.

likely for cause.....
the reduction of hardship......lighter work loads.....fewer hours outside.....less sweating...
lesser food nutrients in our gmo food sources....
lesser need for quickness, strength, flexibility of mind and body....

we are over weight, slow, idle of mind and body.

I am 60yrs old and can outperform ALL of my 13other co-workers(toolmakers)
They are slow to stand, slow to walk, some have difficulty picking a dropped article from the floor......
and some of them are decades younger.
they limp.

 

[Thief]

Less body weight and wings, we don't trust the planes anymore, we have to run and move our hands
as the birds do then after some thousands of years our species will fly.

.

to lift 120lbs.....you need twenty feet of wing span (approx.)
and pectoral muscles from your neck to the small of your gut.

the above photo cannot happen

the angelic are likely to have a very different appearance as depicted by human artists

 

[Quintessence]

What do you think would ... stop the evolution of a species

Nobody has addressed this bit, so... extinction. Extinction is the only thing that stops a species from evolving. Which, humans will do... eventually.

 

[FearGod]

to lift 120lbs.....you need twenty feet of wing span (approx.)
and pectoral muscles from your neck to the small of your gut.

the above photo cannot happen

the angelic are likely to have a very different appearance as depicted by human artists

Yes we have to be less in weight, you know birds were evolved from Theropods.

 

[Parsimony]

OK, and what evidence do you have of that?

Did you even click the link? Evolution is a change of allele frequencies in a population over time. The only way a population can avoid a change of allele frequencies is by meeting all of the Hardy-Weinberg criteria. Since no population meets all the criteria, it evolves.

We have DNA mutations occur in our populations all the time yet so far no mutation seems to produce a positive characteristic and instead results in negative results.

(1) Mutation is not necessary for a population to evolve, as the link I posted earlier shows.
(2) Mutations that increase fitness have been documented, such as nylonase in certain bacteria, AZT-resistance in HIV, aerobic citrate metabolism in E.coli, pesticide resistance in insects, and sickle-cell heterozygous individuals.

If that principle holds true why have we not seen a positive mutation that would promote mate choice towards that evolution?

That's not necessary for evolution to happen.

 

[Twilight Hue]

Has man stopped evolving?

Other than being a little taller from a better diet and choosing taller mates what evolution is happening in modern man and if it has stopped why?

What do you think would start and/or stop the evolution of a species and what could restart that evolution in modern man?

It takes a long long time.:0)

Well beyond our lifetime to note anything substantial. A lot of people, from what I understand, speculate an increase in brain capicity, and conversely smaller thinner stature in our far evolutionary future. A bit like the alien grey's I think.

 

[Kirran]

It takes a long long time.:0)

Well beyond our lifetime to note anything substantial. A lot of people, from what I understand, speculate an increase in brain capicity, and conversely smaller thinner stature in our far evolutionary future. A bit like the alien grey's I think.

I'm not sure that greater brain capacity makes it more likely you'll have a lot of kids.

 

[Twilight Hue]

I'm not sure that greater brain capacity makes it more likely you'll have a lot of kids.

I think it's more akin with adaptation as opposed to population. It does raise an interesting question regarding human reproduction by way of gestation terms and frequency of new births and even our own sex appeal as our bodies morph.

Who knows? The possibilities of artificial wombs and interchanagble genders may cause what we find sexually attractive on a person today morph into something completely new and unfamiliar tommorow.

Genetics, when you think about it, may actually accelerate human evolution in ways we can only think of in science fiction to maybe science fact eons from now.

 

[Kirran]

I think it's more akin with adaptation as opposed to population. It does raise an interesting question regarding human reproduction by way of gestation terms and frequency of new births and even our own sex appeal as our bodies morph.

Who knows? The possibilities of artificial wombs and interchanagble genders may cause what we find sexually attractive on a person today morph into something completely new and unfamiliar tommorow.

Genetics, when you think about it, may actually accelerate human evolution in ways we can only think of in science fiction to maybe science fact eons from now.

True, I rather think that technological interventions will utterly supersede changes wrought by biological evolution far before any substantial changes resulting from the latter become apparent.

 

[Skwim]

As illustrated below, evolution wherein significant change can be detected takes quite a few years.

​

Either that or this.

 

[Twilight Hue]

As illustrated below, evolution wherein significant change can be detected takes quite a few years.

​

Either that or this.

I think after the apocalypse, it will return back to Adam and Eve again. *grin*