Human evolution future?

Question

Will dependency on medication and advances in saving lifes lower the need for our immune system, eliminate natural selection, pre long infancy n life expectancy and increase the rate of cancer in our species as we evolve. If so we are slowly become extinct right

Answer 1

You can never eliminate Natural Selection. Think about it this way. More medicine means longer lives for people which means an increased population which means more opinions. More opinions mean more conflicts thus War will decide the ultimate fate on who is the strongest disregarding genes but those with the strongest armament.

This question can be tied into SO many schools of thought and categories, especially Economics. More people means a depletion on Needs resources (Needs being necessities: Food, Shelter and Health) thus meaning that it will be those in power who will get the first bids. Those on the lower hierarchy will have to take whatever they given. However, some of those on the lower hierarchy may not like being where they are, hence Adolf Hitler and his mission on making Germany a economic might.

Edit: Nordland I watched a Richard Dawkings documentary on African s*x workers being immune to AIDs. I agree with what you say.

Answer 2

No!! am a christian and dont belive in all this rubbish how can u?.Anyways to answer your question nothing will happen.

Answer 3

all the illness and disease will get immune from medicines due to natural selection, eventually we'll get to the limits of medical science and we wont be able to stop the illnesses, then were ******.

Answer 4

I suppose that if we continue to live as we do in the developed world now then some genetic problems might appear. However that isn't likely - we've only been developed for a handful of generations and this is a negligible period of time in terms of evolution. Plus we're not likely to sustain our civilisation for the hundreds of thousands of years required to make a difference.

Also you have the undeveloped world - plenty of people are currently unable to access modern medicine and healthcare, so if they aren't fit then they may not survive.

Natural selection also has many forms - sexual selection is one of them, and this isn't going to disappear.

Alternatively we may become more advanced and take our gene pool into our own hands, what with designer babies and GM people ideas currently floating around. Hopefully that would allow disease to be eradicated where possible (and affordable).

Answer 5

"deformities and defects" is a pejorative term. Would you call Steven Hawking "defective?"

You can't approach evolution thinking there is a "good " and a "bad." Sexual selection and natural selection continue to change us - regardless of how we think the process should be carried out (of course, the current process is somewhat different than how it worked for us 300,000 years ago.)

I think the most elegant statement made was by Douglas Adams:

"Humans think they are smarter than dolphins because we build cars and buildings and start wars etc...and all that dolphins do is swim in the water, eat fish and play around. Dolphins believe that they are smarter for exactly the same reasons."

Answer 6

I often think the same thing. But desease will evolve along with us too, thus making antidotes and cures useless.  

Answer 7

responses so far seem to stress the 'bugs' evolving but remember humans  like bugs are living things too - as bugs evolve we will also evolve e.g. there are female prostitutes in Africa who are immune to aids. So All living things evolve not just the nasty 'bugs'.

Also perhaps we are nearing the end of 'physical' evolution in terms of the body and in millions of years it will be the mind that has evolved leaving the poor susceptible to disease body behind. For a good read on this aspect read

THE PHENOMENON OF MAN  by Pierre Teilhard De Chardin.

Answer 8

Natural selection is very good at explaining a mechanism of evolution, but  everyone seems to forget is that humans are really no longer bound by it.  Unlike the plant and animal world we can adapt far more quickly and to much farther extremes than other species with our intellect and technology.  Human "evolution" from this point on will be driven by decisions we make and the technology we advance (for good or bad), and not so much by things that happen beyond our control.  That is not to say there won't be unintended effects along the way, but none will likely do us in.  

Answer 9

"Natural selection" even today is still very much at work.  The easiest way to see this distinction is through concentration of wealth.  More wealth equals greater purchasing power, thus increasing ones ability to obtain medications, medical procedures, safer domiciles, safer food supplies and safer transportation.  It also increases your ability to defend or attack (it is good to remember that natural selection often is unrelated to the notion of justice).  

Concerning cancer rates.  This century will be defined by advances in nanotechnology and bioengineering.  We are slowly learning causes of cancer, be it a result of genetics or environment or a combination of the two.  Treatment and detection methods that result from advances in nanotechnology and biochemistry will ultimately make cancer a non-issue, perhaps as early as the end of this century.  

Likewise, infectious diseases could ultimately be eliminated or become a non-issue. If we can develop a full view of biochemistry, obtaining a treatment or counter-measure for new strains of viruses will be a matter of computation(as opposed to trial and error).

The idea that we would lose our immune system through evolution seems highly unlikely.  Firstly there would have to be a negative pressure against those with immune systems.  I suppose that could increase metabolism and have adverse effects on life expectancy, also certain genetic "bugs" like allergies could exert such a pressure.

Answer 10

hi evry one....whatever your belief....i happen to read a small funny story about human evolution which made a lot of sense!!

you can chk it out in...

http://treatortrick.blogspot.com/2008/08...

Answer 11

firstly you can't catch cancer and it is nothing to do with the immune system secondly no we will not slowly become extinct because think about it people with no immune system will all ways have small decease like colds things like that so if so no 1 of the opposite s*x will go for them because they are always ill so they can never pass on there jeans also micro organisms will evolve with medicine