10 Ways Humans Will Evolve in the Future

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iridescentrae
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10 Ways Humans Will Evolve in the Future

Post by iridescentrae »

Someone with dreams about the future.

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funkervogt
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Re: 10 Ways Humans Will Evolve in the Future

Post by funkervogt »

My thoughts:

10. Smaller brains
They may or may not continue shrinking. Genetic engineering will let anyone create intelligent children, and this could reverse the trend towards smaller brains. In the farther future, we might find it more efficient to engineer ourselves to have smaller organic brains since the computers enmeshed with them will perform many cognitive functions better (particularly, memory). We could ultimately evolve into a species where the line between "natural" and "synthetic" is totally blurred, as in, your DNA might contain instructions for your own body to make computer chips in your brain.

9. Beaks
Why not genetically engineer humans so that our adult teeth periodically fall out and are replaced with new ones? If a tooth wore out, got damaged, or was knocked out, you would only need to wait for a new one to grow in its place.

8. Huge eyes
But we have artificial lights, so there's no evolutionary pressure for our night vision to improve.

7. Muscle atrophy
If machines are making human muscle power less important, then the logical endpoint of the trend is totally dispensing with human bodies. We would exist as brains in jars and/or as brain in powerful robot bodies.

6. Fewer toes
Within 500,000 years, our pinkie toes will disappear? That toe might be useless now, but I don't think there's evolutionary pressure selecting against it. Does anyone select mates based on how small their pinkie toes are?

The good news is that, by 502,021 AD, there will be so many varieties of sentient beings descended from Homo sapiens that some strain of them will probably have four toes.

5. Weaker immune systems
Genetic engineering will make our immune systems naturally stronger, and we'll invent pills and injections that keep it strong.

4. More attractive women
Genetic and biological engineering and better plastic surgery techniques will make both sexes more attractive on average.

3. Sub-classes
This theory is right and wrong at the same time, both in spirit and in specifics. We won't arrive at the "Eloi" / "Morlock" species divide thanks to involuntary assortative mating. By the end of this century, human genetic engineering will be powerful and cheap enough for poor people to afford. This will upend the consequences of the assortative mating trend that has now existed for generations.

That said, in the long run, humans will give rise to other human-like species and humanoids that are as different from each other as the Eloi were different from the Morlocks.

2. Mono-ethnicity
The belief that interracial relationships will ultimately homogenize the human species into one race of people who resemble modern Brazilians is wrong. Medical immortality will probably be achieved by the end of this century, or at worst, by the end of the next, meaning people of "pure" race who still exist by that point will be around forever. Advanced reproductive technologies like artificial wombs and cloning will let them perpetuate their kind. And even in the very far future, humans will still display preferences for romantic partners of their same race.

Mixed-race people will certainly get more common as time passes, but people of pure race won't disappear.

1. Cyborgs
I agree. Yuval Harrari's 200-year timeline for humans to become "God-like" thanks to fusing with machines is conservative.
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iridescentrae
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Re: 10 Ways Humans Will Evolve in the Future

Post by iridescentrae »

What about that new parabiosis craze? Have a lion digest your food for you, or an animal with a strong immune system fight off that illness? I dunno. Seems like all sorts of illegal experiments are going on at the moment, so it’s just a matter of time before people who buy things off the black market become parabiotized cyborgs.
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weatheriscool
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Re: 10 Ways Humans Will Evolve in the Future

Post by weatheriscool »

I really hope we get that genetic engineering of higher intelligence going soon. Too much further into the future then we'll probably destroy and burn all the tech along with our civilization.
Doozer
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Re: 10 Ways Humans Will Evolve in the Future

Post by Doozer »

Here's my two-cents on the topic. Keep in mind I do play it safe by not going any more popular, crazier routes :

1. Larger brains and skulls.

2. Reduced eyes, since we've long since been accustomed to artificially lit conditions.

3. Reduced jawbones with fewer teeth.

4. Reduced brow ridges

5. Thicker neck muscles

6. Reduced digitus minimus manus (pinky toes and fingers) with the rest of the digits are slightly elongated.

7. Slightly taller stature with reduced muscle mass

8. Flatter faces

9. Bodies less hairy

10. More androgyne appearance
Last edited by Doozer on Mon Sep 06, 2021 8:14 am, edited 2 times in total.
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