Lobstrosity

Yeah, I mentioned that: "A potential consequence of this I see is that over time we could, in theory, become supremely dependent on technology for our mere survival (unless that technology is also used to alter our genes to prevent such gross dependence...)."

Doubting Didymus

Well, its just as likely for the horrible epidemic and the nasty nuclear war to obliterate us entirely in the first place, in which case the only advantage 20-20 vision would have for you is the ability to see it coming. BAM.

Second: I imagine that the drift would require a VERY long time before it gets to the stage where we're entirely dependant. Drift doesn't blind you overnight, after all. It took long enough just to break our vitamin C synthesis, let alone our legs.

Third: the scenario requires an imaginary society where every single human group on the planet, regardless of nationality, race or even wealth, is so well protected by their fellow humans that they can access a technological solution to every major health problem they have. You envision a world where all humans are healthy, even in what are now third world countries and where education is so advanced and the scientific endeavour so well funded that technology can reach that level in the first place. Generally speaking, the world has become a shining utopia of health, happiness and scientific investigation. Not only that, but it then stays that way for long enough for a process as slow as genetic drift to cause a near total reliance on our medical technology.

Do you think that we humans will ever manage that? If you do, you're a more optimistic man than I.

Lobstrosity

Hey, I just said "could." I don't actually think it's likely.

NZAmoeba

Personally, i think there's a good chance our evolution will effectively 'stop'.

I heard that about half the people alive today, 200 years ago would have been killed during their child years. With this going on, there's no natural selection, something thats a key ingredient to evolution.

But then, reading what others have said about developing a dependance on technology, it is likely that our evolution COULD take a step 'back'. Already, a lot of kids today suffer from lots of allergies, due to their steralised lifestlye, their bodies react to anything they can get their hands on.

So yeah, its either standing still, or going backwards.... i can't really see how we'd advance given our current state, unless there is a giant change in our environment (another key causer of evolution), or by our own intervention in genetics.

Coragyps

Back to near the OP: m00ner, or anyone else interested in all this, should try to find a copy of Dougal Dixon's After Man: A Zoology of the Future. It's a pretty imaginative guide to the earth 50,000,000 years from now, after we've exterminated ourselves. Descendants of the rat family, for instance, are the top predators in lots of cases. And it has a lot of good biology/evolution background as well as great illustrations.

And Queen of Swords has previously recommended this book, so you better by damn go look for it! (but I think it's out of print - try a library)

Azathoth

I think evolution will still occur,but it will be mostly driven by our culture.

I would expect once we are more proficient in genetic manipulation,most genetic defects will be corrected before birth.I would imagine that most parents would be eager to have any possibility of disease removed from their offspring.

Small tweaks,like vision,are also things that I can see being fixed,as well as others,like maybe the predisposition of some people to suffer from extreme bone loss late in life.

Some fixes might even be mandatory,depending on whether the government thought they were going to save money,or alleviate suffering.

I'm not sure when this could be done,but once enough of the population is free of most or all of the genetic problems we have now,I'm guessing it might take a while for them to crop up again,even if there was a big disaster that killed many of us off.

johngalt

maybe we'll be mutants like in X-men.

Claudia

Next stage of human evolution: we will lose our wisdom teeth (maybe )

Godless Dave

My siblings and I only had three. We're advanced mutants!

Lobstrosity, I think another possible outcome of a global catastrophe scenario would be that the selection pressure of the new environment would act on one or more of those isolated populations of human survivors, resulting in (possibly) a faster rate of evolutionary change in the population. With no contraception and no medical technology to speak of the survivors will produce more offspring but most of the offspring wouldn't survive. The ones that did... well we all know how it works.

LostGirl

I think the next main spur to evolutionary change will be the act of moving into space. Here, you have the opportunity for genetically isolated populations interbreeding for generations. As well, you have exposure to new environmental stimuli our technology can't entirely compensate for - zero gravity, low pressure / altered atmospheric ratios, altered diets. Finally, you have different skill sets and aptitudes being required for survival. I suspect an ability to do orbital calculations will be cultivated, as well as dexterity, small/thin body size, and maybe even regaining the opposition of our big toe, in a prolonged zero gravity situation. And let's not forget, intelligence and competence are always sexy.