4 ms·

Human species 'may split in two'

15 points by aww_dang 5y ago

hntroll1332 5y ago
Thank you. This helps put the BBC's current warnings into perspective.
ChrisGranger 5y ago
(2006)
- etaioinshrdlu 5y ago
  I think I've been wasting too much time on the net. I remember this silly article from last time... It was probably on digg.com.
vixen99 5y ago
Interesting suggestion. No disrespect intended for Dr. Curry but is an 'expert' required (and of what kind?) to merely repeat the implications of the Wells story of the Time Machine from 1895? No additional evidence is adduced. It remains to be seen how prophetic H.G Wells' story of the 'Island of Dr. Moreau' turns out to be.
p1mrx 5y ago
> Physical appearance, driven by indicators of health, youth and fertility, will improve, he says, while men will exhibit symmetrical facial features, look athletic, and have squarer jaws, deeper voices and bigger penises. > Women, on the other hand, will develop lighter, smooth, hairless skin, large clear eyes, pert breasts, glossy hair, and even features, he adds. Racial differences will be ironed out by interbreeding, producing a uniform race of coffee-coloured people. Nice.
mvzvm 5y ago
What a load of nonsense. Imagine thinking you are able to predict this kind of bunk. Straight out of a Monty Python skit.
ageek123 5y ago
Is there any methodology whatsoever for these conclusions? It sounds like some kind of baseless speculation.
- chalst 5y ago
  Yes, there was an empirical study done some time back. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Time_Machine#Plot https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Time_Machine#Plot
- throwaway5752 5y ago
  "He carried out the report for men's satellite TV channel Bravo."
- Fluid_Mechanics 5y ago
  >Openly questioning policy pronouncements by celebrated academics on state-sponsored media That’s the kind of thinking that gets you assigned to group b you silly man.
thirtyseven 5y ago
I'm impressed that this old version of the page is still up, perhaps implying that at some point they switched CMSes, but left the old one or an archive of it up instead of migrating everything. I actually appreciate this since it preserves the original context of the page and makes it feel historical.
protontorpedo 5y ago
> producing a uniform race of coffee-coloured people Doesn't know a thing about biology or anthropology, but knows even less about coffee.
101001001001 5y ago
This will be the split between societies that practice eugenics plus other genetically deliberate policies and those that don’t. People talk about science denial but nobody points out the largest group of science deniers in the entire world: people who deny that natural selection exists. It’s as stupid as thinking the earth is flat. Natural selection will happen whether or not we want it to. Every trait, physical or otherwise, that human beings posses is the result of natural selection. If we continue down this road where nobody gets removed from the gene pool because of modern medical intervention, we will eventually become very, very sick creatures. It will be a horrible existence. If health, intelligence, empathy and other traits aren’t selected for then they will shrink and eventually disappear. And it could happen much faster than it took to evolve those traits. Don’t be a science denier. Confront the difficult truth that natural selection exists. We can find a morally acceptable solution if we put our minds to it.
Fluid_Mechanics 5y ago
I’m hopeful that the 5001st reincarnation of the Cosmic Entity Zuckerborg would have successfully eradicated all life on the planet before then.
deleted 5y ago
[deleted]
rey0927 5y ago
well if they can make shit up to this level why cant u say that in 200 years genetic engg would be prevalent and nobody would have to suffer due to their natural genes
bennyp101 5y ago
I don't know, it doesn't sound /too/ far fetched - there is already a class divide, and the pandemic has shown that quite nicely. If the circumstances were right, I could see a catalyst creating a more 'rigid' divide. I doubt it will, but I don't think it's out of the question for 1000 years time.
rey0927 5y ago
well if they can make shit up to this level why cant we say that genetic engg in maybe 200 years would be prevalent and nobody would have to suffer due to their natural genes
xg15 5y ago
> makes a 10.000 year prediction about the evolution of the human species > CRISPR becomes a thing 10 years later poor guy...
pelasaco 5y ago
That's nonsense, here is the reaction to that (2007) https://phys.org/news/2007-10-debunking-commercial-scientists-media.html https://phys.org/news/2007-10-debunking-commercial-scientist... the TL;DR using the words from the Dr. Curry himself: "In the summer of 2006 I was commissioned by Bravo Television to write an essay on the future of human evolution. The essay was intended as a science fiction way of illustrating some aspects of evolutionary theory."
ricc 5y ago
(2006)

15 points by aww_dang 5y ago

hntroll1332 5y ago

Thank you. This helps put the BBC's current warnings into perspective.

ChrisGranger 5y ago

(2006)

etaioinshrdlu 5y ago
I think I've been wasting too much time on the net. I remember this silly article from last time... It was probably on digg.com.

vixen99 5y ago

Interesting suggestion. No disrespect intended for Dr. Curry but is an 'expert' required (and of what kind?) to merely repeat the implications of the Wells story of the Time Machine from 1895? No additional evidence is adduced. It remains to be seen how prophetic H.G Wells' story of the 'Island of Dr. Moreau' turns out to be.

p1mrx 5y ago

> Physical appearance, driven by indicators of health, youth and fertility, will improve, he says, while men will exhibit symmetrical facial features, look athletic, and have squarer jaws, deeper voices and bigger penises. > Women, on the other hand, will develop lighter, smooth, hairless skin, large clear eyes, pert breasts, glossy hair, and even features, he adds. Racial differences will be ironed out by interbreeding, producing a uniform race of coffee-coloured people. Nice.

mvzvm 5y ago

What a load of nonsense. Imagine thinking you are able to predict this kind of bunk. Straight out of a Monty Python skit.

ageek123 5y ago

Is there any methodology whatsoever for these conclusions? It sounds like some kind of baseless speculation.

chalst 5y ago
Yes, there was an empirical study done some time back. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Time_Machine#Plot https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Time_Machine#Plot
throwaway5752 5y ago
"He carried out the report for men's satellite TV channel Bravo."
Fluid_Mechanics 5y ago
>Openly questioning policy pronouncements by celebrated academics on state-sponsored media That’s the kind of thinking that gets you assigned to group b you silly man.

thirtyseven 5y ago

I'm impressed that this old version of the page is still up, perhaps implying that at some point they switched CMSes, but left the old one or an archive of it up instead of migrating everything. I actually appreciate this since it preserves the original context of the page and makes it feel historical.

protontorpedo 5y ago

> producing a uniform race of coffee-coloured people Doesn't know a thing about biology or anthropology, but knows even less about coffee.

101001001001 5y ago

This will be the split between societies that practice eugenics plus other genetically deliberate policies and those that don’t. People talk about science denial but nobody points out the largest group of science deniers in the entire world: people who deny that natural selection exists. It’s as stupid as thinking the earth is flat. Natural selection will happen whether or not we want it to. Every trait, physical or otherwise, that human beings posses is the result of natural selection. If we continue down this road where nobody gets removed from the gene pool because of modern medical intervention, we will eventually become very, very sick creatures. It will be a horrible existence. If health, intelligence, empathy and other traits aren’t selected for then they will shrink and eventually disappear. And it could happen much faster than it took to evolve those traits. Don’t be a science denier. Confront the difficult truth that natural selection exists. We can find a morally acceptable solution if we put our minds to it.

Fluid_Mechanics 5y ago

I’m hopeful that the 5001st reincarnation of the Cosmic Entity Zuckerborg would have successfully eradicated all life on the planet before then.

deleted 5y ago

[deleted]

rey0927 5y ago

well if they can make shit up to this level why cant u say that in 200 years genetic engg would be prevalent and nobody would have to suffer due to their natural genes

bennyp101 5y ago

I don't know, it doesn't sound /too/ far fetched - there is already a class divide, and the pandemic has shown that quite nicely. If the circumstances were right, I could see a catalyst creating a more 'rigid' divide. I doubt it will, but I don't think it's out of the question for 1000 years time.

rey0927 5y ago

well if they can make shit up to this level why cant we say that genetic engg in maybe 200 years would be prevalent and nobody would have to suffer due to their natural genes

xg15 5y ago

> makes a 10.000 year prediction about the evolution of the human species > CRISPR becomes a thing 10 years later poor guy...

pelasaco 5y ago

That's nonsense, here is the reaction to that (2007) https://phys.org/news/2007-10-debunking-commercial-scientists-media.html https://phys.org/news/2007-10-debunking-commercial-scientist... the TL;DR using the words from the Dr. Curry himself: "In the summer of 2006 I was commissioned by Bravo Television to write an essay on the future of human evolution. The essay was intended as a science fiction way of illustrating some aspects of evolutionary theory."

ricc 5y ago

(2006)