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This is artificial womb idea is evolutionary suicide. Human reproduction would eventually cease to function without artificial wombs as selective pressure for

This is artificial womb idea is evolutionary suicide. Human reproduction would eventually cease to function without artificial wombs as selective pressure for natural reproductive fitness disappears, causing genetic drift to go unrestrained. Should humanity ever go through a technological bottleneck (solar flare?) where artificial wombs are no longer available, then the population would decline rapidly as only those who can still reproduce naturally will be able to have offspring. The subsequent bottleneck in human capital will ensure that it will take ages for humanity to reach the same level of technological ability, if we ever will.

lkrubner 5y ago
"Human reproduction would eventually cease to function without artificial wombs as selective pressure for natural reproductive fitness disappears" I don't mean to be rude. I'm guessing English is not your first language?
- ad404b8a372f2b9 5y ago
  This sentence is entirely clear within the context of genetic evolution.
  - lkrubner 5y ago
    You are assuming that they meant to write “with” when they accidentally wrote “without”? Artificial wombs don’t currently exist, so the sentence has no meaning as written. But even if we re-write the sentence so it obeys the normal rules of English grammar, it is still deeply silly — the whole point of artificial wombs is that we would then be free of many of the problems that now plague human reproduction, such as infertility.
    - deleted 5y ago
      [deleted]
JPLeRouzic 5y ago
There were times in the past where the human population was reduced to only tens of thousands people [0]. In 10,000 BC population was estimated to be in a range roughly between 1 and 10 million individuals. [1] [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toba_catastrophe_theory https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toba_catastrophe_theory [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Estimates_of_historical_world_population#Deep_prehistory https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Estimates_of_historical_world_...
XorNot 5y ago
Natural selection also means death. We already go to extraordinary measures to allow people who could not otherwise produce or bear children to do so. A very large number of women who would otherwise die in childbirth, possibly with the death of the child, now survive. "Natural selection" would kill them. To hell with natural selection.

lkrubner 5y ago

"Human reproduction would eventually cease to function without artificial wombs as selective pressure for natural reproductive fitness disappears" I don't mean to be rude. I'm guessing English is not your first language?

ad404b8a372f2b9 5y ago
This sentence is entirely clear within the context of genetic evolution.
- lkrubner 5y ago
  You are assuming that they meant to write “with” when they accidentally wrote “without”? Artificial wombs don’t currently exist, so the sentence has no meaning as written. But even if we re-write the sentence so it obeys the normal rules of English grammar, it is still deeply silly — the whole point of artificial wombs is that we would then be free of many of the problems that now plague human reproduction, such as infertility.
  - deleted 5y ago
    [deleted]

JPLeRouzic 5y ago

There were times in the past where the human population was reduced to only tens of thousands people [0]. In 10,000 BC population was estimated to be in a range roughly between 1 and 10 million individuals. [1] [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toba_catastrophe_theory https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toba_catastrophe_theory [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Estimates_of_historical_world_population#Deep_prehistory https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Estimates_of_historical_world_...

XorNot 5y ago

Natural selection also means death. We already go to extraordinary measures to allow people who could not otherwise produce or bear children to do so. A very large number of women who would otherwise die in childbirth, possibly with the death of the child, now survive. "Natural selection" would kill them. To hell with natural selection.