5 ms·

Brings up the point of our continued evolution towards weaker bodies - the more cures we have for asthma, children's diabetes, etc., the more the people that ha

Brings up the point of our continued evolution towards weaker bodies - the more cures we have for asthma, children's diabetes, etc., the more the people that have those ailments reproduce, and the more people there are with those ailments.

barrkel 17y ago
And the contrary point: we are likely to find fixes for genetic diseases, halting the deterioration there.
- piramida 17y ago
  And another point - how much would remain of an original nature-made human after that. So far, every optimization/fix we made to our body's protective system led to a more serious illness that would avoid the invented cure. I'm afraid fixes on gene level would open the door to the new kind of threat, it's a race we can't win. BTW, site shows http 403.
  - jjs 17y ago
    > how much would remain of an original nature-made human after that. Humans have long been evolving in response to patterns of human behavior and technology. We're already partly artificial, so why not make it the artificiality we want, rather than the one we got by accident?
  - ii 17y ago
    > BTW, site shows http 403. Try proxy server. Any anonymous US proxy works for me. They seem to have crazy IP (spam?) filters that block many legitimate providers, including mine.
Bjoern 17y ago
Actually humanity is not really part anymore of the "survival of the fittest" or evolutionary cycle. We are actively changing ourselves and starting, in laboratories at least, to modify genetics. Won't take long before parents can "modify" their children to be smarter, healthier, etc.
- habs 17y ago
  I disagree. We are no more not part of the evolutionary cycle than we are not part of planetary climate change. (Pardon the double negative). Evolution is no more than genetic drift within a population through reproduction and variation shaped by selective pressure. What you describe as gene therapy could be seen as a selective pressure. But there are many selective pressures on large populations of humans and these selective pressure vary from one set to another. I do agree that the dynamics of selective pressures has changed for humans thanks to modern medicine. But I contest it still applies.
- xiaoma 17y ago
  Natural selection may not do much anymore, but sexual selection is alive and well.
lunchbox 17y ago
I wouldn't worry too much about this. Scientific/technological progress is one of the fastest things out there; evolution is one of the slowest. In other words, our ability to treat disease is greatly outstripping any theoretical effects of these treatments on human evolution.

barrkel 17y ago

And the contrary point: we are likely to find fixes for genetic diseases, halting the deterioration there.

piramida 17y ago
And another point - how much would remain of an original nature-made human after that. So far, every optimization/fix we made to our body's protective system led to a more serious illness that would avoid the invented cure. I'm afraid fixes on gene level would open the door to the new kind of threat, it's a race we can't win. BTW, site shows http 403.
- jjs 17y ago
  > how much would remain of an original nature-made human after that. Humans have long been evolving in response to patterns of human behavior and technology. We're already partly artificial, so why not make it the artificiality we want, rather than the one we got by accident?
- ii 17y ago
  > BTW, site shows http 403. Try proxy server. Any anonymous US proxy works for me. They seem to have crazy IP (spam?) filters that block many legitimate providers, including mine.

Bjoern 17y ago

Actually humanity is not really part anymore of the "survival of the fittest" or evolutionary cycle. We are actively changing ourselves and starting, in laboratories at least, to modify genetics. Won't take long before parents can "modify" their children to be smarter, healthier, etc.

habs 17y ago
I disagree. We are no more not part of the evolutionary cycle than we are not part of planetary climate change. (Pardon the double negative). Evolution is no more than genetic drift within a population through reproduction and variation shaped by selective pressure. What you describe as gene therapy could be seen as a selective pressure. But there are many selective pressures on large populations of humans and these selective pressure vary from one set to another. I do agree that the dynamics of selective pressures has changed for humans thanks to modern medicine. But I contest it still applies.
xiaoma 17y ago
Natural selection may not do much anymore, but sexual selection is alive and well.

lunchbox 17y ago

I wouldn't worry too much about this. Scientific/technological progress is one of the fastest things out there; evolution is one of the slowest. In other words, our ability to treat disease is greatly outstripping any theoretical effects of these treatments on human evolution.