I don't know how many of you saw this the other day, but some scientist created pictures to show how human beings supposedly will look in 20,000, 60,000, and 100,000 years. Here's a link to the article: Link. The image on the left is what humans are supposed to look like in 100,000 years.Personally, I don't buy it. In fact, the one thing I'm pretty sure of is that we won't look like that because nature loves to make fools of humans who predict anything. But it is pretty fascinating if you think about it. Looking back, we've evolved quite a bit already and there's no logical reason to think that's stopped, even though we like to think it has.
Creepy, isn't it? The idea that future generations may not look like us (i.e. human) at all. In fact, thinking about it, future generations may look back at us and see us the same way we see neanderthals! Can you imagine? Some snot-nosed kid with a low GPA and a forehead the size of a basketball with gills where his wings should be could be looking back at US and calling US primitives! Jerk. I say we bomb the future now and teach them the same lesson we taught those stinking neanderthals!
Ok, I'm calm again.
Seriously though, think about it. In the past 100,000 years or so, we've lost most of our body hair. Our brains have grown. Our heads apparently are larger. Our muscles are smaller, but we're a lot taller too. We really could be unrecognizable in 100,000 years. Creepy.
What do you think? How different will we be in 100,000 years?
52 comments:
Now there is a guy who watches a little to much Anime.
When humans get complete control of genetic programming the first generation to benefit will look like the most ideal version of the human species possible (think Tom Cruise only taller and Carmen Diaz with more, uh, equipment). I think we'll be in that position in much less than 1000 years. Of course, after that styles will change and if postmodern art, architecture and science are any indication then thar be monsters ahead.
Calm yourself. If we don't spread our civilization beyond the Third Rock by then, a comet will go K/T on us and wipe all mammals from the planet, leaving insects to take their rightful place.
I probably won't really care by then
Jed, LOL!! That's a practical answer if ever there was one! :D
LL, Why is that strangely comforting? It's like putting a time limit on a game... "You must be -->this smart<-- to continue."
K, I think there will indeed be monsters once that starts. Nature loves to mess with hubris.
Max, Tell me about it! It actually reminds me of the line from Ghostbusters: "Stop looking at me Janine, you've got those bug eyes."
Memo To Staff
From AP
Re: Your Pensions
Remember when you had a pension? Well, that didn't last. I am saddened to report that the CommentaramaPensionPlan had put all of its money in Detroit Bonds and Detroit will now be defaulting on said bonds.... no one could have seen this coming!
So get back to work.
So, in the future we're all going to look like crappy Photoshop jobs?
I'll tell you what genetic alteration I'd like to have: a tail. Not some stupid vestigial stump, but like a prehensile monkey tail that I could do stuff with.
That was my first thought too, what a crappy photoshop job. Surely, he could hire an intern to do better than that. Maybe make us look like the Talosians from Star Trek only with bigger eyes.
A useful tail would be cool. I'd like wings personally... or maybe somewhere to store a drink.
A refrigerated kangaroo pouch?
A useful tail would be cool.
There's some people you might like to meet, Andrew: LINK
tryanmax, Exactly. In fact, a personal refrigeration system would be pretty awesome too. :)
K, Uh, yeah. Freaky, huh?
Andrew......Do you think POTUS and the apparatus of the gov't "stole" the 2012 Preezy election? Was it Stalin who said something like it doesn't matter how many votes you get, it matters who is counting the votes?
What with the hacking of computers via NSA, could they possibly have colluded with OFA and 1) provided dirt on Romney, and 2) hacked voting machines so that there were just enough votes for Obama in toss-up states to give him the win? I was watching the election and VA in particular as they weren't calling it until late in the evening and waiting for the Tidewater area to "submit" their vote totals. Turns out there were just enough votes to push Obama over the top and give him VA.
So, what with all the "scandals" we're hearing about re: hacking and computer access by "unknown" sources, what do you think the possibility is that Obama and his apparatchicks "stole" the election?
Patriot - that's one that will be tough to prove. We are, by nature, conspiracy theorists, but I try not to obsess over it since it will never get proven. And, to what end, really?
I'll tell you what genetic alteration I'd like to have: a tail. Not some stupid vestigial stump, but like a prehensile monkey tail that I could do stuff with.
That stupid vestigial stump allows you to defecate and fornicate - I'd call that useful. Those particular muscles depend on your 'tailbone' to function.
Needless to say I don't fall for any nonsense involving evolution... it's all devilishly stupid.
If we go back 2000 years and change, I purchased the 50th anniversary edition of Cleopatra on Blu-Ray, and I'm glad I did. The scene of Cleopatra entering Rome for the first time is, simply, a must have. This is really not a good movie. It pales compared to Ben Hur. But I loved the two hour documentary on the history of the making of Cleopatra. Any serious student of film should see both the film, and the documentary. I was a fan of Debbie Reynolds who had come to my attention in Tammy & the Bachelor with Leslie Nielsen. I hated Liz for stealing Eddie Fisher, and had to laugh when Richard Burton stole Liz. The battle scenes are laughble in Cleo because they had run out of money. Interesting Stuff. Happy father's day and grandfather's day to all.
I'm with Jed, it gains nothing to obsess over such things. It's like I tell my mom--who gets wound up over all the things she hears on conspiracy radio--if the conspiracy is that big and goes that high, we're all screwed anyway.
But personally, I believe the world is largely as it seems. Think about all the politicians and powerful people caught in a lie because they said or did something to expose themselves. And even the ones good at maintaining a lie tend to get outed by somebody fed up with the BS. The truth is sometimes slow, but it's always persistent.
Yeah, I saw the article. The bug-eyed thing put me off, mainly because it rested on so much speculation--humans will have colonized other planets by then, most of the planets will be far from the sun, our eyes will have to enlarge to catch as much light as possible. My answer to that is a) there's no guarantee we won't have blown ourselves up by then, and b) if we do have the capacity to colonize other planets, I'm pretty sure we'll have remembered to bring along some heavy-duty light bulbs.
That said, if we are still around in 100K years, I think the reduced body hair, taller frames, and bigger foreheads are very likely. Anything else could go either way, though.
darski, Seeing as creatures who have awesomely prehensile tails can also defecate and fornicate, I don't think there's a mutual exclusivity.
Regardless of anyone's opinion, evolution misses the point. Only the smallest, least developed organisms truly rely on adaptive biology to propagate. Higher species instead adapt behaviorally. Higher still, and they adapt socially. Natural selection becomes something of a last resort. But humans and a few other species have moved beyond even those to adaptive technology. Obviously, humans are the best at that.
As the article says in part, human natural selections are largely superfluous. Survival of a species only depends on individuals getting old enough to breed. Since as a species we've long since removed virtually all onus of that from the youngster, I don't see how natural selection will give us adaptive traits reflective of our environments.
I can see things like darker skin, larger eyes, greater height and more perfect symmetry developing, as those things are desirous to our species, but I don't even think there's evolutionary pressure for our brains to grow larger.
T-Rav, Agreed. Moreover, while I believe in evolution, I don't believe that evolution responds to "the environment" in the way he assumes.
I see no evidence, for example, that our genes are capable of saying, "Wow, wouldn't it be useful if we had more fingers to type!!" No. I think evolution works either through unpredictable mutations or through survival of traits needed to survive. Seeing in slightly darker environments is not that unless the people with poor vision get killed for their failures.
darski, That's an unhappy thought.
Patriot, Jed and tryanmax, I don't think Obama stole anything. I see no evidence that anyone did anything they wouldn't normally have done campaign-wise and I've met way more than enough people to give me a pretty clear picture of what happened. Obama lost a lot of votes... the Republicans just lost a lot more.
All in all, tryanmax is right and the world is pretty much what it seems. There are no vast unknown conspiracies because they are impossible to hide. Conspiracies get exposed almost immediately. Lies are see-through unless you want to believe them. That's the kind of world in which we live. All the rest is self-delusion.
Andrew: Evolution will step in because they won't be able to see past their Google glasses without the big eyes.
T-Rav: there's no guarantee we won't have blown ourselves up by then
Personally, I think it's more likely we get the Talosian scenario, people die out because they're too busy in a super perfect virtual world to procreate in the real one.
= Fermi paradox.
K, With a brief stop at Idiocracy.
On the Google glasses, I suspect they will become a passing phase after Google gets sued to death after the first couple people wearing them get killed.
I certainly would never vote to convict anyone who beats the crap out of anyone wearing them.
Bev, The link doesn't work, but I think I know what you're referencing and I am definitely doing my part... WALL-E people.
Of course, that assumes the angry Lego people don't get us first: LEGO Morlocks
Yes! I was trying to do the link from my Ipad and it obviously wasn't working! Thanks.
That is what I envision except we will only have pointer fingers. We will have no need to do anything but push a button and all of our needs will be met...but then a little benevolent robot will show us the errors of our ways. And we will be saved! YEY!
***NEWS FLASH***
Kim Kardashian just had her baby! Now the evolutionary downturn for humanity into the idiocracy has begun in earnest.
***End News Flash***
Oh, and in other new - It's looks like Iran has elected a "moderate" as President. No more Imadinnerjacket after August 1. The world weeps...
"in the year 2525, if man is still alive, if woman can survive, they may find..."
so we're going to start looking like Puss in Boots when he wants something...? I hate those creepy, big-eyed cat pix
In 100K years, if cats haven't figured out how to use a can opener and take over the world, I figure not much will have changed...
Bev, Just pointer figures. Yeah, probably true. :(
I saw that about Iran. Ironically, they're new President may like us better than Obama does.
Kim K had her baby huh? President Dwayne Elizondo Mountain Dew Herbert Camacho is born.
rlaWTX, I'm doubting cats will ever figure out how to use a can opener. We're keeping them down with welfare... no need to learn when humans will do it for you.
rlaWTX and Andrew - Did you read the latest study about how cats are ruining the ecosystem because...now this may shock you, so go sit down...ready? When you put them outside, they go hunting and kill birds, rats, mice, squirrels, and all sorts of other smaller creatures - millions of them! I, for one, was just STUNNED with the findings! Who would ever imagine that the common house cat hunts?? We should do something about this right away before they march on Washington...you know that cats watch you while you sleep plotting their revenge, right?
Killer Cats!
No, Bev, we'll keep our thumbs, too. For old-skool video games.
Also, the spelling of "school" will be officially changed to "skool."
Odds on the Iranian president-elect's survival through the summer?
I'd like to keep my thumbs. They're useful.
Bev, I am simply floored to hear that cats hunt. I've never heard of such a thing! I hope that whoever got paid to study that was well paid in angry Lego men.
Okay, then we will have to form an underground society of Thumb'ed People because for most the thumbs will just atrophy, much like their brains have already done.
Yeah, what is with the angry Lego men? I think it's Danish plot to undermine happiness and take over the world. They will then force us to eat their famous pastries and be blond! Wait, except for the blond part, I see no problem with that...
Tryanmax - I was about to place the same bet about Iran...sad, isn't it?
You guys may laugh about cats and such, but given the logic of the environmental movement, it was only a matter of time before some blame got laid at the feet of domesticated animals for global warming, ecosystem destruction, etc. If this vegan thing ever catches on, I seriously expect to hear a few of the radicals start calling for the wholesale slaughter of methane-producing cattle.
T-Rav - I think they already HAVE called for the wholesale slaughter of cattle. And according the article I linked to about cats, there is a "war" expected between cat lovers and "nature" lovers. Exterminate the cats to save the field mouse.
Bev amd T-Rav, The head of the UN committee that is pushing global warming is an Indian who practices vegetarianism and he has said that (while we apparently are not supposed to touch his sacred cows) us westerners need to stop eating beef because it causes global warming.
To that I say, "F*ck you, sir... with a cattle prod."
Bev, I'm all for creating an Underground Society of Thumb'ed People. :)
there is a "war" expected between cat lovers and "nature" lovers.
What we need are cats the size of Labrador Retrivers, then molon labe baby. That would also take care of the exploding coyote population at the same time.
K, We've got quite a few of those up in the hills already... their natural diet is apparently house pets and hikers.
If you're talking about genetically mutating cats to become that size, then I would absolutely condone shooting them.
Kids, this is what happens when your looking at your PDA.
And someone slaps you on the back.
LOL! Max, Do you remember "One Crazy Summer"?
I knew you would get that. I really liked that those little girls kept scaring people through the film. Plus Bobcat in a Godzilla suit. Not quite up there with the two dollar gag, but still very funny.
I wish Steve Holland did more movies like that.
I'm only aware of two, but he did do some shows on Disney Channel. They had the same flavor, but not nearly as funny.
I got another one,
"Everybody loves Hypnopeople".
"Eyes will also develop in other ways - that would seem startling from our viewpoint today - with new features including eye-shine enhance low-light vision and even a sideways blink from re-constituted plica semilunaris to help protect our eyes from cosmic rays. Skin will also become more pigmented to help alleviate the damage by harmful UV radiation outside of the earth’s protective ozone."
Radiation to which we will never be exposed because it will kill us? Did we develop gills because we live on a planet that´s mostly covered in water? Nope. We just don´t live in the water. This guy ain´t no scientist.
El Gordo, as I said above, there needs to be evolutionary pressure for these things to happen, and humans advanced beyond responding to those pressures biologically a long time ago--as have several other species.
El Gordo and tryanmax, I think this guy fundamentally misunderstands evolution. The theory is that living things evolve in response to selective breeding or environmental stimuli that put survival at risk. It's not that things evolve in response to whatever you can find around you... oh look, a car! Now my butt will be shaped like a car seat!
Max, I don't recognize the reference. I do know the Hypnotoad.
So humnas are going to modify their genes to get perfect symmetry and beauty and this will equate to coke bottle glasses inside the skull...
hmmmm
Tryanmax, exactly. If evolutionary pressure worked like that, Australians would eventually become black. And blacks in Chicago would become white! Could they still be accused of "acting white"? The mind boggles.
Oh, and those big eyes? Larger target area for flies. Easier to shoot out, too. Bet you didn´t think about that Mr Scientist.
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