Horizon - Have Humans Stopped Evolving?

[skeptical]

To Dave.

Hmmmmm!

Sorry, cannot agree. Beauty is highly variable. Look at Angelina Jolie, the young Elisabeth Taylor, Marilyn Monroe, Sophia Loren, Raquel Welch, Cameron Diaz, Aishwarya Rai, Waris Dirie, Lucy Liu .................................

Sometimes I can't stop looking.

To create a world in which half the human species looks that good? Lead me to it!

 

[Dave]

It just won't work the way you think it will. People will go to their personal Geneticist and ask him for "a child like that!" in the same way they visit their Cosmetic Surgeon or their Hairdresser. Everything will be determined by fashion. Do you really want a future population to be the equivalent of a 'Beehive' or a 'Mohican'? You are thinking of some kind of benevolent council of elders deciding these things for the betterment of the human race, but think instead of the "Jeremy Kyle Show" audiences!

 

[skeptical]

Dave

There has been a lot of scientific research into physical beauty. Some things appear to be long term, not items of fashion. For example : bilateral symmetry is always desirable, in males and females.

A waist to hip ratio of about 0.7 for women is a mark of a good figure. Smooth skin and firm, high breasts also for women. Ditto a heart shaped face and large eyes.

A man with a firm jaw is considered more attractive, in any society, regardless of fashion. Similarly the 'carrot shaped physique', with wide shoulders and narrower hips, is a mark of male beauty in any culture.

Fashion appears to have less effect on ideas of physical beauty than you might think. Some perceptions appear to be hard wired.

 

[The Procrastinator]

There's no question about it, humans are still evolving and we won't need genetic engineering with its pesky patents etc to continue our species' march to superiority! Lets face it there are more left handed people now than ever before! We are more intelligent, better at sport, and more creative than right handed people. Its about time the ridiculous prejudices held against us are recognised for what they always were - jealousy. We are on the rise - evolution is proceeding nicely thanks.

 

[Vertigo]

Unfortunately I don't think there are really more left-handed people but we have simply (for the most part) stopped trying to force them to be right handed. You are all so sinister...

 

[Karn Maeshalanadae]

There's no question about it, humans are still evolving and we won't need genetic engineering with its pesky patents etc to continue our species' march to superiority! Lets face it there are more left handed people now than ever before! We are more intelligent, better at sport, and more creative than right handed people. Its about time the ridiculous prejudices held against us are recognised for what they always were - jealousy. We are on the rise - evolution is proceeding nicely thanks.

You're bringing up an interesting point here, Procrastinator. semi-unnatural evolution-and I don't mean genetic engineering.


Here, if you're confused about what I'm talking about, say there is a mutation in someone-this is where the only natural part will come in really-that allows a person a resistance or even immunity to radioactivity. Now, say that person produces some offspring with that same gene, and say an atomic war breaks out. Assuming that parent and/or is offspring survive the physical attacks, but our planet for the most part does not, they would have a much better chance of survival in such a world and as a result, any possible offspring from such people would be able to pass that radioactivity resistance onward to the human race, and in time, those without it would be eliminated.


Hence a semi-man-made state of evolution. Of course, such things without genetic engineering DO need a natural base, but mankind can certainly put a giant spring in it.


Do I think nature's done tinkering with us? Perhaps for the most part, but I think with our advancing technology and wastes I think we're forcing her to take a second look at things.