The problem with these scientists is that they're like the rest of us. Short-sighted. They have no CLUE as to which evolutionary path we're going to take next. No one does. For better or for worse, it's gonna happen. Not in the next 10,000 years maybe, but it WILL happen. I don't think we're going to be prepared for it either. If we haven't killed each other off yet, anyway.

@Sylverfish: You've been watching too much X-men.

"Guns don't kill people....I DO!!"

Actually I've never seen X-Men lol
Only a few cartoons when I was a youngin

Now Yogi and Bobo! They were TRUE X-Men! Or bears in this case...

Yogi: "Smarter than the average bear." But not by much.

"Guns don't kill people....I DO!!"

Telekinesis would be cool

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I wouldn't worry about it too much. We'll all be dead or dying from poverty-induced starvation, genetically-engineered disease, uncontrollably hostile climate change and economic disaster by the end of the century. So our biological evolution (or not) is largely irrelevant.

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Ah, playing Deus Ex, I see.

Seriously, humanity is evolving: we're becoming fatter and more lazy.

___Corsair~MMIV

Ever wanted to discuss politics, war, religion? Ever wanted to discuss Civ3? Then go here!

Edited by - ~Corsair#01~ on 8/26/2004 11:49:05 AM

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Telekinesis would be cool

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I did read somewere that this was the most probable form of evolution, or was that just Starship Troopers...

I don't think i would really want it though. You would be able to "hear" anything bad someone was thinking about you. Although, admittedly, it would have its perks...

EDIT: Thank you, Telepathy. I was half right, it started with tele

Edited by - Bret Bretonian on 8/26/2004 12:29:02 PM

Telepathy is hearing people an what they think

Telekinisis is moving stuff with your mind

I want Pyrokinisis....BURNING THINGS!!!!

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One swift knee in the happy sacks an hell go down like anyone else!

Member of [Outcasts on Asgard

DakkaDakkaDakka all night long

hmmmmmm interesting point you have there.

actually, doctors and specialist physicians don't keep bad genome mutations alive, they aid them, the only way to ensure survival of bad mutations is to be fooksing with the human genome structure. which is under debate right now actually.

and otherwise, evolution is something thats inevitable, no matter how much you think about it, if you were to change every bad mutation, into a good mutation, you'd need to have a hundred years of research at the least to map out all the bad mutation, and after that, consider which are the good mutations and let them be passed on, with todays birth rate, you'd be facing an impossible task, every second, at least 2,000 infants are brought into the world, you would have to sort out all the genome mutations and possible other mutations, change the genome structure from getting good from a bad mutation, at literally 2,000 places at the same time, every second, not even a network of Computers would be able to cope with that, after two birthwaves, the comp would shortcircuit, and you'd have to have it fixed within a millisecond, and by the time you have all the genome mutations sorted out, I think its safe to say the Birth rate has nearly quintuplicated, what im saying?? its nigh on impossible to control the ENTIRE evolutionary structure.

But then again, thats what I believe..

What is "good" or "bad?" Genes are genes, we wouldn't want to kill them all off and be a group of standardized super humans. One disease could wipe us all off the face of the plannet. Who knows, maybe a recessive trait for some horrible disease acts like an antidote (like sickle cell and malaria). Keep as many genes as you can alive, and maybe we'll survive the next plague. --- VH16

I am Nobody; Nobody is Perfect; Therefore, I am Perfect

Talking about Evolution:

Well - typically, in nature - its a surival of the fittest. An evolutionary development that wasn't beneficial would die out - like haemophiliacs where IF they get injured or cut - they naturally have such a low platelette count that the wound doesn't clot - and its possible to bleed to death.
People with that condition would die out alot quicker than they do nowadays. Humans are enabling the weaker and less "perfect" members of our species to survive and reproduce. Those bad genes are allowed to propogate and become included into our species. Simply put - we will have had an effect - look how intollerant we are towards simple illnesses and more! Heck - nowadays birth requires hospitals and midwives - but those never existed thousands of years ago in a cave!!!

So of course we have effects on evolution - but at the same time we propogate other effects as well - genetic engineering may make some diseases/conditions a thing of the past!

Yeah, and create new problems. As usually happens with so-called, "scientific progress." If you can call it that.

"Guns don't kill people....I DO!!"

@Chips, that's pretty much how I think. Too bad I won't be alive when humans finally do evolve into something else

Although kinda makes you wonder....would you really want to know what we'd evolve into?

Like perhaps a race that would reproduce asexually and therefore have no need for sex or reproductive organs. I'll take my flawed genetics thank you