| Creation & Evolution Forum for the discussion of this important topic. This forum is open to non-believers. There is a Christians-only forum in the Christians-only section too. |
 | | 
9th July 2002, 01:11 PM
|  | god told me he doesnt exist
28 
| | Join Date: 4th July 2002 Location: Montana
Posts: 222
Blessings: 91,285
Reps: 10 (power: 0) | |  we still evolving
I was wondering if any of the science wizzes could tell me if humans, as a species, are still evolving. With my limited understanding of evolution, I figured that with drugs, cars, fast food and surgery many factors of natural selection no longer applied to us. However, I have spoken with others who also share my limited understanding of evolution and they tried to explain we were still evolving some how.
I think the answer to this question will significantly ground any misconceptions I have of evolution.
__________________
"With very few exceptions, the religion which a man accepts is that of the community in which he lives, which makes it obvious that the influence of environment is what has led him to accept the religion in question." -Bertrand Russell
"I don't know that Atheists should be considered as citizens, nor should they be considered patriots. This is one nation under God." -- George Bush |
9th July 2002, 01:32 PM
|  | Untitled One
36   
| | Join Date: 6th June 2002
Posts: 2,737
Blessings: 91,368
Reps: 20 (power: 0) | | | We have a large gene pool, large generation time, and a great deal of intermixing. Human evolution is going to be slow.
There's a nice new allele (lowers your risk of heart attack drastically) working it's way through the population. Showed up about 400 years ago in Italy. It's not gotten very far. Come back in 20 thousand years or so, and you might find a good chunk of the population with a much lower chance of heart attack. |
9th July 2002, 03:37 PM
| | god told me he doesnt exist
28
| | Join Date: 4th July 2002 Location: Montana
Posts: 222
Blessings: 91,285
Reps: 10 (power: 0) | | Originally posted by Morat
There's a nice new allele (lowers your risk of heart attack drastically) working it's way through the population. Showed up about 400 years ago in Italy. It's not gotten very far. Come back in 20 thousand years or so, and you might find a good chunk of the population with a much lower chance of heart attack.
So, you're saying that although its insanely slow because of such a huge population, it is happening? And it only works for stuff that can still kill us such as heart attacks? I take it, then, that we're not getting any smarter or stronger as the years go by either...
__________________
"With very few exceptions, the religion which a man accepts is that of the community in which he lives, which makes it obvious that the influence of environment is what has led him to accept the religion in question." -Bertrand Russell
"I don't know that Atheists should be considered as citizens, nor should they be considered patriots. This is one nation under God." -- George Bush |
9th July 2002, 03:47 PM
|  | <font color="#880000" ></font>The sum of everything = zero
 
| | Join Date: 5th April 2002
Posts: 1,973
Blessings: 92,992
Reps: 143,091 (power: 154) | | | A predispostion to heart attacks (as occurs in our population) would not be under evolutionary constraints. Most people who die of heart attacks do so long after they have reproduced and passed thier genes on to thier offspring. Currently most human evolution is shaped by sexual preferences rather then envrionmental pressures/opportunities. Take for example the inhabitants of the solomon islands. One population evolved to have the darkest skin on earth, while the population on a neighboring island evolved to have an olive colored skin. SInce both populaitons are related and the climatic condiditons are nearly identical, the most likely explanation is mate selection. |
9th July 2002, 04:07 PM
| | Untitled One
36
| | Join Date: 6th June 2002
Posts: 2,737
Blessings: 91,368
Reps: 20 (power: 0) | | So, you're saying that although its insanely slow because of such a huge population, it is happening? And it only works for stuff that can still kill us such as heart attacks? I take it, then, that we're not getting any smarter or stronger as the years go by either...
My point was that new alleles spread slowly in such a large population, with so few isolated groups.
Further, the frequency of existing alleles is slow to change for the exact same reason.
But I would certainly agree with Cretaceous that sexual selection plays the biggest role. After all, what people look for in a mate now is quite different than what they looked for a thousand years ago, or even a couple of hundred. |
9th July 2002, 04:16 PM
| | god told me he doesnt exist
28
| | Join Date: 4th July 2002 Location: Montana
Posts: 222
Blessings: 91,285
Reps: 10 (power: 0) | | | so, natural selection in conjunction with selective reproduction is the key to evolution, no? seems I did have a firm grasp on evolution... thanks
__________________
"With very few exceptions, the religion which a man accepts is that of the community in which he lives, which makes it obvious that the influence of environment is what has led him to accept the religion in question." -Bertrand Russell
"I don't know that Atheists should be considered as citizens, nor should they be considered patriots. This is one nation under God." -- George Bush |
9th July 2002, 04:22 PM
| | Senior Member
32
| | Join Date: 19th June 2002 Location: KCK
Posts: 501
Blessings: 91,260
Reps: 18 (power: 0) | | Originally posted by Raging Atheist
So, you're saying that although its insanely slow because of such a huge population, it is happening? And it only works for stuff that can still kill us such as heart attacks? I take it, then, that we're not getting any smarter or stronger as the years go by either...
Human evolution sort of must be going on. The only way you could have a population that is not evolving is if no mutations were taking place and the allelic frequencies of the individuals leaving the population were identical to the allelic frequencies of the individuals joining the population. Neither seem very likely. |
9th July 2002, 04:28 PM
| | Senior Member
32
| | Join Date: 19th June 2002 Location: KCK
Posts: 501
Blessings: 91,260
Reps: 18 (power: 0) | | Originally posted by Raging Atheist
so, natural selection in conjunction with selective reproduction is the key to evolution, no? seems I did have a firm grasp on evolution... thanks
"Key" to evolution? Sort of. They are mechanisms of evolution. They cause evolution to occur by changing the genetic make-up of a population.
They aren't the only mechanisms though. Genetic drift, gene flow, and mutations also play important roles.
Last edited by DrLao; 9th July 2002 at 04:32 PM.
|
9th July 2002, 04:30 PM
| | god told me he doesnt exist
28
| | Join Date: 4th July 2002 Location: Montana
Posts: 222
Blessings: 91,285
Reps: 10 (power: 0) | | | but does genetic drift and gene flow apply to humans?
__________________
"With very few exceptions, the religion which a man accepts is that of the community in which he lives, which makes it obvious that the influence of environment is what has led him to accept the religion in question." -Bertrand Russell
"I don't know that Atheists should be considered as citizens, nor should they be considered patriots. This is one nation under God." -- George Bush |
9th July 2002, 04:34 PM
| | Untitled One
36
| | Join Date: 6th June 2002
Posts: 2,737
Blessings: 91,368
Reps: 20 (power: 0) | | | Sure. What would stop it?
View it as...inertia. The larger the population, and the larger the generation time, the more inertia a species has, and the longer it takes to get even small results.
Isolate a portion, however, and you've suddenly got something a lot smaller to move. | | |
| Thread Tools | | | | Display Modes |  Linear Mode |
| | |
