Comments on: The Future of Evolution: What Will We Become? http://derrenbrown.co.uk/blog/2009/11/future-evolution/ The official Derren Brown Blog Mon, 07 May 2012 09:24:14 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1 By: Travis Cottreau http://derrenbrown.co.uk/blog/2009/11/future-evolution/#comment-45325 Travis Cottreau Sun, 22 Nov 2009 21:51:31 +0000 http://derrenbrown.co.uk/blog/?p=7942#comment-45325 The simple fact is, evolution has already selected for larger brain size (and thus larger skull sizes) despite it being a detriment to human births. This leads to humans being born underdeveloped and needing far more care early on than other primates. There must have been some reason it was increasing in size faster than any other brain in the animal kingdom - truly an exceptional evolution event despite the fact that it was making births more and more difficult. I think it still counts as a bit of a mystery so far. We don't know why the brain increased in size, since any advantage it represents now would have been undeveloped and we aren't sure if they would have been an advantage at the time. The simple fact is, evolution has already selected for larger brain size (and thus larger skull sizes) despite it being a detriment to human births. This leads to humans being born underdeveloped and needing far more care early on than other primates.

There must have been some reason it was increasing in size faster than any other brain in the animal kingdom – truly an exceptional evolution event despite the fact that it was making births more and more difficult.

I think it still counts as a bit of a mystery so far. We don’t know why the brain increased in size, since any advantage it represents now would have been undeveloped and we aren’t sure if they would have been an advantage at the time.

]]> By: Jay http://derrenbrown.co.uk/blog/2009/11/future-evolution/#comment-45076 Jay Sun, 22 Nov 2009 00:37:04 +0000 http://derrenbrown.co.uk/blog/?p=7942#comment-45076 Basic wants from evolution i would like....would love the fact i could pick ha ha ha... Wings....yes i want wings so i can fly for once. Night vision....i wanna be able to see everything at night. Super hearing...i wanna be able to hear everything too. Venom...yes some kind of toxic venom so any man that did me wrong...well i could just bite him and then make him beg for the anti venom ha ha ha ha ha. Basic wants from evolution i would like….would love the fact i could pick ha ha ha…

Wings….yes i want wings so i can fly for once.
Night vision….i wanna be able to see everything at night.
Super hearing…i wanna be able to hear everything too.
Venom…yes some kind of toxic venom so any man that did me wrong…well i could just bite him and then make him beg for the anti venom ha ha ha ha ha.

]]> By: jibjib http://derrenbrown.co.uk/blog/2009/11/future-evolution/#comment-44761 jibjib Fri, 20 Nov 2009 23:58:46 +0000 http://derrenbrown.co.uk/blog/?p=7942#comment-44761 Of course we can have bigger brains....our bodies will will just get smaller....we will be ultra ripped umpa lumpas just to carry the weight our fat cranium. Of course we can have bigger brains….our bodies will will just get smaller….we will be ultra ripped umpa lumpas just to carry the weight our fat cranium.

]]> By: ScreamingGreenConure http://derrenbrown.co.uk/blog/2009/11/future-evolution/#comment-44590 ScreamingGreenConure Fri, 20 Nov 2009 11:58:26 +0000 http://derrenbrown.co.uk/blog/?p=7942#comment-44590 Things do not always co-evolve in ways we would like. A large-headed baby is not necessarily going to have a mother with the body structure to handle that, and difficulties in birthing (seriously guys, people all over the world do not have access to caesarians) might make that head size something to be selected against - there would be less chance of surviving birth and so the possible advantages of a larger head wouldn't come into play. Things do not always co-evolve in ways we would like. A large-headed baby is not necessarily going to have a mother with the body structure to handle that, and difficulties in birthing (seriously guys, people all over the world do not have access to caesarians) might make that head size something to be selected against – there would be less chance of surviving birth and so the possible advantages of a larger head wouldn’t come into play.

]]> By: Andy C http://derrenbrown.co.uk/blog/2009/11/future-evolution/#comment-44545 Andy C Fri, 20 Nov 2009 08:33:19 +0000 http://derrenbrown.co.uk/blog/?p=7942#comment-44545 "whoever wrote this sentence needs to learn what the hell evolution is. Of course humans are still evolving, all biological organisms are constantly evolving through random mutations." Mutation != evolution. “whoever wrote this sentence needs to learn what the hell evolution is. Of course humans are still evolving, all biological organisms are constantly evolving through random mutations.”

Mutation != evolution.

]]> By: superlogical http://derrenbrown.co.uk/blog/2009/11/future-evolution/#comment-44532 superlogical Fri, 20 Nov 2009 06:29:04 +0000 http://derrenbrown.co.uk/blog/?p=7942#comment-44532 I disagree... One day, a lady with a very large vagina will give birth to a baby with a very large brain. From there we will evolve into superhumans with telekinetic powers.. lol. Who knows? In the future we might just genetically modify ourselves to have larger brains and skulls using super-advanced technology. I have a feeling technology will play a huge role in humanity's future and the evolution of our species. I disagree… One day, a lady with a very large vagina will give birth to a baby with a very large brain. From there we will evolve into superhumans with telekinetic powers.. lol. Who knows? In the future we might just genetically modify ourselves to have larger brains and skulls using super-advanced technology. I have a feeling technology will play a huge role in humanity’s future and the evolution of our species.

]]> By: FT http://derrenbrown.co.uk/blog/2009/11/future-evolution/#comment-44503 FT Fri, 20 Nov 2009 02:42:40 +0000 http://derrenbrown.co.uk/blog/?p=7942#comment-44503 vaginas would just get bigger too vaginas would just get bigger too

]]> By: Jay http://derrenbrown.co.uk/blog/2009/11/future-evolution/#comment-44461 Jay Thu, 19 Nov 2009 22:58:20 +0000 http://derrenbrown.co.uk/blog/?p=7942#comment-44461 Strange that they do not mention the latest finding. A tribe of people in Papua New Guinea have already evolved. After years of practicing cannibalism (until the practive was banned in the 1950s) these people have developed a mutated gene that has made them immune to a variant of CJD (mad cow disease) The tribe, who ate family members after they have died as a mark of respect have developed a gene mutation G127V and it is only found in people of the Purosa valley region of the Eastern Highlands. A fascinating sight into Darwin's evolutionary theory at work and of course natural selection in action. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/8364603.stm Strange that they do not mention the latest finding.
A tribe of people in Papua New Guinea have already evolved. After years of practicing cannibalism (until the practive was banned in the 1950s) these people have developed a mutated gene that has made them immune to a variant of CJD (mad cow disease)
The tribe, who ate family members after they have died as a mark of respect have developed a gene mutation G127V and it is only found in people of the Purosa valley region of the Eastern Highlands.

A fascinating sight into Darwin’s evolutionary theory at work and of course natural selection in action.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/8364603.stm

]]> By: Nopke http://derrenbrown.co.uk/blog/2009/11/future-evolution/#comment-44453 Nopke Thu, 19 Nov 2009 22:07:35 +0000 http://derrenbrown.co.uk/blog/?p=7942#comment-44453 There are no real signs of evolving humans. It's more the exact opposite. It keeps struggling against new threats .. humans try to develop stuff to keep us on top, alive. That's the only thing we should have seen probably. A constant struggle to live, to cope with life. And we make it only harder by our so called high tech developmental structures. That might be the thing that leads to the end of human life. It might be a new species that once will develop, but no longer attached to us, humans. Or we are not what science likes to see in us. We might be elsewhere all the time as well .. We might be part of a larger structure, not only here on planet earth, but also elsewhere .. no longer individuals but a bit as with MPS but then as one system, not able to work it on their own .. cooperating .. using way larger systems than one human. There are no real signs of evolving humans. It’s more the exact opposite. It keeps struggling against new threats .. humans try to develop stuff to keep us on top, alive. That’s the only thing we should have seen probably. A constant struggle to live, to cope with life. And we make it only harder by our so called high tech developmental structures. That might be the thing that leads to the end of human life. It might be a new species that once will develop, but no longer attached to us, humans.
Or we are not what science likes to see in us. We might be elsewhere all the time as well .. We might be part of a larger structure, not only here on planet earth, but also elsewhere .. no longer individuals but a bit as with MPS but then as one system, not able to work it on their own .. cooperating .. using way larger systems than one human.

]]> By: ScreamingGreenConure http://derrenbrown.co.uk/blog/2009/11/future-evolution/#comment-44434 ScreamingGreenConure Thu, 19 Nov 2009 21:04:54 +0000 http://derrenbrown.co.uk/blog/?p=7942#comment-44434 You guys all know that sexual selection still applies, right? You guys all know that sexual selection still applies, right?

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