Sunday, October 22, 2006

HG Wells Was Right?

This just in from the BBC:

Humanity may split into two sub-species in 100,000 years' time as predicted by HG Wells, an expert has said.

Evolutionary theorist Oliver Curry of the London School of Economics expects a genetic upper class and a dim-witted underclass to emerge.

The human race would peak in the year 3000, he said - before a decline due to dependence on technology.
An interesting article. I've long wondered about continued human evolution and what that would bring. What will be the environmental pressures of the future that will affect mate selection? How will this be impacted by technology that will allow humans to genetically design their children from the ground up? I think the most likely scenario is that in the future, no matter what DNA you start with, all humans will be tall, symmetrical, athletic and intelligent. Or maybe I just think that because I'm afraid my descendants will inevitably wind up in the "dim-witted underclass."

2 comments:

Jason W. said...

Let me try and summarize your deepest fears in two words: "Space Cajuns".
Am I right? Admit it.

Mike said...

If you knew what I know, you'd be afraid of Space Cajuns too.