Human beings are formed by evolution. Does human beings evolve into something else?
Human beings are formed by evolution. Does human beings evolve into something else?
Yes.
There are three lines of evidence that suggest we are still evolving. First, as the cost of sequencing human genomes has declined, genome data from a diversity of human populations have become available, providing insight into our recent evolutionary past. Researchers have found telltale signs of natural selection altering genes related to protection from infectious diseases, and the ability to tolerate dietary changes, intense UV radiation from sunlight and the decreased oxygen in mountainous regions.
Second, population records like those kept by governments and churches show that changes in the timing of life events like births and deaths have continued to evolve through natural selection. A common theme in such studies is that natural selection favors women who become mothers at an earlier age, as women who do so tend to have more children over the span of their lifetime. That this evolutionary pressure to reproduce at a younger age conflicts with societal trends toward delaying reproduction highlights why we need to better understand how evolution is progressing — cultural and evolutionary forces can act in opposition to one another.
The third line of evidence for ongoing human evolution comes from large scale biomedical studies like the Framingham Heart Study, which began in 1948 as an effort to understand the causes of heart disease. It continues today, with three generations of participants contributing to what has become the longest running multigenerational study in medical history.
There are three lines of evidence that suggest we are still evolving.
First, as the cost of sequencing human genomes has declined, genome data from a diversity of human populations have become available, providing insight into our recent evolutionary past. Researchers have found telltale signs of natural selection altering genes related to protection from infectious diseases, and the ability to tolerate dietary changes, intense UV radiation from sunlight and the decreased oxygen in mountainous regions.
Second, population records like those kept by governments and churches show that changes in the timing of life events like births and deaths have continued to evolve through natural selection. A common theme in such studies is that natural selection favors women who become mothers at an earlier age, as women who do so tend to have more children over the span of their lifetime. That this evolutionary pressure to reproduce at a younger age conflicts with societal trends toward delaying reproduction highlights why we need to better understand how evolution is progressing — cultural and evolutionary forces can act in opposition to one another.
The third line of evidence for ongoing human evolution comes from large scale biomedical studies like the Framingham Heart Study, which began in 1948 as an effort to understand the causes of heart disease. It continues today, with three generations of participants contributing to what has become the longest running multigenerational study in medical history.
