What Does Natural Selection Hold For Humanity?

<< We always hear how our evolutionary psychology is dangerously out of date, but is it possible for
natural selection to make any major changes to the current state of the human being?

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Evolution is always occurring, but real changes happen after environmental changes occur. The next
change in the human being will follow a natural (or unnatural) trauma in our species.

Representative Trantis said:

Given that ,certainly in western society, it is possible for everyone to have 2.4 children, and
modern medicine can ensure that the vast majority of

Quoted message said:

couples can have children, what does natural selection hold for us?

We always hear how our evolutionary psychology is dangerously out of date, but is it possible for
natural selection to make any major changes to the current state of the human being?

Natural selection places no limits except reproduction on a species. Our technology is enabling a
wider range of variation to survive to reproduce, so the avenues of future evolution are greatly
multiplied. Future human evolution will be more heavily influenced by culture and technology than
natural selection.

Ron Okimoto

Representative Trantis <[email hidden]> wrote or quoted:

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Given that ,certainly in western society, it is possible for everyone to have 2.4 children [...]

``Census: Record number of women are childless''

Hare is among 26.7 million women ages 15 to 44 who are childless, a record number, according to
new Census Bureau data from a June 2002 survey. The number of women foregoing or putting off
motherhood - nearly 44 percent - has grown nearly 10 percent since 1990, when roughly 24.3 million
were in that class. [...]''

The percentage of women 40 to 44 - those at the end of their childbearing years - who have not
given birth has hovered around 18 percent since 1994, but that's up from 10 percent in 1976. [...]

Just over half of Asian women were childless, the highest rate among race and ethnic groups.
It was 46 percent for non-Hispanic whites, 39 percent for blacks and 36 percent for
Hispanics. [...]''

- cmonitor.com102503childless 2003.shtmlOpen ↗
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|im |yler timtyler.orgtimtyler.orgOpen ↗ [email hidden] Remove lock to reply.

(this is a resend)

<< We always hear how our evolutionary psychology is dangerously out of date, but is it possible for
natural selection to make any major changes to the current state of the human being?

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Here's one way of looking at it.

As adaptation fitness increases, stabilizing selection increases and directional and diversifying
selection decreases (and vice versa as adaptation fitness decreases)

Now apply this model to humans. Right now we have high environmental adaptive fitness - that would
suggest stabilizing selection. You would then expect directional and diversifying selection to be
low at this time, and to stay that way until our adaptive fitness lowers too.

If adaptive fitness lowers, then directional and diversifying selection will increase.

Tom Hendricks

"Bobraygun" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

<< We always hear how our evolutionary psychology is dangerously out of

date,

Quoted message said:

but is it possible for natural selection to make any major changes to the current state of the
human being?

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Evolution is always occurring, but real changes happen after environmental changes occur. The next
change in the human being will follow a natural

(or

Quoted message said:

unnatural) trauma in our species.

Modern life is an environmental change like no other to happen in nature. Who knows what the result
will be, but medicine will certainly have an impact. People with defects that would be fatal in more
primitive times now live to reproduce. These may be small compared to a major trauma, though. One
thing that does worry me is all the morons spawning at the local wal-mart.

On Mon, 10 Nov 2003 04:18:44 +0000 (UTC),
Bobraygun <[email hidden]> wrote:

[snip]

Quoted message said:

Evolution is always occurring, but real changes happen after environmental changes occur. The next
change in the human being will follow a natural (or unnatural) trauma in our species.

Do you believe that we are perfectly adapted to our environment?

This is a logical conclusion from what you say but it doesn't make a lot of sense. If we aren't
perfectly adapted to our present environment then there's room for lots of evolution without any
change in the environment. The only way that environmental change could be the rate-limiting event
is if we have already completed all of the evolution that's necessary to adapt to the present
environment. Is that what you believe?

Larry Moran

My impression is that evolution have painted mankind into a corner (that I call AEVASIVE), and that
the paint won't ever dry before we are all extinct. But, how long till then nobody knows. So let's
just keep on keeping on! %-] P

"Bobraygun" <[email hidden]> wrote in message "]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

<< We always hear how our evolutionary psychology is dangerously out of

date,

Quoted message said:

but is it possible for natural selection to make any major changes to the current state of the
human being?

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Evolution is always occurring, but real changes happen after environmental changes occur. The next
change in the human being will follow a natural

(or

Quoted message said:

unnatural) trauma in our species.

"M C" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

"Bobraygun" <[email hidden]> wrote in message "]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

<< We always hear how our evolutionary psychology is dangerously out of

date,

Quoted message said:

but is it possible for natural selection to make any major changes to

the

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

current state of the human being?

Quoted message said:

>

Evolution is always occurring, but real changes happen after

environmental

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

changes occur. The next change in the human being will follow a natural

(or

Quoted message said:

unnatural) trauma in our species.

Modern life is an environmental change like no other to happen in nature. Who knows what the
result will be, but medicine will certainly have an impact. People with defects that would be
fatal in more primitive times

now

Quoted message said:

live to reproduce. These may be small compared to a major trauma, though. One thing that does
worry me is all the morons spawning at the local wal-mart.

Indeed Darwin himself in Descent stated that vaccination had already saved many that would
ordinarily have been killed by smallpox....

Here's one way of looking at it.

As adaptation fitness increases, stabilizing selection increases and directional and diversifying
selection decreases (and vice versa as adaptation fitness decreases)

Now apply this model to humans. Right now we have high environmental adaptive fitness - that would
suggest stabilizing selection. You would then expect directional and diversifying selection to be
low at this time, and to stay that way until our adaptive fitness lowers too.

If adaptive fitness lowers, then directional and diversifying selection will increase.

Tom Hendricks