Degeneration under domestication

[Gods_Mercenary]

And we'll live in an apocalyptic hell hole, cause we'll mess it up, as we do everything, just don't touch my genes.

[pikatore]

We won't be sprouting another set of legs anytime soon because we don't NEED to.

We have mastered the ultimate form of adaption, that is, completely synthisise the environment around us from the ground up. 'Evolution' for us may start to go into cybernetics and electronics. We might end up giving the word evolution a new meaning. All's not lost.

[Keith Hamburger]

Quote by: sevendogs Evolution never stops. We, Homo sapiens, continue to evolve. However, our evolution turns rather degenerative then progressive. ... Possibly, we will disappear from Earth just like trilobites or dinosaurs did in the past. Then, further evolution of life on this planet would continue without us. I am so sorry that I, or others, like me, would not be able to watch and investigate the story further....

The Marching Morons by C. M. Kornbluth. (1951)

Keith

[Keith Hamburger]

Quote by: sevendogs This is a typical series of believes in all powerful technology. Many Americans worship the technology, all kinds of silver bullets. In fact, we cannot control even a nationwide obesity problem. Global warming and massive decline of biodiversity are just a warning signs. Did we return any of the lost plants or animal species back? Did we create a new species to replace the lost one? We have genetic engineering, of course, but this is nothing, but just another form of pollution, the genetic pollution. Moving to other planets is good only for science fiction. Our brain is strong, but only to a point. We are prone to gambling, to all kinds of deadly addictions and believe in becoming suddenly rich without working, despite the brain power.

OK. So, I don't remember the title of the story itself, but I'm pretty sure it was from the 1950's or early 1960's. A family had survived in an apartment building after the Earth had been thrown out of its orbit. The entire atmosphere had frozen and they had used decidedly low tech means to live. They had layers and layers of blankets over the rooms in which they lived. And they had to go out and dig through the layers of frozen gases to obtain oxygen and nitrogen to heat to keep the atmosphere in their rooms breathable.

Fantastic? Probably. High tech solutions to major problems? Definitely not.

Would such a thing sustain humain life indefinitely? Probably not.

But, interesting concept and story, nonetheless.

Keith

[Compugasm]

Quote by: pahl It probably wont be long until we can manipulate genes completely. When we can design a human with perfect genes we will have no further use for evulotion.

I want reptile skin. I suppose it would be harder to clean, but more durable. Oh, and dual eyelids would be good. Thanks.

Quote by: Isherwood Remember Men in Black? Someday we may evolve into something like that little alien residing in the head of a exoskeleton android.

That would be awesome! I had a dream once that I was the pilot of one of those Battlemech things.

[Keith Hamburger]

Quote by: Compugasm I want reptile skin. I suppose it would be harder to clean, but more durable. Oh, and dual eyelids would be good. Thanks. That would be awesome! I had a dream once that I was the pilot of one of those Battlemech things.

I met K. Eric Drexler once. Not long after the publication of "The Engines of Creation". I, and a number of friends of mine spent a fascinating evening with him over drinks. Around 1987/88. His worse case scenario was that all of his predictions in his book would occur within 10 years. We're well past that. Best case was 30-50 years. The reasoning for that was that it would take at least that long for mankind to adjust to the introduction of dis-assemblers/assemblers. And, even worst case for him was that a strong government would take control of this technology, or arise in control of society, before the introduction of such technology.

We're well on the way to his fears of a strong government controlling society and using such a technology for evil purposes. Well on the way to his dreaded "grey goo" result.

But, as for your reptile skin, wouldn't you prefer scales of diamond? Diamond crystals supporting your skeleton? Perhaps grow wings, like an angel? Once we have the full nanotech capability, any of that is possible.

Keratin scales of a reptile? Definitely low tech.

Keith

[Compugasm]

Quote by: Keith Hamburger Keratin scales of a reptile? Definitely low tech.

I was envisioning the practical need of something better. Sure, diamond scales and wings sounds great. Get to work on that. I hate driving, and paper cuts.

[Pockets]

Quote by: Isherwood Well, I for one don't rail against it, I'm a great supporter. But I believe we need to be honest with ourselves about its effects on us and our society. Not all technology is productive, but we are no doubt headed into a more intensively technological future. There have always been the skeptics, the outsiders who aren't really outside but act like they are, that try to keep the game fair. Life's moderators. Those of us who use technology to bitch about technology. Yup, I'll be the guy blogging about how blogs are ruining the blogosphere. In a sense, it's a natural part of our evolution. We are adapting to a new tool we've invented. Just like we evolved when we first learned to use tools, when we developed language, when Ronco started selling the Vego-Matic. We invent the tool, then it becomes a factor in our adaptation. We even invented gods as a tool.

You are correct. The internet, or actually the pc, is a perfect example. There are programs out there that help persons with dyslexia read. However there are also programs that will do a High School students' math homework.
Only time will truly tell.