Human species 'may split in two'

[The Lawspeaker]

Human species 'may split in two'

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. People would become choosier about their sexual partners, causing humanity to divide into sub-species, he added.

The descendants of the genetic upper class would be tall, slim, healthy, attractive, intelligent, and creative and a far cry from the "underclass" humans who would have evolved into dim-witted, ugly, squat goblin-like creatures.

Race 'ironed out'
But in the nearer future, humans will evolve in 1,000 years into giants between 6ft and 7ft tall, he predicts, while life-spans will have extended to 120 years, Dr Curry claims.
Physical appearance, driven by indicators of health, youth and fertility, will improve, he says, while men will exhibit symmetrical facial features, look athletic, and have squarer jaws, deeper voices and bigger penises.

Women, on the other hand, will develop lighter, smooth, hairless skin, large clear eyes, pert breasts, glossy hair, and even features, he adds. Racial differences will be ironed out by interbreeding, producing a uniform race of coffee-coloured people.

However, Dr Curry warns, in 10,000 years time humans may have paid a genetic price for relying on technology.
Spoiled by gadgets designed to meet their every need, they could come to resemble domesticated animals.

Receding chins
Social skills, such as communicating and interacting with others, could be lost, along with emotions such as love, sympathy, trust and respect. People would become less able to care for others, or perform in teams.
Physically, they would start to appear more juvenile. Chins would recede, as a result of having to chew less on processed food.
There could also be health problems caused by reliance on medicine, resulting in weak immune systems. Preventing deaths would also help to preserve the genetic defects that cause cancer.

Further into the future, sexual selection - being choosy about one's partner - was likely to create more and more genetic inequality, said Dr Curry.
The logical outcome would be two sub-species, "gracile" and "robust" humans similar to the Eloi and Morlocks foretold by HG Wells in his 1895 novel The Time Machine.

"While science and technology have the potential to create an ideal habitat for humanity over the next millennium, there is a possibility of a monumental genetic hangover over the subsequent millennia due to an over-reliance on technology reducing our natural capacity to resist disease, or our evolved ability to get along with each other, said Dr Curry.
He carried out the report for men's satellite TV channel Bravo.


Source: BBC NEWS, 17 October 2006

[Loki]

... and to think that someone was probably paid nice money to come up with this bullshit. Pseudo-PC-science if you ask me.

[Vulpix]

This is the point that fully reveals this "study"'s politically correct agenda:

Racial differences will be ironed out by interbreeding, producing a uniform race of coffee-coloured people.

[The Lawspeaker]

This is the point that fully reveals this "study"'s politically correct agenda:

Exactly. I already thought that the story would be a bit far-fetched.

[Skandi]

coffee colour so..

[The Lawspeaker]

coffee colour so..

Sounds like a very murky nightmare rather then a bright future.

[stormlord]

Quite aside from the race issue, the guy is clearly a moron; we'll have receding chins because we'll eat less solid foods? That's Lamarckian genetics, a giraffe strecthing to eat doesn't pass along a stretched neck to its offspring, a random mutation that happens to be useful is selected for. No one finds chinless people attractive and there's no selective advantage to having no chin.

And why would the underclass be short? the members of the underclass are likely to experience the same attraction to taller people as the upper class so why would they become shorter.

We'll become seven feet tall? Why? He provides no reason, will people select for seven foot tall mates? Why aren't they doing so now?

Really, the guy obvious knows what he's talking about so why would he spew tripe like this?

[Brynhild]

I would take that article with a grain of salt myself, but I had thought lately about the current trend of humanity - in terms of growth and development.

For example - in my views of how women are developing - when I was growing up, I was among the tallest - and to some extent I still am. That is changing among the younger women who are coming through - at least among the more Germanic/Slavic.

What I have noticed among the more darker skinned types is that they don't seem to be changing in terms of height. This is probably the wrong place to ask such a question, but the article reminded me of the differences that I've seen among the fair and not so fair - in particular the women. Could it be diet? Lifestyle? Genetics? It certainly provides much food for thought - especially in light of how much miscegenation is going on.

[Baron Samedi]

This is such a horseshit article.

I hate reading this crap, and the scary thing is people in my anthropology department believe this kinda stuff to be true.

[Crose]

Social skills, such as communicating and interacting with others, could be lost, along with emotions such as love, sympathy, trust and respect. People would become less able to care for others, or perform in teams.

I see this daily.