The End Of Man

[KT45]

This is probably not what you think. No religious stuff. I was wondering your opinion about the end of man or the beginning of the next stage of human evolution.

 

I'm not really an expert in any genetics but I guess the next stage would literally be the end of man. An age where men don't exist and women produce asexually. I heard some reports about 2 years ago that the Y chromosome is shrinking. There is a chance it could disappear completely. This would mean the end of the male sex. heres a link from a 2005 article with more info if you need it http://www.cnn.com/2005/SHOWBIZ/books/11/1...sary/index.html

 

Here are some quotes

"There's a body of evidence now that the Y chromosome is rotting at such a fast rate that it will go out of business in about 100,000 years,"

The report also says that the Y chromosome is stablizing. Does this mean it will never disappear?

Also I read else where that with cloning women wouldn't even need men to reproduce. They've already done it with mice

 

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/20...needsmales.html

Scientists led by Tomohiro Kono, a biologist at the Tokyo University of Agriculture, have created baby mice without the introduction of sperm. They combined the genetic contents of two mouse eggs—one of which had been genetically altered—to produce a live mouse that reached adulthood and reproduced.

 

For people more versed in science I have three questions.

 

If this did happen, humans producing asexually, would this even be considered evolution?

 

Is there a small chance of this happening in reality over the next 10 million years?

 

What is the next stage in evolutions for humans in your opinion?

 

Thanks for enlightening my ignorance

[JGJ@ReligionisBullshit]

I suppose that means that men are evolving into the perfect creatures...women.

[scitsofreaky]

Also I read else where that with cloning women wouldn't even need men to reproduce.

Well, with cloning and artificial uterus(which I've heard is being developed), men wouldn't need women. So ha.

If this did happen, humans producing asexually, would this even be considered evolution?

Why wouldn't this be considered evolution? Evolution is a change over time, and that would certainly be a change that took time.

Is there a small chance of this happening in reality over the next 10 million years?

Anything is possible, I suppose, but this seems unlikely, but that is just a gut feeling. Hopefully someone more knowledgable will give you a better answer.

What is the next stage in evolutions for humans in your opinion?

I think any response is pure speculation because evolutionary biology is retrospective in nature. Evolution isn't something that we can watch just in the present, but is a comparison between the past and present (or more recent). We can only see changes after they happen. Frankly, I wouldn't be surprised if (hu)man found a way to survive without major changes through genetic manipulation and cloning. I would be equally unsurprised if homo sapien became extinct and ending the human line and leaving no successor.

[Lycorth]

I'm not sure if humans reproducing asexually would be allowing for natural selection to take its course. Perhaps it still would, or at least try to, but humans tinkering with it will definitely alter how things turn out.

 

I suppose that means that men are evolving into the perfect creatures...women.

 

I could deal with being a woman, if the rest of humanity were female I'd still have my wonderful personality, be as dominant and assertive as I want, have pussy everywhere I go, and have a gorgeous bod to boot (I don't care how many girls say I'm attractive, "sexy" and the male figure just do not go together for me ).

[Fweethawt]

Well guys, it looks like it's time to put your head between your legs and kiss your dick goodbye.

 

[Material_Miser_Joe]

 

For people more versed in science I have three questions.

 

If this did happen, humans producing asexually, would this even be considered evolution?

 

Yes, it would. Technology factors into evolution. Even cabbages and brussel sprouts only go back a little ways. Man cultivated them, changing their evolution forever. Think about this on the level with our soceity's outlook on saving the weak and sick - why are their so many nuerological diseases around today? Why didn't we hear about all these endless lists of ailments 100 years ago? Because in man's efforts to use technology (medicine), he has saved the sick and enabled "flawed" genes to pass on. Mankind is passing these traits on. Hopefully, we will be able to handle anything that comes our way, but maybe not! Same is true of this. Technology will more drastically be able to change the human experience with time.

 

Is there a small chance of this happening in reality over the next 10 million years?

 

Oh, yes! But I doubt we even have that long. I'm thinking several thousand to fifty thousand years max. Don't forget, technology boosts us ahead so that we are no longer locked in longer epochs of small DNA changes at a time.

 

Let me say, the changes will occur thusly; As time progresses, the bigoted differences between the sexes will disappear. Physical strength and brute qualities of the man will be less and less in demand. Mankind will learn that sexuality is a apart of man's choice as a race, but as his brain continues to mature, conventional sex itself will be phased out. They'll be no need for it obviously. It will simply become a barbaric throw-back to a savage time. Even woman will have long since begun to be enhanced with all the subtle qualities of the man (what few she generally lacks), plus, her own many advantages she already has. The way I am picturing this, it will be very disconcerting for one of us to ever meet one of these folks. They would not have the typical reflexes and human internal/psychological characteristics of men and women as we know them today. It would be like seeing and talking to another race of beings. I, for one, would love to look ahead and see it, though I'm just dreaming!

 

What is the next stage in evolutions for humans in your opinion?

 

I am working on an outline for a book on this. here are the changes I've highlighted in order...

 

1. Flesh food to be abolished. It too will become barbaric and needless. Supplements relied on for most nourishment (this will be a slow change)

2. Euthanasia will become the norm at a certain age if a person is willing.

3. Cloning and artificial intelligence will ignite a huge debate in 70 or 100 years. It will be like the slavery issue, "what constitutes sentient life?"

4. Leaps in astronomy and physics will make space travel much more easy and workable to nearby stars.

5. Our planet will become slightly unstable...lots of turbulent disasters...will have to colonize the moon and Mars.

6. Sexes will merge.

 

Please understand, I'm not putting stock in these predictions, but given enough time, they are definitely on the map. Mankind is moving away from homegrown values and the things we and our parents have known. A part of it is shocking, even scary, but with or without us, time will move on!

 

(JH)

 

 

[pandora]

Well, I don't want men to disappear. I need some cock in my life (and in my coochie). And no, vibrators don't fill that "void"... heh heh heh.

 

Honestly, I really don't know what to think about it. I guess I just don't see the connection between the first five things in the list and the disappearance of men...

[Dhampir]

I don't want to be a woman. I'd be cool with it if everyone became hermaphrodites. That would rock, actually.

[Entgegen]

Well, although genetic technology could nullify this point to an extent, think of the consequences of reproducing asexually, which is basically cloning. You kick out sexual reproduction, you knock out genetic variation...one of the main driving forces behind evolution in the first place. If things are all genotypically (and therefore phenotypically) the same, as is the case in perfect clones and products of asexual reproduction, what affects one (like a disease, for example) on a physiological level would theoretically affect all, ignoring any potential environmental influences and any possible form of horizontal genetic transfer (like plasmids in bacteria). So, evolving into something that reproduces asexually would mean evolving into an evolutionary dead end...at least naturally. This is all assuming you're not counting on genetic engineering to add variation.

[jjacksonRIAB]

The Y chromosome certainly exhibits some strange characteristics and is more prone to change than the counterpart X, but I've read contradictory opinions -specificially that it is highly stable in spite of those characteristics. The underlying mechanism is not well understood.

 

It has struggled and won thus far -perhaps it has an important role to play in guiding human evolution.

 

I think 100,000 years is plenty of time for biological transhumanism, minus some major catastrophe; not worried in the least that the clock may be ticking on the male sex.

 

Ah, didn't realize who was sensationalizing this idea.

 

Science + politics = pissed off jj

[PeaceOfMind]

"There's a body of evidence now that the Y chromosome is rotting at such a fast rate that it will go out of business in about 100,000 years,"

 

That is quite interesting, although there seems to be a slight alteration in numbers. The last I've read, which I believe was a couple of years ago, there was speculation that the Y chromosome would eventually become extinct in ~125,000 years, and not 100,000.