Long term future research is a relative term. The long term for a tech company is different from the long term for an energy firm, let alone for geologists or biologists. BBC news reports on research carried out by evolutionary theorist Oliver Curry of the London School of Economics, who says the human species might split into two sub-species in a few thousand years. The image of the future of the human species which he paints resembles that of H.G. Wells’ Eloi and Morlocks in his 1895 novel ‘Time Machine’: ‘a genetic upper class and a dim-witted underclass’, according to the article.

“The human race would peak in the year 3000, he [Oliver Curry] 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.”

The article mentions changes in social behaviour, in life span expectations, in the relationship between technology and human behaviour/human nature, etc. as main drivers in changes of sexual selection, resulting in a possible evolutionary bifurcation of the human species.

Via BBC news and Slashdot.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, October 18th, 2006 at 14:49 and is filed under society, trends, visions. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.