Genetic engineering wrong?

[Boerseun]

I guess we've stopped evolving - for the time being.

Any genetic change acquired by homo sapiens gets diluted very quickly, because of our large population numbers and physical mobility. There are no genetically isolated pockets of humans any more. We'd have to go through some catastrophic population bottleneck for any serious changes to become commonplace. What with oil running out, and the US and China about to slug it out for the few drops that are left, we might even see it in action.

The same is true for sharks. They fit their niche so well, that their population figures have been pretty high for millions of years - with no major evolutionary changes for hundreds of millions of years. They predate the dinos, and outlived them.

For humans to evolve, we need to kill 99.9% of 'em. Give it another ten or twenty years, or so...

[ronthepon]

Originally Posted by Boerseun

For humans to evolve, we need to kill 99.9% of 'em. Give it another ten or twenty years, or so...

Guess that's what Osama's interested in...

Don't Panic!

[Kayra]

Originally Posted by Boerseun

I guess we've stopped evolving - for the time being.

Any genetic change acquired by homo sapiens gets diluted very quickly, because of our large population numbers and physical mobility. There are no genetically isolated pockets of humans any more. We'd have to go through some catastrophic population bottleneck for any serious changes to become commonplace. What with oil running out, and the US and China about to slug it out for the few drops that are left, we might even see it in action. ..

Well, that is not entirely so.
In any location where many children die before they have a chance to reproduce, evolution will still have a hand. Lands with large scale famine and no infrastructure to deal with it come to mind.

Traits can evolve from this, and be distributed into the global genetic mix. I suppose your right though, the effect would be pretty small. Even the evolution of a favorable trait such as reduced requirement for water or food would not present a genetic advantage to the rest of the world population.

[Tarantism]

thats it! im building a treehouse inthe amazon. i give it 10 or 20 years before they cut it all down and find me. by then maybe i will have been eaten by something.

[KickAssClown]

I just want to get clear on something before I really comment on all this.

Are we talking about:
Eugenics
Cloning
Gene-Engineering
Gene-therapy
Transhuman
Posthuman

Or what? once this is answered to satisfaction I will cough up MHO about this.