Are we subjected to Natural Selection?

[AlphaMethylPhenyl]

Natural selection is a necessary phenomena. There's no escaping the fact that one will have an environment around them, that there is an external.

 

[rickolasnice]

Actually money and power influence evolution less than you'd think. Most affluent families have relatively few children per generation. Population increases occur mostly in third world countries. The USA for example would have a declining population if it was not for immigration.

My thoughts behind my original comment was that natural selection would be temporarily (or permanently) halted in some cases with the use of medicines in some bloodlines.. There are now also things like IVF, chemotherapy etc etc.. The genes responsible for making a person more susceptible to cancer/s, for example (bad one yes i know), are being aided by modern medicines.

I know that any (if any) affect this has on evolution of the human race in the grand scheme of things will be very very minute.

 

[Azure Cloud]

My thoughts behind my original comment was that natural selection would be temporarily (or permanently) halted in some cases with the use of medicines in some bloodlines.. There are now also things like IVF, chemotherapy etc etc.. The genes responsible for making a person more susceptible to cancer/s, for example (bad one yes i know), are being aided by modern medicines.

I know that any (if any) affect this has on evolution of the human race in the grand scheme of things will be very very minute.

Okay, that does make your earlier comment more clear. I do see your point. Modern medicine allowing genes to proliferate through the gene pool that in a more primitive (or less scientifically/technologically/medically advanced) society would be maladaptive and selected against because the individual would not be "fit" enough to reproduce, or survive long enough to mature to the ontological stage of reproduction.

That is a very interesting point. The magnitude that advanced technology will affect the overall evolution of the human species is uncertain as a number of factors could eventually limit our access to such technologies.

A natural disaster such as a large meteor strike or a "super volcano" eruption could easily limit the human population and our access to the infrastructure to such technologies that we (if any humans still exist) would be forced back to a more primitive existence.

Of course we could easily create a scenario in which we humans bring about the very same set of consequences upon ourselves. As technology advances we are constantly inventing more and more efficient and devastating methods of killing ourselves, destroying our infrastructure and destroying our ability to control our environment.

On the other hand if our species is able to continue along and without interruption irt creating ever more advance technologies, Idk what exactly we will evolve onto but I can guarantee you that we will become ever more dependent on technology for survival.