Homo Futuris Options

[shivani]

I was watching a program , which suggests that Apes evolved into Homo Sapiens, not only because of adaption, but also that the process was driven by some genes inside us. We remembered what we have to become, and that memory helped us become human.

But the process is not yet over. We are still evolving.
Most of the information available is in french though .

Any other info on same??

MJ ???

[shivani]

1. What does everyone feel about evolution being directed? Do you agree or disagree with that? Especially Shivani, you haven't posted your reaction to my conch-shell analogy.

We slowly ascended from lower life forms to what we are today, by a process of "natural selection" from randomly occurring changes. Each change had to prove its worth by surviving the continual battle for existence, being against being, species against species and this process has gone on for many millions of years.
I agree to evolution, but the evolutions to me seems rather well designed.


One thought often nags me.. there are other creatures from the same era, who did not evolve as we did, and they did go through same situation. It can be said that their geographical location was different, and so they did not have to go through the exact same situation that we had to. I still cant wondering if the choices we made were just one of the probabilities or there was indeed a predecided path we followed. Other animals do not have as evolved brains we humans, but they have survived alongwith us under similar circumstances. Humans became bipedal, learnt agriculture and creation of tools, developed language and various other forms of expression. They learnt to build and make efficient use of available resources. All this learning is needed for survival or not, is questionable.

Hominoids, (the superfamily of primates that contains apes and humans) evolved during the Miocene epoch (24 million to 5 million years ago). Large ape species had originated in Africa by 23 or 22 million years ago. Among the oldest known hominoids is a group of apes known as Proconsul. Species of Proconsul had features that suggest a close link to the common ancestor of apes and humans.

The two had a common ancestor. The two could not have survived far apart from each other. Yet one group drifted far apart from all other species of the era. Adaptation to the environment is a capability of Mammal Brain, and Apes qualify for that as well. The modification of Instinctive behaviour is as well controlled by the Mammal brain, rather than the human brain. Human brain was no different from a chimp's to start with. Their intelligence level was same, yet chimps did not learn that better ways of survival that their cousins discovered/devised. They could also imitate and we could have two similar species living on the planet. But that did not happen. Homo Sapiens came to be the odd one out. The organ that got affected most in their case, their Brain made all the difference, and the process is still going on. Whereas rest all species followed a different pattern, and seem to have more or less stopped where they were. Why did humans came where they are!!


PS : I know I need to read and understand lot more before I can comeup with some real questions. Please bear with my confusion and learning process. I am sure, I would go back and forth in the whole discussion a lot.
PPS : Bibhas, I did not get tiem to go through the link yet. Will read and get back to you with questions. You are not off the hook on that one as yet : ).