Are human beings done evolving?

[Kutt]

Are human beings still evolving or is homo sapien the final stage of evolution?

If we're not done evolving, have scientists hypothesized what the next stage of evolution might be like?

 

[Charmar]

https://www.physicsforums.com/showthread.php?t=361074

 

[Ryan_m_b]

Paraphrasing from another thread:

The Hardy-Weinberg Equilibrium describes the necessary events for evolution to stop.
1) A population must be large
2) No mutations may occur
3) Mating must be random
4) No migration
5) No differential reproductive success

https://www.physicsforums.com/showthread.php?p=3295080#post3295080

 

[Elite Jacob]

Is evolution the same as adaptation or is there a difference? I'm thinking if a person can adapt to something but its not passed on geneticly than its not evolution. Is that correct?

 

[Drakkith]

Is evolution the same as adaptation or is there a difference? I'm thinking if a person can adapt to something but its not passed on geneticly than its not evolution. Is that correct?

Evolution is the change in a species over time, not the change in an individual. A single organism does not evolve. Hit up the stickied post on evolution at the top of this forum.

 

[peter09]

There are mechanism within our environment which act to increase/reduce a groups reproductive capacity - often called selection pressures.

I would suggest that there is currently active selection against young men who like fast cars :-)

 

[Ryan_m_b]

I would suggest that there is currently active selection against young men who like fast cars :-)

I know this is in jest but this isn't correct because it implies that young men who don't drive recklessly do so because of a genetic component. Be careful when examining traits to think about all the possible causes, don't just chalk it up to genetics.

 

[Borek]

I know this is in jest but this isn't correct because it implies that young men who don't drive recklessly do so because of a genetic component..

Well, you can't be sure there is NO genetic component to this type of behavior

 

[Ryan_m_b]

Well, you can't be sure there is NO genetic component to this type of behavior

Of course, my point is that there is insufficient evidence to support any proposition that there is

 

[peter09]

I know this is in jest but this isn't correct because it implies that young men who don't drive recklessly do so because of a genetic component. Be careful when examining traits to think about all the possible causes, don't just chalk it up to genetics.

In the spirit of interested discussion, and acknowledging that I am pretty ignorant about the details of evolution can I ask the following:

Does selection actually have to act on the genetic component of 'fast car driving' ... if the selection pressure is strong enough then selection FOR the 'playing computer games at home' genetic component could become dominant.

So - sort of - does a behavior have to have a genetic component to be selected against?