How do you think humans are going to look in a few thousand years?
Are we going to become taller, with longer arms and legs, because we're not going to need to manipulate objects as much as we do now? Are our eyes will get bigger because we are taking in more light at once?
These are good questions which are not only been asked a lot lately by the public media, but also by scientists.
If you look at what is known about evolution and the human body, it's clear that there's still a lot of room for change. The human species is newer than most of the other creatures on this planet—it only emerged 200,000 years ago, which is practically nothing when you consider how old Earth itself is. And although many scientists agree we've already begun to evolve as a species, it's unclear exactly what those changes will be.
In general, however, scientists note that evolution follows different paths based on the type of lifestyle that humans lead. For example, areas where people work hard physically tend to develop more muscles and larger bodies overall; areas with less sunlight tend to favor paler skin; and regions where there are frequent water shortages evolve with longer legs and arms.
By reviewing the history of human evolution, it becomes clear that humans will continue to be subject to the laws of natural selection, and will continue to adapt to the needs of their environment. It makes sense that this is the case. For instance, look at how we've evolved over the past few thousand years:
As we went from hunter-gatherers to farmers, we became taller and thinner. But that's all changed. Now, as we become more sedentary and our culture is dominated by sugary and salty processed foods, we are starting to become shorter and heavier. Aside from that, we are now much more reliant on technology. Most of us are sitting at desks or in cars, grocery shopping for dinner and ordering takeout. So what does this mean for the future? What will a human look like in a few thousand years?
Considering our current trajectory, I believe humans will eventually grow shorter and wider as their girth expands from our current diet of processed foods. I feel that we will have smaller bodies because our daily routine will evolve to include less physical activity. However, our heads might get larger as our brains expand with knowledge. But it's also possible that our brains may shrink if technology takes over many of our mental functions. With the advancement of technology, most things will be automated and there will not be a need for us to do as much labor or as many manual tasks like we do now.
Another possible scenario is that humans will probably take on the appearance of the machines they rely on to live their lives. They will look more like androids and less like humans in the sense that they won't have the same kinds of faces that we do today. Instead, their faces will be composed of different patterns of light, based on the type of mood or emotion they want to convey. Their eyes will probably be grow larger and more luminescent because they'll need to see better in low light environments, which will be increasingly necessary as cities become more crowded. Also, as a result of having larger eyes, their eyelashes may disappear altogether.
With the rise in technology and automation, there's a chance that some humans will become less physically active, resulting in reduced muscle mass—and potentially even smaller brains.
Their skin will adapt to become thicker and stronger so it can protect them from environmental factors like pollution or extreme temperatures. But because of this adaptation, it's possible that skin color may diminish to bright pastel colors—like yellow—which could serve as a way for humans to communicate when words are no longer necessary.
It's also possible that with advances in technology, some humans will have access to genetic engineering procedures—meaning they could live longer and alter their appearance as they age. This could lead to a number of changes in the way we look, including larger eyes, more hair on our heads to keep us warm, and lighter skin to absorb more sunlight.
Despite of all those scenarios, we shouldn’t ignore the possibility that future humans will look a lot like us. In the past few thousand years, we haven't had many major shifts in our appearance or function, because we've been developing tools and technology that have allowed us to adapt the environment around us rather than adapting ourselves. It took millions of years for humans to progress from looking like fish to looking like apes. It's only been a few thousand years since we've been walking upright—and we still have remnants of our tails inside us, if you can believe that!
I think that will continue to be like these for thousands of years. We'll continue to build houses and roads and bridges and machines that help us do things more easily and efficiently without changing ourselves very much at all. That's how humans work best—when we're using our ingenuity not just to survive, but to create amazing things and accomplish great feats as well.
My ideal type of human evolution is that humans are going to evolve into more beautiful and selfless creatures that will work together for the good of all. That they will become less destructive, less selfish, and more compassionate. That they will learn from their mistakes and progress as a species. Unfortunately, I don't think this is happening in the near future. When I look at our society now, it's hard not to see the flaws. In many ways, we have regressed as a people. We have become so self-centered and narcissistic that we have forgotten how to interact with one other. And that is the sad part. But I hope, something will change and every human will become better not only for themselves but for the future.
What about you? How do you think humanity will look like in the future? Share us your thoughts in the comment section!
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“How do you think humanity will look in the future? ”
Well, that's a very new to my ears. I mean, we just keep on asking what would the world be like in the next thousand years, and not giving focus on the human race. I highly commend you with that.
Now to give a very straightforward answer, to be very honest, I don't know if we'll survive the following couple of years. From the laments of scientists who protested the last weeks, they were telling people that the Earth only has 3-5 years left to recover. What if governments in each countries will not heed this call, and allow those industries to utilize more fossil fuels, or continue illegal activities relates with the nature.
My other way of answering this question in a not so straightforward way is that, if ever we'll the next generations will survive is that, people will become more like robots as the years will become more innovative.