In the past, human survival depended on reaching reproductive age and passing on their genes to the next generation. However, with advancements in medical science, more people are now reaching reproductive age, meaning new factors will play a role in the evolution process.
According to Saednews' Science and Technology service, quoting from Hamshahri Online, when looking at the past, it might seem that humanity has reached the final stage of evolution. However, many scientists believe that the current appearance of humans is only a small part of the evolutionary path. Technology, climate change, and even space travel are factors that could transform the future of humanity. In this report, based on scientific predictions, we will explore the changes humans might experience in the next thousand years.
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In the past, human survival depended on reaching reproductive age and passing on their genes to the next generation. However, with advances in medical science, more people are now reaching reproductive age, meaning new factors will play a role in the evolution process.
Professor Mark Thomas, an evolutionary geneticist from University College London (UCL), believes that evolution will continue to be driven by fertility rates. One interesting theory is that humans will become shorter in the future. Reaching maturity earlier will allow people to have more children throughout their lives, but this could be a disadvantage in terms of growing taller physically.
Throughout history, in many societies, mate selection has been more controlled by men, and women had fewer choices. However, over time, with increased gender equality, women have gained more freedom in choosing their partners.
Professor Mark Thomas believes this social change can have a direct impact on human evolution. He explains that in patriarchal societies, men played a more decisive role in choosing their partners, but in the modern world, where women increasingly have more freedom in selecting a life partner, the criteria for selection will change.
Because women in modern societies often choose based on personal attractiveness, physical features, and male success, this will lead to the spread of genes linked to more attractive physical traits throughout the population.
One of the significant changes expected in the future is the more uniform appearance of humans.
Dr. Jason Hodgson, a bioinformatician at Anglia Ruskin University, believes that the increase in interracial marriages will reduce appearance differences between populations. As a result, in the distant future, the average skin color of individuals will likely fall somewhere between today's colors, and most people will have a brownish skin tone. Examples of this trend can be seen in countries like Brazil and Mauritius, which have experienced several generations of racial mixing.
Technologies like gene editing using CRISPR-Cas9 allow humans to selectively change their genetic traits. If these technologies are used without limitations in the future, genes that are rare today might become more common.
Additionally, some people may use genetic editing to adapt themselves for living in specific environments. For example, increasing melanin levels in the skin to protect against harmful sun rays.
Professor Robert Brooks, an evolutionary biologist from the University of New South Wales, believes that in the distant future, human brain size will decrease. This theory is based on the idea that as technology advances and humans become more dependent on artificial intelligence, the need for large brains will diminish.
Dr. Nicholas Langridge, a paleontologist at Bath University, compares this trend to the domestication process in animals. For instance, after domestication, the brain size of sheep decreased by 24%, cows by 26%, and dogs by 30%. It is possible that humans could also become a type of "domesticated ape" and be less cognitively independent.
In addition to genetic changes, the widespread use of digital technologies could lead to changes in human body structure. For example, prolonged sitting at desks and working with computers may cause slouching, or constant use of smartphones might result in changes in finger structure.
According to predictions by Dr. Sophie Basto, a sleep specialist, the reduction in sleep hours may have significant negative impacts on the human body. If this trend continues, in the coming decades, issues such as chronic back pain, hair loss, sagging skin, muscle weakness, and a weakened immune system will become more common among people.
If humans decide to migrate to space in the future, this could lead to evolutionary changes in future generations.
Dr. John Hawks, an anthropologist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, believes that long-term space travel could lead to the creation of a "new species of human." For example, on a planet like Mars, which has only 38% of Earth's gravity, humans may gradually become taller and develop longer arms to perform better in low-gravity conditions.
Also, just as early humans developed lighter skin after migrating to northern regions of the Earth to better absorb vitamin D from the limited sunlight, humans living on Mars might experience similar changes. In low-light conditions, human eyes might become larger and more sensitive, or even enhanced with new technologies to better adapt to darker environments.
