Morgan Bellon our evolving planet
April 10th 2006 12:35
Using data from the International HapMap Project, a group of researchers from the University of Chicago, Illinois, have proved that human genomes are oi=10.1371/journal.pbio.0040072" target="_blank">still evolving. Their findings have very much sparked the excitement of futurists such as James Hugues, who recently told Wired.com: "You can take what nature gave you, but there's no good reason to take nature as a guide for where you should go in the future", suggesting that science and technology should play a part in our evolution. Will we soon we evolve to become mutants and cyborgs?
Even without the introduction of technology into our bodies, genomics is immensely complex. The New Scientist has recently reported that besides differences in the types of genes present in an individual's DNA and the sequence in which they appear, the DNA of some people may also have more, or less, copies of a certain gene that usual. Anomalies in the number of gene copies have been linked to hereditary diseases, including mental retardation, rhesus negative blood types and colour blindness, though more recent studies show that copy-number variation is far more common than previously suspected. Scientists are yet unsure as to the significance of the variation, though some speculate that the presence of a gene copy (or two) encourages mutation, which may later lead to evolution.
Outside of the laboratory, evolution ploughs on. Cane toads are growing longer legs, wood frog tadpoles born under cold conditions have developed heat-seeking capabilities, red squirrels of the Yukon Territory are giving birth younger - all in the span of mere decades of change. More surprising still is the formation of a group of clergymen who are in favour of reconciling religion with theories of evolution.
Hoorah!
Even without the introduction of technology into our bodies, genomics is immensely complex. The New Scientist has recently reported that besides differences in the types of genes present in an individual's DNA and the sequence in which they appear, the DNA of some people may also have more, or less, copies of a certain gene that usual. Anomalies in the number of gene copies have been linked to hereditary diseases, including mental retardation, rhesus negative blood types and colour blindness, though more recent studies show that copy-number variation is far more common than previously suspected. Scientists are yet unsure as to the significance of the variation, though some speculate that the presence of a gene copy (or two) encourages mutation, which may later lead to evolution.
Outside of the laboratory, evolution ploughs on. Cane toads are growing longer legs, wood frog tadpoles born under cold conditions have developed heat-seeking capabilities, red squirrels of the Yukon Territory are giving birth younger - all in the span of mere decades of change. More surprising still is the formation of a group of clergymen who are in favour of reconciling religion with theories of evolution.
Hoorah!
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Comment by liz
i do hoever believe that humans have evolved so that we are able to have an active hand in our own evolution. by this belief, i support our "interference" with the human brain. i support cloning, artifial intelligence, drugs, plastic surgery.
i support change, and progress.
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