I dont know excactly where to put this so im just putting it here. It seems like in the history of evolution that things start out small than get bigger and bigger until an event comes by that destroys them and we start out again with small things getting bigger.

Yeah seems like that. But we still got huge creatures around these days as well, I can't even remember the terms and whatnot for what that type of evolution is called... but I'm just going to stick with gargantuanism. :S Some people say that human's are getting taller as we continually evolve with what seems an overly abundant array of nutrients and good eating. It's true that no other animal on the planet has the same benefits as humans. (Well aside from say a well feed and pampered house pet).

oh we are getting taller. but what im trying to say is that little cells grew into bigger things till we got dinosaurs around and then a metor wiped them out. then mamamals ruled the world and they grew from little things into us.

Also, the reason humans haven't evolved in so long is because we've practically halted evolution with drugs, medicine, surgery, diet, exercise. Don't get me wrong, I'm not against certain modern medicine, but in order for us to evolve, we need to stop preventing ourselves from dying/ageing. We need to learn to accept that in time, we will age.

Evolution isn't the transition from small to big, but from simple to complex.

that is not always the case. "things" adapt to their environment wether it is by way of getting smaller or getting bigger. classic survival of the fittest.

Err.... Things don't evolve fast enough to actually notice it happening. That's why we haven't "evolved in a long time". Drugs, medicine, surgery, diet, and exercise habits in humans have only been around for 100 or so years... It usually takes things millions of years to evolve.


And also evolution, like someone before me has stated, is the process in which life forms become more complex, not bigger. Some animals get stranded on islands, reproduce for thousands of years, and come out being twice as small.

Like komodo dragons, for instance.
they were persumed to be twice as large as they are now, or even thrice as large. its where the idea of the dragon is persumed to have originated from.

... apparently.

Evolution is usually a slow process, this is necessery because we have to maintain a low rate of mutations otherwise the most complex thing on earth would of probably ended up being something like a house fly.

I'm sure we will evolve... But it will be self directed evolution. Our next stage of evolution is humans using the technology we developed to alter our genetics and become both Biological and Non-biological. Each part of the evolution had taken less and less time. . . It took billions of years for the first cells to form, and then in the Cambrian explosion, paradigm shifts only took a few tens of millions of years. Then later on, we went from primates to humanoids in only millions of years, and then Homo sapiens emerged in only hundreds of thousands of years. The next transition or speed of change will likely be very quick and will probably happen in the 21st century sometime through the use of our technology.

That is only because of modern medicine.

no its because we are eating right with enough nutrients.

Haha yeah sure ! ...

90% of adults are deficient in nutrients like Omega 3 fatty acids
Majority of people are deficient in several vitamins and minerals
2/3 of the population in the UK and US are now overweight or obese..
Majority of kids and adults do not eat 5 fruits and vegetables a day
Majority of people to not get enough antioxidants in their diet

There is absaloutly NO WAY that people are getting enough nutrients. They are getting empty calories.

This thread seems somewhat out of place...

yeah, thats why jamie oliver went around and changed school meals to be more healthy. because its kids who at the worst, appariently acoording to him.

True, but unlike in most of human history, people (at least in the Developed World) are eating more than enough to survive, and are eating significant amounts of protein and meat. Both of the above greatly increase body size and height on average, particularly the protein. Our ancestors were largely short because they lived off of grain.

I highly doubt eating right will make somebody taller, your height is determined by genes not food, but of course you need the right food to grow to your full potential.

Also consider Manute Bol from Sudan he was over 7 feet tall pro basketball player. Sudan is known to have some of the tallest people in the world yet the country fails to provide proper nutrition for most of its people yet its not uncommon for people to be over 6 feet plus. I think its more about the genes then food.

If we are all products of evolution, then who cares if we destroy the environment? If we are animals which came from nature, we are part of nature. Therefore, every act we preform is an act of nature. And if nature wants to keep the planet intact, it will.
This seems to be a contradiction between environmentalists who are evolutionists.

so your saying that right now i have to arms and if i evolve i will soon get a million arms legs and penies?LOL

Wait, did that guy say that for us to evolve, we need to STOP trying to preserve our lives? What about the evolution of the mind?

And what do you mean we haven't evolved in so long? Have you ever seen an evolutionary time line? If the universe was a day old, humans have only been around for a few miliseconds. 60,000 years or so. It supposedly takes millions and millions of years to evolve.

I don't even believe in this stuff, yet I seem to know more about it than this guy... Or do I???

I never said that genes did not matter. They do; I've eaten extremely well in the protein and nutrients category, yet I'll probably never be taller than 5'9". I meant along the lines that people were a lot shorter than they are now because a combination of malnutrition and the eating of mostly grain-related products (and very little meat) meant that the majority of people would never reach the height they were capable of being genetically. Just take a look at medieval knights, who came primarily from noble and/or wealthy families (peasants who became squires usually stayed squires their entire lives because they couldn't afford a knight's equipment and horses). Most of the armor ranges in size from 6' to 6'5", yet the average European was most likely never much taller than 5'.

As for the example of the Sudanese man, regardless of how widespread malnutrition is in his country, was he malnourished as a child, or deprived of protein and proper amounts of food? If he comes from either a wealthy Sudanese, or even relatively well-off Sudanese family, than he received proper food, regardless of how malnourished his countrymen are. That's not to say that he wasn't genetically 'set' for great height.

Check this out

IVF may produce genetically enhanced children

http://www.betterhumans.com/News/4578/Default.aspx