Re: What are some other examples of human-to-animal evolution?

Hi Bree,

That's an interesting question.  Actually, I had never heard of those 
examples before.  The only other examples that I am aware of humans 
physically evolving is the little toes, appendix, and wisdom teeth are 
apparently shrinking.  Another thing that I am aware of is that girls are 
having their first menstration earlier.  Apparently, in the early 1900's it 
was not uncommon for girls to begin menstrating between the ages of 13-15.  
Today it is around 11 or 12.  But, that may be related to our improved 
nutrition and healthcare.

But, it is important to remember that evolution occurs when individuals that 
are better suited to survive in their environment reproduce to produce more 
offspring than other individuals.  This is referred to as an individual's 
fitness.  Those offspring have the same genes that made their parents more 
suited to survive.  Some of those offspring may be better suited to survive 
than their parents were and are able to have even more offspring.  This is 
what is meant by the phrase "Survival of the fittest".  Of course, all of 
this can take a very long time.

The problem with human evolution is that for at least the past 100,000 years 
we have changed very little physically.  The early Homo sapiens that lived 
in Africa and discovered the use of fire are not very different than the 
same Homo sapiens that built the space shuttle or the internet.  We have 
done something that most other organisms haven't: we have made our 
environment adapt to us.  Through the use of tools, agriculture, and 
language we have greatly reduced the environment's effect on us.  Most 
physical problems that would cause us to evolve to get rid of them have been 
solved through modern medicine.

I think that as long as human technology and culture is progessing as it is, 
we won't see many changes in the human body.  But, our culture and 
technology will probably change faster and faster.  So far, the internet is 
really racing things along.

Thanks for the question!