The Future of Human Evolution provides a discussion of how cultural, biological and microevolutionary (drift, selection, and mutation) pressures might affect our future as a species. The book is split into twelve chapters, beginning with evolutionary forecasting, and gene and culture coevolution. It then discusses life expectancy and population growth, followed by chapters on mutation rates, climate change and diet. This book also explores artificial selection and ‘designer babies’, trans-humanism and artificial intelligence (machine-human symbiosis), inequality and the colonization of space. The Future of Human Evolution serves as a valuable resource for both researchers and students studying human evolution and human population genetics, as well as non-academics with an interest in human evolution.
1. Introduction - p. 159 2. Causes of climate change - p. 160 3. Nonanthropogenic factors - p. 160 4. Geotectonic events - p. 169 5. Impact of volcanic eruptions on climatic conditions - p. 177 6. Volcanic cooling or warming? - p. 178 7. Global cycles - p. 183 8. Impact of nonanthropogenic climate changes on human populations - p. 187 9. Impact of anthropogenic climate changes on human populations - p. 195 10. The Mayans - p. 196 11. How could it have happened? - p. 198 12. The Rapa Nui - p. 199 13. How could it have happened? - p. 202 14. The Greenlanders - p. 209 15. The Norse - p. 213 16. References - p. 223 17. Chapter 6 The evolution of the human diet - p. 231 18. Abstract - p. 231 19. Introduction - p. 231 20. The evolution of the human diet - p. 233 21. Archaic hominins, the “gracile” australopiths - p. 246 22. Paranthropus (robust Australopithecines) species - p. 254 23. The genus Homo - p. 261 24. The enigma of malocclusion since the Agricultural Revolution - p. 295 25. References - p. 300 26. Chapter 7 Sex selection - p. 309 27. Chapter 8 Artificial selection and designer babies - p. 343 28. Chapter 9 Transhumanism and artificial intelligence - p. 375 29. Chapter 10 Artificial intelligence - p. 407 30. Chapter 11 Unrest and inequality - p. 443 31. Chapter 12 Space exploration - p. 477 32. Index - p. 549
The Future of Human Evolution provides a discussion of how cultural, biological and microevolutionary (drift, selection, and mutation) pressures might affect our future as a species. The book is split into twelve chapters, beginning with evolutionary forecasting, and gene and culture coevolution. It then discusses life expectancy and population growth, followed by chapters on mutation rates, climate change and diet. This book also explores artificial selection and ‘designer babies’, trans-humanism and artificial intelligence (machine-human symbiosis), inequality and the colonization of space. The Future of Human Evolution serves as a valuable resource for both researchers and students studying human evolution and human population genetics, as well as non-academics with an interest in human evolution.
1. Introduction - p. 159 2. Causes of climate change - p. 160 3. Nonanthropogenic factors - p. 160 4. Geotectonic events - p. 169 5. Impact of volcanic eruptions on climatic conditions - p. 177 6. Volcanic cooling or warming? - p. 178 7. Global cycles - p. 183 8. Impact of nonanthropogenic climate changes on human populations - p. 187 9. Impact of anthropogenic climate changes on human populations - p. 195 10. The Mayans - p. 196 11. How could it have happened? - p. 198 12. The Rapa Nui - p. 199 13. How could it have happened? - p. 202 14. The Greenlanders - p. 209 15. The Norse - p. 213 16. References - p. 223 17. Chapter 6 The evolution of the human diet - p. 231 18. Abstract - p. 231 19. Introduction - p. 231 20. The evolution of the human diet - p. 233 21. Archaic hominins, the “gracile” australopiths - p. 246 22. Paranthropus (robust Australopithecines) species - p. 254 23. The genus Homo - p. 261 24. The enigma of malocclusion since the Agricultural Revolution - p. 295 25. References - p. 300 26. Chapter 7 Sex selection - p. 309 27. Chapter 8 Artificial selection and designer babies - p. 343 28. Chapter 9 Transhumanism and artificial intelligence - p. 375 29. Chapter 10 Artificial intelligence - p. 407 30. Chapter 11 Unrest and inequality - p. 443 31. Chapter 12 Space exploration - p. 477 32. Index - p. 549
