Tuesday 10 January 2017

Is there evolution in humans since the first homo sapiens sapiens



Has the human species changed since first defined as homo sapiens sapiens?


I'm asking this question partly because I'm wondering how we might evolve next.



Answer



We continue to evolve all the time: http://www.npr.org/2013/09/27/226837803/modern-humans-still-evolving-and-faster-than-ever



For those who think the forces of natural selection no longer apply to modern humans, paleoanthropologist John Hawks would urge you to reconsider. In recent times — that's 10 to 20 thousand years, for a paleoanthropologist — Hawks says we've picked up genetic variations in skin color, and other traits that allow us to break down starch and digest cheese.



Homo sapiens sapiens is over 100,000 years old and we have changed in many ways since then, as noted in the above NPR article!


I'm not sure we can say there is a "first" homo sapiens sapiens -- the change from one species to another is gradual. You may know that mixing red and blue gives purple, but at what points do we officially have red, purple, or blue when mixing different levels of red and blue?


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