The humans We are the improbable and strange result of 4,000 million years of evolution. We have the trace of the molecules of the Archean seas, the trail of eyeless fish from the depths of the Cambrian and the imprint of those small mammals that fled from the dinosaurs. It is obvious that evolution has shaped us to what we are. But the question many experts are asking is where it will take us.
We start with the most subtle but inevitable changes. Over the last few thousand years, our jaws and teeth have become smaller, explains a study published in Nature. Early herbivorous hominids had enormous molars and jaws for crushing fibrous vegetables. When we start eating meat and then cooking food, jaws and teeth shrank. Thus until reaching the present day. Processed foods modern ones require even less chewingeithern, so I sent themYobulls continuetoI didn’t shrinkanding and we are likely to lose our wisdom teeth.
This will change our face, since not only will we lose some bone structurealso muscle that we don’t need. But it will not only happen on our face, but on our entire body.
We humans have also reduced our muscles compared to other apes, especially in the upper body. This is likely to continue. Our ancestors haveYoeven to kill beforeYolopes and dig raYoces; mtoLater, they cultivated and harvested in the fields. Modern jobs increasingly require moretos work with people, words and ceitheryou say: they require brains, not morscules. Even for manual workers (farmers, fishermen,ñadores), the mtoMachines like tractors, hydraulics and chainsaws now do much of the work. As physical strength becomes less necessary, our muscles will continue to shrink.
To this muscle loss we must add what will happen to our skeleton. “Over the last 2 million years – explains Nicholas Longrich, paleontologist at the University of Bath – our skeletons became lighter, as we relied less on brute force and more on tools and weapons. As agriculture forced us to settle, our lives became more sedentary, so our bone density decreased. As we spend more time behind desks, keyboards and steering wheels, these trends are likely to continue.”
Does this mean we will be thinner? Not so fast. A study published in Science indicates that we have an increasingly higher body weight. Sedentary lifestyle, poor diet… Some researchers point to the traditional argument of eating too much and exercising too little as the culprit, while others offer alternative explanations, including the role of genetics and viruses that have been linked to obesity. The issue of excess weight and obesity is further complicated as many studies have linked obesity to poverty, contradicting the popular association between obesity and wealth. In short: cheaper foods, such as pasta or rice, are consumed more, while vegetables are generally more expensive. Conclusion? Our bones will be lighter, but our fat percentage will increase… as will our height.
According to Longrich We will go from an average height of 1.65 for humans to almost 1.85: “Both longer lifespans and sexual preferences are likely to make humans taller. Today, the tallest people in the world are found in Europe, led by the Netherlands. There, men measure on average 183 cm and women 170 cm. Someday, most people could be this tall, or even taller.”
And finally, the million-dollar question: what will happen to our brain? The reality is that it is contradictory (at least at first glance) what will happen: our brain will be smaller… but we will be smarter. “In the last 6 million years, hominid brain size has approximately tripled. – Longrich concludes -, suggesting a selection for large brains driven by the use of tools, complex societies and language. It may seem inevitable that this trend will continue, but it probably won’t. “Our brains are getting smaller.”
According to experts, fat and protein may have been in short supply when we switched to agriculture, making it more expensive to grow and maintain large brains. Brains are also expensive in terms of energy: they burn about 20% of our daily calories. In agricultural societies with frequent famines, a big brain could be a liability. And, in this department, bigger is not always better: orcas and elephants have much larger brains comparatively and Einstein’s brain was smaller than average.
“What will happen to our brain – Longrich concludes – is that it will adapt to our needs. We will lose certain skills (and connections) while improving others that will be more relevant. Our personalities will also evolve. We will be less aggressive and changes will occur in our social patterns, we will be more conformist and our mental health will be better. This may be good in the short term, but many of the great minds in history had problems with depression (Darwin or Newton, for example) and we may lose some geniuses along the way.”