Are humans finally evolving?
I know. It is a hard concept to swallow. That evolution, mutation, can happen. It is the stuff of Comic books and movies.
The fact is, though, that there has been a rash of people with abnormal mutations getting media attention lately. Some of them have since flittered into obscurity, some simply aren't grown enough to know what happened. And some are actually true...
During my days sitting here working I have started researching and investigating the possibility of an upcoming surge in mutation and/or human evolution. Suprisingly, I have found that there is science behind it. I do not include those who beleive they are "psychic". Way to many of those to prove or disprove that it could happen.
Here are some examples of people who, as best as I could research, have been in the news:
Natalya Demkina - "Clairivoyant Diagnostician"
Otherwise known as the "girl with the X-Ray Eyes", she has proven to have a 80% success rate in diagnosing illnesses ranging from Migraines to Cancer just by looking at patients. She can see "through" people, in the physical sense. Recently, a group tried to debunk her as a true mutant. Decide for yourself here: http://www.skepticalinvestigations.org/Demkina/X-ray.htm
The Chinese Hair Boy -
Found living in northern China about 3 years ago, this boy was born completely covered in fur. He also has "abnormal" agility, and a good sense of direction. (meaning, he can be dropped in the middle of the forest, and he can find his way home easily). He made the knews because his parents stood up to the Chinese Government - The government wanted him to go join a circus. his parents fought back that he was a normal child, just "gifted" - they argued that he should be allowed to go to school until he made his own choice. They won - he went to school. Now, he is still very hairy, and an aspiring chinese rock star.
The Muscle Bound Baby - An example article http://www.thefactsaboutfitness.com/research/andro6.htm
When this baby was born, he had twice the normal muscle mass as a normal infant. It turns out that he had a mutated gene that caused this to happen. Research stemming from his discovery is leading to cures for muscle wasting diseases. And the coolest part? At 5 years old he is considered super-strong (for his age), with no signs of health risks from the mutation.
"AJ" - The Woman with the perfect memory
She is currently confounding scientists. She can remember EVERYTHING she has ever seen, heard, read, or felt. And not just "oh yeah, i remember that..." - They can give her any date in her lifetime, and she can tell them what happened on that day. This one recently hit ABC news at this link - http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/story?id=1738881&page=1
Only four people right now that I count as "truly" evolved. Sure, there were some other stories, but I don't count tabloid news or if I only see one source.
But imagine... even if there is only four right now, how many are undiscovered? How many could be living normal lives? And will the number of instances increase?
Something interesting to think about.
posted by Abe @ 7:50 AM
6 Comments
6 Comments:
Interesting! It'd be really interesting to see what sort of offspring these people would produce - I think that would maybe prove that they just aren't freaks of nature but actually revolving. I thought revolutions occur because of a need to adapt, though. (I could be totally wrong) Which leads me to wonder why someone would need to have an amazing memory, or covered in fur, or any of those abilities.
I hate to burst your bubble, but populations evolve not individuals. Mutations do not happen in response to a need, mutations happen in response to a mutagen. Cosmic rays (I shit you not), chemicals, cross over, regular ol' mitosis, etc can result in mutation. Once mutations have occurred, they can be beneficial, deleterious, or neutral. They are mostly neutral, since the majority of mutations are in the third base of a codon and are silent or only change a single amino acid. Drastic mutations (insertions, deletions, frameshifts) typically result in death, either in the womb or shortly thereafter. Even a single amino acid change can result in differences in protein function, which can result in differences in reproductive success. The environment, of course, is what ultimately makes a mutation beneficial, neutral, or deleterious.
I'm an idiot - i totally messed up revolution & evolution I think! Not even sure what I think anymore - Ella has had the flu for almost a week and the dr thought shots would be fine - yeah NOT! I'm going on 2 hours (at most) of sleep for the past 2 DAYS and the sound of a crying baby haunts my every waking second practically!
Without getting into the whole creationist vs evolution debate...
There are theories that beleive that evolution stems from mutation. As in, as the "original" mutant produces offspring and the family tree grows, the potential for the mutation also grows. As nature evaluates the necessity of the mutation, its usage in a populace can either grow or decline. If the time comes when that mutation comes more prevalant then not in a society, it would no longer be deemed just a mutation, rather now a step towards evolving into a new species. (The popular Homo Sapien vs Homo Superior analogies).
As for the necessity of what we have already seen...
1 - Girl with X-Ray Eyes - Being able to pinpoint tumours, cancers, etc, or even better the lack therof, is useful and necessary in areas (such as parts of russia) that do not have necessary medical equipment that could do this job. Hence, she was a necessity in the sociatal view.
2 - Wolf Boy - no idea. Not even going to try.
3 - Muscle Boy - He is from germany, not sure what part. But think, throughout the years, how they have had almost a national sentiment of people becoming stronger, more perfect. All the years of documented breeding, steriod use, etc. This pboy shows that what they were aiming for could and can happen.
4 - Amazing Memory Woman - In a world where we as a species are not required to keep any knowledge (due to the prevalanceof info on the internet, computers, technology, etc), she could be a step away from reliance on technology. (yeah... i am reaching).
Abe, I have no idea what you're talking about. A new species occurs when one population can no longer interbreed with other populations.
Will these people produce more children and grandchildren in comparison to the general population? Reproductive and evolutionary success are measured in terms of living, viable offspring and nothing more.
Have you been watching Discovery Health? There are some people with the oddest maladies. Like the baby without the face.... and the boy with huge limbs.
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