Human Technology as a Selective Agent - Essay Example

Human Technology as a Selective Agent Man has always used technology to help him in coping and adapting to his ever-changing environment. Among the many reasons as to why man uses technology, is to prolong life. Man’s quest to extend his stay on planet earth has pushed him to advance the technology overtime. However, Mortality’s biggest threat is disease. Diseases cause more deaths to the human race than all other human health hazards put together, therefore, the need to push medical advancements has been realized to fight up the ever-changing diseases. Human selection, also known as natural selection is one of the key ways man has used science in his quest for higher mortality. Human selection is the picking of genes from certain individuals who portray certain attributes that are preferred to be passed on to future offspring. According to Charles Darwin’s seminal book of evolution, natural selection is the most powerful mechanism of evolution. Natural selection is governed by the phenotypes and the genotype of an individual. That means people with more suitable genotypes are more likely to give birth to more offspring than those with weaker genotypes that in turn will result in an environment with the human beings that possess more suitable genes. It can be seen here that the environment also plays a part in selecting the more suitable phenotypes and genotypes to co- exist. Human selection can be carried out in two ways; Through Artificial selection or Sexual selection. Human artificial selection in medical technologies is done through medical technologies and exists in four major types; Human genetic engineering, Neural implants, Nanomedicine and brain-computer interface. Sexual selection is when human genes are transferred via the natural sexual way from generation to generation. Human selection and enhancements are also greatly influenced by one’s social, economic status because Natural artificial selection is costly therefore, only a small percentage of people are able to afford it. The main reason for human selection is human enhancement or evolution. For natural selection to influence evolution, it must work for or against a genotype. The concept of Natural selection was documented in 1890 and research by Alfred Russel Wallace observed a few theories on genetic sustenance and dominance in characteristics in humans, animals and even plants. In an observation, he had with a horse keeper he noticed that the farmer had divided his horses into two lots. One lot was subjected to daily heavy cart pulling exercises the other was subjected to fast load free running. It was later revealed that the offspring of the ones subjected to faster training was naturally faster than those that were pulling carts even before training. After four generations, he was breeding exclusive race horses. This was in spite of giving them the same diet with those that were pulling carts. The other horses also had offsprings with significant genetic enhancement in that they were more masculine than their faster counterparts. Genetic characteristics are often physical, moral or intellectual. People with stronger physical genes are often sought after using human selection to fight disease. Some of the human immune system issues that are often addressed are the passing of genes that antibiotics are immune to. Diseases undergo mutation or adaptation and so they keep on evolving to cope with their environment. This is because, like humans, diseases are living organisms and are either in Viral, bacteria or fungal form. Of the three, viruses seem to be more potent in adaptation and most of the most dangerous diseases are in viral form. This is one of the grounds on which humans need to push medical advancements to keep up with these ever-changing diseases. The current medical technology that allows humans to not only treat disability and illness but also enhance capabilities is costly and accessible to only the wealthy. This means that even the weak genes will survive as well as the strong ones in human evolution. A recent study has revealed that despite human selection, man is still subject to the Darwinian law of evolution. Evolution is the constant adaptation of human beings and does not have a goal. Therefore, it will never cease. Current medical data across the world already shows that 35 percent of babies born today do not have wisdom teeth. Evolution tends to favor elimination of that trait. The spread of HIV aids has proven catastrophic. Despite endless advancement in human medical technology, the fight against HIV aids has proven to be a losing battle. HIV aids to date is still the number one culprit in the lowering of human mortality rate. More than 260, 000 people are infected with the HIV virus every year and this is just from unsterilized injections but unprotected sex is the major factor in the spread of HIV (Horvath, Smolenski, and Rosser 4). Studies show that only 51% of infected victims are aware they carry they have been infected by the virus in time and seek curative measures early enough to avoid fatal results. This is a heavy blow to the medical field in the fight to eliminate this disease that is seemingly winning the war on lowering human mortality. Use of illicit drugs especially by men who have sex with men also deeply undermines the fight against HIV by medical care by compromising the immune cells. This enables the spread of the HIV virus with ease from one person to another. Even with the current state of medical technology the fight against the spread of the disease is rampant because of human behavior. Unprotected sex and drug abuse being the main causes. Contraception seems to be the only concrete solution in the fight against HIV because it is a protective measure and not a curative one. Contraception comes in a wide array including condoms injections and pills. However there has been a recent medical discovery of a vaginal ring that is incerted in the vagina containing Tenofovir and Levonorgestrel that has proven efficient in preventing a HIV infection (Horvath, Smolenski, and Rosser 4). Human evolution does not seem to have a major impact on hindering or helping diseases because as there are abundant medical breakthroughs in technologies every day, diseases also keep on adapting to their ever-changing environment (Ruse 86). Diseases also adapt and evolve therefore if humans do not constantly improve on medical technology, diseases may eventually wipe out the human race. It is a continuous battle for survival in our environment that human beings have fought dominantly and relentlessly over time. Modern technology can however be criticized for aiding the strength of viruses and bacteria because as technology advances, evolution slows. A very good example using the eye as an analogy can be laced. Human beings invented the eye glasses so that the visually impaired could see but then these visual defects can never be phased out because the human body will not identify any need to evolve and rectify this defect. However, people need to continue with medical advancement to keep up with mutations because mutations are infinite and have never stopped at any one time. They will always keep mutating and if we do not keep up, we will eventually lose the fight to sustain the human race. Although modern technology has failed to eradicate diseases, it has enabled human beings to cope with them and carry out daily functions with as much ease almost as though as these diseases did not exist. Human beings through medical technology have become more tolerant and immune. Halting any medical research on fighting diseases would not only be ill advised, it would be outright catastrophic to the human race. References Horvath, Keith J., Smolenski, Derek and Rosser, Simon. “Discussions of viral load in negotiating sexual episodes with primary and casual partners among men who have sex with men. AIDS Care. Aug 2012; 24(8): 1052–1055. Ruse, Michael. Charles Darwin. New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons, 2009. Read More