Emergence of modern man - Essay Example

The Emergence of Modern Man There are many scientists who believe that our current lifestyle protects us from many of the things that would once have posed a threat, therefore preventing the evolution of our species. In contrast, there are those that believe that we still continue to be influenced by the forces of nature, and that natural selection still plays a role in the life of modern man. There are many questions that remain unanswered, such as why Homo sapiens has not continued to grow bigger and stronger (as was the trend for hominids before the emergence of modern man[]) or whether some ‘modern’ traits such as obesity, smoking and a reduction in exercise hours will play a role in human evolution.

The purpose of this short paper is to explore the influences of evolution and natural selection on modern man and to analyse whether these are continuing to have an effect on our species. The reason that many scientists argue that evolution and natural selection does not continue to exert an effect on modern man is because there are so many protections from nature. Food availability is one of the most important things for a species’ survival (Bootle, 2011), but many humans living in the West do not have to worry about food availability because much of it is available very cheaply and nutrition is found all year round.

Many food items can now also be preserved to last through the winter, and these developments have come from a high level of intelligence. This, however, may be one of the problems. Some argue that the effects of obesity on our population may be having an effect similar to that of natural selection in the wild (Bootle, 2011), and could be used as evidence against our collective intelligence. Disease is also another one of the biggest parts of natural selection in the wild (McKie, 2002). However, modern man has developed a number of ways to prevent disease.

Even in prehistory, there is evidence that there may have been some attempt at preventative and curative medicine (Regal, 2004), which suggests that man’s high intelligence has a function of preventing parts of natural selection. In modern times, several diseases which would have killed people prior to reproduction (and thus have bred the trait out), such as asthma and diabetes, are present in the population because they can be treated (Regal, 2004). This could also be evidence that natural selection is not as powerful for man as for other species.

Perhaps one of the most interesting elements of the human species is that it occupies a huge amount of space on the planet and can be found in nearly every climate. This adaptability comes from the use of clothes and shelter, as well as other technological developments such as air conditioning, which allow people to live comfortably the world over (Regal, 2004). This type of effort has led to some problems for the human race, particularly with overcrowding (Regal, 2004), but it is still an impressive effort and provides more evidence that the human race is immune to many of the effects of natural selection.

In conclusion, there are several elements which form part of natural selection, and modern man has developed a number of ways of tackling them. Food shortages have been tackled by preservation, disease has been cured by medicine, and climate has been conquered with shelter and clothing. Despite this, there are still some ways in which our own intelligence causes us problems, such as with food preservation and obesity. It seems evident from the above, however, that natural selection may still be acting on modern man, but is certainly not acting very strongly.

There is the possibility that in the future, it will stop exerting its effects completely.ReferencesBootle, O., 2011. Are modern humans still evolving? BBC.McKie, R., 2002. Is human evolution finally over? [WWW Document]. the Guardian. URL http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2002/feb/03/genetics.research (accessed 12.11.12).Regal, B., 2004. Human Evolution: A Guide to the Debates. ABC-CLIO.