BI | Mankind is undergoing a major evolutionary transition
comparable to the shifts from prosimians to monkeys, monkeys to apes,
and apes to humans, according to Cadell Last, a doctoral student in evolutionary anthropology and researcher at the Global Brain Institute.
Human life expectancy has already increased from about 45
at the start of the 20th century to 80 today. Because of advancements in
technology, which will affect natural selection, Last suggests life
expectancy could increase to 120 as early as 2050 — a concept known as radical life extension.
In addition to longer lives, humans will likely delay the
timing of biological reproduction and reduce the number of offspring
too, according to Last. Taken together, these changes could signify a
new type of human, more focused on culture than biology.
Last makes his case in a paper from the most recent issue of Current Aging Science. Citing other futurists like Ray Kurzweil and Francis Heylighen, Last theorizes about human interaction with technology, relying on observations of past primate evolution and biology.
