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Human Faces Might Look Like This in 100,000 Years
TRANSCRIPT
BY CANDICE AVILES
Ever wonder what humans will look like in 100,000 years? Well, one graphic designer and genomics expert attempted to envision just that.
Artist and researcher Nickolay Lamm worked with a computational geneticist to develop these images, starting with humans now, and moving ahead 20,000 years; 60,000 years; and finally 100,000 years. (Via Business Insider)
Lamm says these images are “one possible timeline” humans could follow, especially with zygotic genome engineering technology, which allows control in human biology and evolution.
Because of that technology, Lamm guesses humans may choose more attractive facial features such as straight noses, intense eyes and symmetrical features. In the images, Lamm also included artificial human biology adaptations and technology advancements like Google Glass. (Via New York Daily News)
Forbes describes the changes, including humans’ heads growing to hold larger brains as well as bigger eyes to adapt to technology and dimmer environments, larger nostrils to breathe easier and more pigmented skin to lessen damage from harmful UV radiation.
Lamm suggests advances in technology will directly impact human faces in more than one way.
“He predicts communication lenses will have replaced devices such as Google Glass. … Contacts and miniature bone-conduction devices implanted above the ear will work in tandem. Bone-conduction devices, with embedded nanochips, will communicate with some external device for communications and entertainment.” (Via The Huffington Post)
While these are just predictions of what the future holds, some change can definitely be expected.
Over the course of 600,000 years, the human brain evolved immensely because of a dramatic climate change. “Larger, more complex brains enabled early humans of this time period to interact with each other and with their surroundings in new and different ways. As the environment became more unpredictable, bigger brains helped our ancestors survive.” (Via Smithsonian)
So while 100,000 years is of course only a fraction of 600,000 years, the added influences of technology could, in a sense, expedite evolution.
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