h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

As we get more medically and socially advanced (or what we see as being that) so the average lifespan increases. So also we eradiicate or find cures for otherwise lethal illnesses or conditions.
This means that more and more people get to survive thus undermining the workings of natural selection, which would have removed them without mankinds interference.
Now my personal leanings are that this is generally a good thing, especially for the individual .
however, as a species (or whatever Homo Sapiens is) maybe this is not such a good thing since many mutations will survive to pass on their genetic code when at other times they would not have done so.

As we get more and more advanced we create better environments for threats to our health and well being. The fact that so far humanity has been aggregately blessed by its advances does not mean that those advances in human culture are difnately good. Plagues, wars and crop blights have all managed to reduce populations in nations during recent history. Aswell as the little talked about English input to the Irish potao Famine one of the major factors was that during that period Ireland relied too heavily on a few varieties of potato. Which should give humanity food for thought before we go turning our food production into a virtual monoculture.

Most illness can be avoided or improved with lifestyle and prevention.

If people do not wish to take care of themselves things will not improve much or quickly.
The surest way to have health is to keep it.

I doubt people will eat properly, exercise properly, not overdo physically or emotionally , remove all *bad stress and not overindulge in anything? Getting to the Dr when they should. Having only healthy age females giving birth to babies whom had prenatal care and insurance/ health care and a decent standard of living.

Not much has actually been cured. Good nutrition, cleanliness and preventative care ,immunizations have done the most.
Antibiotics are becoming ineffective,cancer detection and treatments *have improved*(YAY) Immunizations and cleanliness are still needed in many areas.

The latest technology is less available to more people than a few decades ago. The more people and items of commerce that travel long distances the more disease will spread from the poorer Nations without such healthcare and preventative measures. Polio that we were close to eradicating is still around - more than thought a decade ago.

The bad water and soil is going to get worse. The water in 30 states here was tested and found to have hormones and anti-depressants after water treatment. There are also heavey metals, other medications and a new chemical soup mix in the water. Teflon(goretex) and pesticides are found in everyones blood. These will get worse.

Infertility is rising and the number of abandon children is rising.
We choose to make more humans by way of a lab setting rather than take care of the growing living ones in need. Maybe the human eggs have an impenetrable teflon coating now. Maybe we will be born with teflon skin that never creases. There seems to be more research dollars and energy on staying looking young than staying healthy and keeping the earth that way

Prevention and lifestyle are still key,and still the problem.
I think most people would have easily lived to be 120 these days if the humans had been willing to do what's known to be the best for themselves in the these past 100 years.

We need some mental and emotional evolution to improve the human condition.

Very good points raised there, Abbi

I would like to point out that given the length of time evolution takes to have any noticable effect, and taking into account how little is known about the workings of the universe (as compared to how much there is to know) that all this is complete speculation

Plus, as has been mentioned by a couple of people here, humans are very prone to thinking of ourselves as somehow outside or separate from the rest of life and our environment, when in reality we are enmeshed within it by necessity. So to try to sum up or predict human evolution without fully taking into account the planet as a whole (or perhaps even the universe) is a very tall order indeed!

Of course, to imagine that we can fully take into account the planet or universe as a whole is obviously ridiculous too.....

I give up! Maybe this explains why I usually lurk the forum instead of posting!