# So, what's the next step? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 22, 2000, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-whats-the-next-step/10896 "2000-04-22T18:46:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![PVonAtark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a3d4f5/32.png) [@PVonAtark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PVonAtark)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2000, 5:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-whats-the-next-step/10896/1 "2000-04-23T05:13:00Z")
Alright, it has been established that as life evolves here on earth it becomes more complex. Single celled organisms eventually give rise to multi celled ones. Multi cellular organisms become more and more complex. Eventaully, you have advanced creatures with interdependent tissue and organ systems all contributing to the continuance of the overall organism. What I want to know is… Given that evolution is still ongoing, and that evolving life tends to become more and more complex over long periods of time through natural selcetion, what is the next step in complexity? * * * “All men spoke of his prowess…except for a couple of people in his home village who though he was a liar, and quite a lot of other people who had never really heard of him.” -Terry Prachett - The Light Fantastic ---
**Author:** ![ZenBeam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/3ab097/32.png) [@ZenBeam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZenBeam)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2000, 5:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-whats-the-next-step/10896/2 "2000-04-23T05:22:00Z")
The rise of communities of separate but interdependent organisms, like ant colonies and human civilization. * * * _It is too clear, and so it is hard to see._ ---
**Author:** ![andyroo010](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e5b9ba/32.png) [@andyroo010](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/andyroo010)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2000, 5:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-whats-the-next-step/10896/3 "2000-04-23T05:30:00Z")
then comes sentience or intelligence * * * More for Gore or the son of a drug lord/none of the above/f\*\*\* it cut the cord- Lights out/Guerilla Radio ---
**Author:** ![PVonAtark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a3d4f5/32.png) [@PVonAtark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PVonAtark)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2000, 5:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-whats-the-next-step/10896/4 "2000-04-23T05:44:00Z")
Alright, it seems I need to clean this up a bit. What I meant to ask was… What’s the next step in evolution after the highest level already present here on earth. What I’m asking for is opinions and best guesses. Sorry for the misunderstanding, thank you for your responses so far. * * * “All men spoke of his prowess…except for a couple of people in his home village who though he was a liar, and quite a lot of other people who had never really heard of him.” -Terry Prachett - The Light Fantastic ---
**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2000, 5:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-whats-the-next-step/10896/5 "2000-04-23T05:46:00Z")
Are we assuming that humans are the current highest form? ---
**Author:** ![Satan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Satan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Satan)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2000, 5:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-whats-the-next-step/10896/6 "2000-04-23T05:50:00Z")
Is it necessarily a given that we get more complex as a rule? I think about the adaptation shown in species of animals which wound up living in the dark all of he tim. They no longer needed their sight, so vision went away. It seems that this is lessening the complexities of a species, since sight is extremely complex and not having it is less so. Or am I missing something? * * * Yer pal, Satan [http://www.raleighmusic.com/board/Images/devil.gif](http://www.raleighmusic.com/board/Images/devil.gif) _Still not smoking, but away from my meter!_ ---
**Author:** ![Geobabe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/geobabe/32/3908_2.png) [@Geobabe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Geobabe)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2000, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-whats-the-next-step/10896/7 "2000-04-22T18:46:00Z")
## Increasing complexity is only a very general rule, and there are many exceptions. Natural selection dictates that organisms best adapted to their environment survive and produce offspring. Some of these adaptations involve higher complexity, but not always. What I wonder about is whether humans are changing the environment too fast to adapt to, and if we’re going to kill ourselves off eventually. In that case, bugs take over. 😉 The difference between the right word and the almost right word is the difference between the lightning and the lightning bug. Mark Twain ---
**Author:** ![Occam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Occam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Occam)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2000, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-whats-the-next-step/10896/8 "2000-04-22T18:47:00Z")
I don’t think the question is really answerable. The whole basis for the belief in evolution is random mutation that benefits sexual reproduction in some way. Unless you know the future enviornment, the future preferences of both male and female, all the odds that go into survival and random mutation combination odds. (The last part I made up by myself) Still…I’ll bet humans will have- less hair taller thinner larger heads bigger brains more homogonized characteristics * * * “Clatu, Verrata…nector?..neck-tie?” ---
**Author:** ![casdave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c6cbf5/32.png) [@casdave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/casdave)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2000, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-whats-the-next-step/10896/9 "2000-04-22T23:06:00Z")
This poses the question to me, when is does a mutation become a separate species? How long ago were humans identifiably differant to modern man? The answer to this may not tell you what we will become but it might give an idea of when to start looking. ---
**Author:** ![PVonAtark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a3d4f5/32.png) [@PVonAtark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PVonAtark)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2000, 4:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-whats-the-next-step/10896/10 "2000-04-23T04:22:00Z")
OK, I realize that asking the question itself make quite a few assumtions. I am not asking you to assume that humans are the most complex species around, nor am I asking what the next step in HUMAN evolution is. All That I hope to get out of this is speculation as to what the next step in the complexity of evolution is. I realize and acknowledge that evolution does not always become more complex. In the fullness of time however, it generally does. If it makes you feel more comfortable, imagine that you are a sci-fi writer and that you are making something up for the sake of a story. Your answer does not necessarily have to have any basis in actual scientific fact as long as it is a reasonable step. Make something up, have fun, be creative. I ust want to know what you think the next step would be. Thank you for your thoughtful posts, and for the thoughtful posts to come. * * * “All men spoke of his prowess…except for a couple of people in his home village who though he was a liar, and quite a lot of other people who had never really heard of him.” -Terry Prachett - The Light Fantastic ---
**Author:** ![Louie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c68b51/32.png) [@Louie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Louie)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2000, 7:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-whats-the-next-step/10896/11 "2000-04-23T07:10:00Z")
> [@](#): > > Originally posted by Occam: > \*\*Still…I’ll bet humans will have- > > less hair > taller > thinner > larger heads > bigger brains > more homogonized characteristics\*\* Oh my goodness, we’re evolving into… [http://www.msagentring.org/gallery/alien.gif](http://www.msagentring.org/gallery/alien.gif) **aliens!?**