The question of where we came from has answers embedded in all cultures and throughout all of history. However, it is a somewhat new concept to consider where we are going as a species. Not so much culturally or socially, but in our species evolution. Few, if any, species on this planet have stopped in their evolutionary track…perhaps humans have not either.
I stumbled on the below documentary ‘Homo futurus’ recently, and it is certainly worth a watch…
When one considers adaptation and future pressures causing evolution over massive timescales, the question of a life intertwined with the sea cannot be overlooked. Cousteau proposed a ‘Homo aquaticus’ in the 1960’s. I would venture to say that this is not beyond reasonable consideration. In today’s world, technological connectivity has encouraged social and cultural interaction, thus suppressing large populations that might evolve independently, rather towards a new superhuman race or the ‘Homo futurus’ proposed in the film. This is would be the result of a levelled intellectual and cultural playing field that is dependent on the ideals of a technologically inclined society, rather than physical labor. Bigger brains, more intellectual capacity, fewer distinctive physical features, smaller bodies with less physical strength, and so on.
HOWEVER, today there are communities that remain physically laborious and require a degree of adaptation for survival in extreme elements. This is visible. It is not difficult to pick a salty dog commercial fisherman or diver out of a crowd. With a shift towards greater cultural dependence on the ocean, it is indeed possible that an isolated population of people become increasingly adapted for life on and under the sea. It is going to happen. I think about this every time I see a globe…it’s all water. Our role here must extend beyond terra firma, and oceana incognita is a next logical step. People with gills? Well, not overnight by any means. But in the context of evolutionary history, sure…why not?
Here’s some interesting reading on Homo aquaticus theory to ‘wet’ your appetite:
Homo aquaticus in ‘Parapsychology & Magic
Article in Time Magazine
Menfish by davidszondy.com
Wikipedia-Homo aquaticus
Wikipedia-‘Man after Man’
