Horizon: Are we still Evolving?

[Des]

This has been by far the best series of Horizon since the 1980s, and tonight's programme, presented by the ever-dependable Dr Alice Roberts, was well up to standard. Roberts looked at the way natural selection still seems to be having an effect on human development, from the physiological changes in Sherpas and Tibetans enabling them to cope with low levels of oxygen, to lactose-tolerance in western European populations allowing the digestion of milk. The transition from hunter-gathering to farming economies ten thousand years ago insulated humans from the extremes of hunger and disease which make natural selection act upon us, and while Steve Jones believes that technology has stopped (or at the very least slowed down) human evolution, the future is a different kettle of genetically-modified fish - who knows what effect global pandemics might have on us? Almost certainly, a decimation of world population through disease would kick-start our evolutionary processes, and the result would be barely recognisable to us. The future may be human, but not as we know it.

[kas]

That sounds very interesting. Recent programs in the series have been shown here (like "Why Do We Talk" about a month ago), so chances are this programme gets picked up as well.

[howard male]

Yes, I'm looking forward to catching up with this later.

[Jonathan E.]

Me too. Got a quick download. Thanks for the word, Des.

[howard male]

Glass of milk, Des?

[Des]

Better not, Howard!