Our Evolution

What do you think the future of Evolution in humanity will be like? Do you see it acting out as it has in the past where we evolve from lesser species such as monkeys and beings such as Neanderthals? It's all conjecture from what we know from our history and our current ways of life. Every day we know more and more about our past and how we have evolved into what we are today. I am no science buff whatsoever but I do love to think about the future and how we will go forth and thrive as human beings. Will we reach out into the stars and find Alien life? Will we stay here on Earth and survive the cataclysm of overpopulation that is to come? Will some diseases like coronavirus bring upon our doom? All of these thoughts that I have surmount on the biggest question of all, is whether we can survive further and evolve ourselves prematurely using methods such as genetics.

My title in itself tells about the three characters that can give us a boost towards evolution in humanity. My first choice would be that of the tardigrade. These are some of the world's most unique creatures. They are approximately 0.5 mm long. They are most commonly known as water bears. They may be small in size but what they are capable of is extraordinary. These small creatures can survive the vacuum of space amongst other things such as temperatures up to 300ﾟF as well. If that's not impressive enough then what they can do to survive should give you that nudge. These little creatures can displace all but nearly 1% of the water in their bodies and still survive, utilizing cryptobiosis. They cannot live in this form indefinitely, but up to 30 years or so, which is still impeccable. So with our knowledge of this little guy, I hope they can use it to genetically engineer something for us to survive in other places such as Mars. This guy alone I don't think will have the potential to get humanity to that point of evolution on its own, so I introduce my 2nd animal that will speed us on our way there.

This animal is pretty common in every part of the world. Most people see them as pests, but I believe they can be a great part of our evolution as humans. Humans are bothered by them because of the fact they are scavengers and don't see much of the positives that they provide. I am talking about the bird called the Crow. Many view the appearance of crows as an omen of death because ravens and crows are scavengers and are generally associated with dead bodies, battlefields, and cemeteries, and they’re thought to circle in large numbers above sites where animals or people are expected to soon die. I don't think of them in that light. I think they are one of the smartest creatures out there other than monkeys and dogs etc. The fact they are smart is not the part I am interested in when it comes to crows. It's the memories that crows have and how well they can retain information and pass it on to further generations. This long memory feature would be nothing without the Tardigrade’s ability to stay alive in the harshest of climates, this is why I will wrap it up with my 3rd creature that will help aid in the evolution of humanity.

My final animal is none other than the “Immortal Jellyfish”. This jellyfish is called the Turritopsis dohrnii. This is one of the craziest things I’ve ever read about. They can return to their polyp stages of life even after they've reached sexual maturity. Of course, they'd only do this if they were injured or sick. How does this stitch into my evolutionary idea? Well, it is the 3rd thing that I believe we would need to have to overcome the harsh ecosystem of Mars and other worlds like it. I think the ability to regrow a limb or control age would transform the medical field by itself. I am no scientist when it comes to pulling genes out of each of these creatures so I wouldn’t understand the process that would come with it. Nevertheless, it still intrigues me tenfold.

With these three creatures joined with the complex anatomy that makes us who we are today, people like Elon Musk will be able to do what they need to do and feel free to do what they are great at. I say let's cheer on these great pioneers and innovators, who want to go forth and travel the stars. They know that we will need the space for humanity at the rate we are growing. These three creatures may never be used in this way that I'm thinking, but if anything I believe they are things that are just so interesting to learn about.