Why Do We Need To Reverse Human Evolution?

Have you ever wished you could go back in time to relive the days when humanity was untouched by the overstimulation of technology, the air was fresh, and birds sang freely?

What if you could experience time travel in this lifetime? What if we could reverse human evolution and finally bypass the limitations of our existence?

But first, let's explore why this is important!

The Death of Inertia

Evolution is the process by which species undergo changes over time through genetic variations to survive and thrive. It drives adaptation to environmental changes, promotes genetic diversity, enables the formation of new species, and ensures long-term survival.

However, evolution is not always advantageous. A classic example is the human craving for sugars and fats.

Humans evolved to crave high-calorie foods like sugars and fats because they were scarce and essential for survival in ancestral environments. But in our modern societies, where these foods are abundant, this preference is leading to overeating, obesity, diabetes, and other health issues.

Similarly, the fight-or-flight response was crucial for survival in dangerous situations. But today, chronic stress due to non-life-threatening issues can lead to health problems such as heart disease, anxiety, depression, and other mental health issues.

A few other disadvantages of evolution include:

• Childbirth Complications: The evolution of large brains and heads has made childbirth more difficult and risky.

• Wisdom Teeth Issues: Human jaws have become smaller due to dietary changes, yet wisdom teeth still develop, often causing overcrowding and requiring removal.

• Reproductive Timing: Peak fertility in the 20s clashes with modern priorities of education and career, leading to fertility issues later in life.

• Social Conflicts: Tribalism and in-group favoritism, which once helped early humans form cohesive groups, now contribute to social conflicts, racism, and xenophobia.

So, why do we continue to celebrate evolution? Who determines that the benefits of evolution outweigh its drawbacks? And what would happen if we attempted to reverse it?

The Dice Roll

While it may sound that the stronger and more adaptable a species is, the better and longer it survives. After all, there’s a reason why tardigrades are almost immortal!

(The biggest life hack is to be a tardigrade, quite literally.)

But, not everyone is lucky enough to be on the good side of nature.

While a species might evolve, it doesn’t lead to it being fittest to survive.

Survival of the fittest is a concept within the theory of natural selection that describes the process by which individuals with traits that are better suited to their environment have a higher likelihood of surviving and reproducing, passing those advantageous traits to their offspring.

So even though a species might have mutations, which are random changes in DNA, to introduce new traits, whether these mutations are beneficial, neutral, or harmful is largely a matter of chance.

In some cases, when a small number of individuals start a new population, the genetic traits in this new population are influenced by the specific genetic makeup of the founders, which can be largely due to chance.

Similarly, the availability of mates and reproductive opportunities can be influenced by chance encounters. This means that the species with the best adaptations can be wiped out if the mating opportunities are not optimal. The trends like chatbot companions can actually set us on this path.

So as evolution becomes more and more irrelevant, how can we ensure the optimal survival of our species?

Resetting the Scales

The pace of human progress is too fast to halt. We cannot stop the world because no one knows where its brakes are. However, we can change the direction of our evolution.

While biohacking, genetic modification, and molecular biology to enable cyborgism, age reversing, and whatnot seem to be the obvious paths to take, they prevent the democratization of choices. More than 4.5 billion people can’t even afford proper healthcare. Ironically, the global aesthetic medicine market size is projected to reach 7.94 billion USD by 2032.

This means that if the trends continue, only the richest will have the resources to survive the longest. This only escalates the “injustice¹ ” inflicted by nature on all its species.

The invention of language was the first step of humanity to reverse it.

Language enabled the sharing of knowledge about the environment, such as information about food sources, dangers, and migration patterns. This collective knowledge improved our ability to adapt to diverse and changing environments. It is associated with the evolution of larger and more complex brains, social learning rather than relying solely on personal trial and error, and better cooperation.

It augmented us.

Artificial Intelligence is the next step in the quest of controlling our evolution. And it is not because AI supplements science and research, but because of something more readily available.

On a broader scale, LLMs are changing how we understand, learn, and use language. The increase in adoption of the LLMs directly translates into their influence over users. The modern-day celebrities are not humans, but AI models occupying large public attention.

By controlling the semantics of a language in LLMs, we can mold our perception of the world in the desired direction. Positive Reframing is a classic example here. Our experiences play an important role in shaping us biologically. The emerging fields in medicine to treat psychosomatic disorders are a testament to that.

When the power to augment our biology is democratized through enabling experiences through AI, everyone gets a fair chance of evolving however they like. The survival of the fittest, in this case, doesn't translate to the survival of the richest.

Using AI models, we can democratize evolutionary simulations² where prolonged exposure to certain artificial environments can alter our minds, and hence, eventually our biological makeup.

Scientists have already found rapid and dramatic reverse evolution in some species of fish.

Nothing is more human than the quest to transcend oneself. We were made for greatness. So why do we still accept the limitations that human evolution has imposed upon us?

Why do we still need 8 hours of sleep? Why do we still seek what’s familiar to remain safe over what’s best for us? Why do we still appreciate nature more than our own inventions?

Most importantly, why are we still okay with being just humans?

Notes:

1. Nature has been unjust to humanity because it operates on the principle of survival-of-the-fittest, often favoring traits that ensure survival rather than those that promote fairness or well-being. This inherent randomness and brutality have left many individuals and groups at a disadvantage, struggling against diseases, environmental challenges, and genetic predispositions.

2. Evolutionary Simulations: They are experiences that hold the capacity to alter our physiology and hence, the direction of our evolution. For example, much like exposure therapy helps individuals gradually adapt to fears and anxieties, evolutionary simulations could immerse us in controlled environments that challenge our current biological limitations, potentially leading to enhanced resilience, adaptability, and even new physiological traits.