Human face, in 100,000 years ?

[Hum]

We've come along way looks-wise from our homo sapien ancestors. Between 800,000 and 200,000 years ago, for instance, rapid changes in Earth climate coincided with a tripling in the size of the human brain and skull, leading to a flattening of the face. But how might the physiological features of human beings change in the future, especially as new, wearable technology like Google Glass change the way we use our bodies and faces?

Artist and researcher Nickolay Lamm has partnered with a computational geneticist to research and illustrate what we might look like 20,000 years in the future, as well as 60,000 years and 100,000 years out. His full, eye-popping illustrations are at the bottom of this post.

Lamm says this is "one possible timeline," where, thanks to zygotic genome engineering technology, our future selves would have the ability to control human biology and human evolution in much the same way we control electrons today.

Lamm speaks of "wresting control" of the human form from natural evolution and bending human biology to suit our needs. The illustrations were inspired by conversations with Dr. Alan Kwan, who holds a PhD in computational genomics from Washington University.

Kwan based his predictions on what living environments might look like in the future, climate and technological advancements. One of the big changes will be a larger forehead, Kwan predicts - a feature that has already expanding since the 14th and 16th centuries. Scientists writing in the British Dental Journal have suggested that skull-measurement comparisons from that time show modern-day people have less prominent facial features but higher foreheads, and Kwan expects the human head to trend larger to accommodate a larger brain.

Kwan says that 60,000 years from now, our ability to control the human genome will also make the effect of evolution on our facial features moot. As genetic engineering becomes the norm, "the fate of the human face will be increasingly determined by human tastes," he says in a research document. Eyes will meanwhile get larger, as attempts to colonize Earth's solar system and beyond see people living in the dimmer environments of colonies further away from the Sun than Earth. Similarly, skin will become more pigmented to lesson the damage from harmful UV radiation outside of the Earth's protective ozone. Kwan expects people to have thicker eyelids and a more pronounced superciliary arch (the smooth, frontal bone of the skull under the brow), to deal with the effects of low gravity.

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[PsYcHoKiLLa]

The woman looks like Lucy Davis from the original UK The Office

[Max Norris]

We start turning into anime characters?

[Phouchg]

Gah. Found Liquify option in Photoshop and called it day. Anyway, our Warwagon would probably love her eye sockets :rofl:

We start turning into anime characters?

Yes. Source article strangely doesn't mention ability to set our hair on fire at will.

[-T- Member]

Yet surprisingly we'd still be white?

[Hum]

^ Easier to spot in the dark.

[exotoxic]

We will just be a pile of bones.

[Sszecret Veteran]

Imagine that chick, with those eyes and w/o makeup, staring at you. The horror, the horror...

[compl3x]

I would have thought they'd be more obese. Jabba the Hutt it a more accurate representation of where human development is going.

[MikeChipshop Member]

I'd imagine us to be more of a mix of different races. Almost the 'grey race'. Highly unlikely (imo) we'd still be white, black, asian etc.

[Duffydemon]

^ By next 200 years, everyone will be mixed.

[MikeChipshop Member]

^ By next 200 years, everyone will be mixed.

Yeah. We're pretty far along doing this already.

[Sszecret Veteran]

^ By next 200 years, everyone will be mixed.

But, will it blend?

[Yorak]

Kamehameha! Final Flash! Special Beam Cannon! Tri-Beam!

[Azies]

[HawkMan]

I think that guy needs to realize how big those eyeballs would be, and how impossible it would be in that size skull.

[HawkMan]

I'd imagine us to be more of a mix of different races. Almost the 'grey race'. Highly unlikely (imo) we'd still be white, black, asian etc.

mixed people tend to trend more towards white then black/brown/red/yellow in skin color. features often stay, but they nearly always go closer to caucasian skin color. And as you get 3rd and 4th generation mixes, the non caucasian skin colors will be more or less washed out. so outside of communities where mixed races is frowned upon and countries with less ethnic diversity, I fear the world will become mostly caucasian in the far future.

You can already see it a lot in America. look a how many people have indian genes and are considered indian according to the law, ten compare that with their features, most of them you can't tell are one quarter indian. much less when you get down to 1/8th.

This is actually bad for mankind, as a lack of diversity makes us far more vulnerable.

[Copernic Reporter]

This:

[link6155]

[Phouchg]

I think that guy needs to realize how big those eyeballs would be, and how impossible it would be in that size skull.

Tarsier monkeys disagree.

Anyway, if it were true, those stupidly oversized sunglasses that cover half of one's face, fancied mostly by "fashionable" brats, would finally have some merit.

[MikeChipshop Member]

mixed people tend to trend more towards white then black/brown/red/yellow in skin color. features often stay, but they nearly always go closer to caucasian skin color. And as you get 3rd and 4th generation mixes, the non caucasian skin colors will be more or less washed out. so outside of communities where mixed races is frowned upon and countries with less ethnic diversity, I fear the world will become mostly caucasian in the far future.

You can already see it a lot in America. look a how many people have indian genes and are considered indian according to the law, ten compare that with their features, most of them you can't tell are one quarter indian. much less when you get down to 1/8th.

This is actually bad for mankind, as a lack of diversity makes us far more vulnerable.

Just to take my point further though.

When i talk about the 'grey race' i don't mean skin colour alone. More of a blanket covering skin colour, facial features, body shapes etc. So yes i do agree with what you're saying, i think my use of the term 'grey race' didn't quite put my point across as i intended.

[HawkMan]

Tarsier monkeys disagree.

Anyway, if it were true, those stupidly oversized sunglasses that cover half of one's face, fancied mostly by "fashionable" brats, would finally have some merit.

What's the size of it's brain compared to a humans. Also a far larger part of it's eyeball is exposed compared to ours. if our eyeballs had been exposed that much, they would actually have popped out. They have nearly half the sphere outside, we don't even have one third exposed.

[HawkMan]

Just to take my point further though.

When i talk about the 'grey race' i don't mean skin colour alone. More of a blanket covering skin colour, facial features, body shapes etc. So yes i do agree with what you're saying, i think my use of the term 'grey race' didn't quite put my point across as i intended.

Yeah, granted, I suspect certain slavic areas, most of asia and large parts of Africa won't be "blended" as much though.unless things change rapidly in the future :) southern America may also stay somewhat un-mixed, But they're pretty mixed already outside of the native areas, and suspect they will be mixed in with the "spanish" soon enough.

When the next pandemic hits, a real proper one. this lack of diversity may lead to a lot more dead than otherwise. it's interestign how humans recognize the need for natural diversity in everything but themselves. on the other hand, if we where to force it, we'd be right back at apartheid and racism... :/ So I guess we'd better make sure our medical technology is top notch to prevent any padnemics :)

[Phouchg]

What's the size of it's brain compared to a humans. Also a far larger part of it's eyeball is exposed compared to ours. if our eyeballs had been exposed that much, they would actually have popped out. They have nearly half the sphere outside, we don't even have one third exposed.

Makes me think how collosal squids keep their eyeballs with them at all times.

Not that I don't agree that this "prediction" is a rather bad attempt at trolling...

[goatsniffer]

Me and my flying car would like to laud the predictions of the PhD holders of 40 years ago for their accurate predictions of life today.

By the way, I just lost my job in the sprocket factory, so if any of you are in the cogs business I would appreciate any news of job opportunities.