09 November 2010

Are we changing?

In two words - probably yes!
I am not talking about dissolving geographic boundaries or embracing cross cultural habits but about the human body...

Before you get me wrong,we have not yet
- sprouted antennae (though its quite likely considering the humongous amount of all kinds of radiation around us- mobile phones, wireless landlines, wi-fi networks, radio/television waves, ham radios etc)
- developed an extra membrane/tissue in our nose (to filter the highly polluted air we breathe)
- grown an extra appendage to handle the ubiquitous mobile electronic devices that none of us seem to be able to do without at any time

Last known we still have 206 bones, 32 teeth with XY/XX chromosomes to distinguish males and females. So physically at least we still look the same as our great grand parents (or even older forefathers)...

Now to the topic on hand...


As a result of improved nutrition, environmental factors etc there is a gradual change in our bodies- at a fundamental level...
  • Dentists' say children now have larger teeth (size of each tooth is bigger as compared to five-six decades ago), wisdom teeth do not erupt in some people at all.
  • Pathologists say the so-called 'normal' levels of different body parameters like blood sugar levels, Thyroid hormone levels, HDL levels etc are updated by WHO and other health authorities from time to time. Hence you may find that an HDL level of 54 would be within a normal range in 2006 but marginally found wanting in 2010.
  • Gynaecologists often report early menarche in young girls or changing timeframes for menopause.
  • Greying hair is a now a common feature in late twenties itself- I still remember my grandmother with jet black hair till she left us...
  • Average height is increasing as is average lifespan
We have learnt about how Man evolved from more primitive creatures and obviously the changes took place over several hundred. Are the changes I mentioned (there may be many more occurring at microscopic levels as well) a part of a further evolution of our species? Is Homo sapiens the pinnacle of life of earth or will another 'creature' evolve from us?
We will never know...
Regards
Archana

These are just a few examples that I have mentioned based on my experiences and reports and observations of people in India. I would not like to extrapolate the same to other regions as they may/may not not hold true...

4 comments:

Vibhas Pande said...

Yes we are. Consider this. We use our eyes for short distance screen viewing(laptop/PC/mobiles) more often. We use our wrists and finger more often. We spend more time with internet meaning use of mind and intellect than physical activity.Hence our anatomy and biochemistry is bound to change and change at a faster rate than the past. As a result the next gen is smarter and more intelligent than our generation but it is also less tolerant and is physically weaker than our generation. You can check out the statistics for this.

rgds
vibhas

Annie said...

We will probably have less hair on the head (body hair has already decreased).... our thought processes will be sharper but move on a narrow track and perhaps our ears and nose might disappear altogether one day! (This observation was made and explained by a scientist friend, needs checking out)

Annie said...

We will probably have less hair on the head (body hair has already decreased).... our thought processes will be sharper but move on a narrow track and perhaps our ears and nose might disappear altogether one day! (This observation was made and explained by a scientist friend, needs checking out)

Archana said...

Thanks all! :)