Biologically, evolutions is difficult to prove since it takes millions of years for a species to evolve. But throughout the course of human history, there are ways to show human evolution in a few centuries or decades. Here are 5:
1. Technology
The fact that we have developed better ways of communicating, building, and feeding ourselves has made survival all the simpler. Consider fire. Fire’s existence gave us the ability to cook our food, thus making it safer, particularly for meat, which gave us more fat and protein and (sorry vegetarians) helped us live longer. Once fire occurred, then came the oven, then our everyday lifestyles demanded that food needed to heat up faster and the microwave happened. In between all of this, various forms of making fire were found, including wood, coal, gas, and electricity. As our needs change, so does the technology we have; as well as the technology changing our needs.
2. Language
In my schoolin’ days, we were often asked as a class to put ourselves in a line based on birthday — without any verbal communication. Considering that we all knew each other pretty well, it wasn’t hard to put ourselves in an almost correct order. But we have not always had language, and I’m pretty sure that there were more concerns then creating a birthday line. Language helped us to create a unified culture which eventually created the technologies that have you reading this. And a language had to be created that a computer could understand. What’s more, linguists say that the sign of a living culture is an active language. Considering, Rome is quite different since people started speaking Italian.
3. Artistic Expression
Believe it or not, novels didn’t always exist. Really, they only started springing up around the 18th century. Before that, there were short stories, poetry and plays. And they didn’t always exist, either. As time went on, we have evolved into a culture that needs art, and we have explored our and other possible universes with various ways of expressing ourselves. Now, we have music and movies and television shows to fill up our time, as well as ask the deeper question we didn’t care about when our basic survival was our only concern. Not only does the need of it show an evolution in our culture and lifestyle, but the changing media shows technological evolution.
4. Intelligence
Every ten years, the average IQ goes up 3% and thus the ranges have to be normalized, thus raising the “normal” IQ. By todays standards, your great grandparents would be considered retarded. Besides advancing technologies, understanding of psychology and learning techniques have advances that we can teach our children in the most efficient and effective ways possible. Each generation needs to be more intelligent than the next so that our culture can advance even further.
5. Life Expentancy
If nothing else can prove that we as human are evolving, then I have two words: life expectancy. Everything has made it possible for us to live longer. And the longer we live the more time we have to evolve further and come up with ways to live even longer.
