I was almost done in SS3 when we finally touched on the topic of Evolution in Biology, back then in secondary school. In any Biology textbook, it’s always one of the last topics to be treated. And as seen in many WAEC past questions, it’s one of the least topics that are sure to come out in the exams. However, despite it all, I still remember some of the things we were taught about evolution.
That year, my Biology teacher told us that evolution only comes as a result of necessity. Something in the environment forces the living organisms to change, so that adapting will come more easily. And whether we’ve noticed it or not, we’re evolving.
Our parents told us about how they used to trek long distances back in the day, but at the same age, we couldn’t even do half of that distance. Because we didn’t need to. If you don’t need something, nature removes it and gives you what you need. They say that if you stay in a pitch black room, or you’re blindfolded long enough, you go blind simply because your brain no longer knows how to use your eyes.
One thing that struck me the most was the idea that nature only provides what we need as humans. The only reason we can’t fly like birds is that humanity has not had a reason for it. If, for any reason, we decide to live in the clouds and we’re always in the air, within the next hundred years or so, babies would be born with tiny wings that would help lift them into the air.
That’s evolution for you, and also my understanding of what it is. However, in this particular topic, it’s quite easy to see where evolution is taking us. Studies have said that we all have bits and pieces of plastic running through our system due to the fact that plastics have taken over the world. We all have it in the tiniest bits in our system, and soon, kids will be born with plastics running through their blood as well.
I don’t really know what this could mean. I see it as being positive; maybe it would allow the human body to easily accept plastic replicas of damaged organs. Imagine if a patient suffering from a weak heart could change it to plastic, and it could work perfectly. And also, it’ll be easy to accept it because the human body is already adapting to the presence of plastics.
Another one that is inevitable is UV light. Too many screens are bad for us, but many kids right from the cradle are already operating tablets and phones. They’re already being exposed to the harsh screen lights even from a young age. Eventually, the human body would build up an immunity to such light. This means that people can use the screens as long as they wish without having to worry about their eyesight.
One more evolutionary trait that I believe we’d find ourselves in is the merger between human and AI. We already have chips that are implanted in the brain to help the paralyzed perform major functions; they can speak and do things they couldn’t previously do. Once AI gets into the mix, the sky is the limit for what can be achieved. It’ll also be the age of even more inventions.
Once people need something, they’ll just make it because they have an AI that will guide them through the process. We have AI writing code and correcting the code of seasoned programmers. One guy used a 3d printer to build the gun he used to shoot a CEO. And just like that, people will get wiser and smarter. They’d be able to build what they want. They’d be able to fish for tools and get it done themselves. All that will be needed is just the right prompt to get the AI going.
We’ve evolved to the point now where technology is a part of us, and taking it away from the equation is just impossible. Now, we’re going into the era where AI will also be paramount in our affairs. At this point, we can’t avoid it, because one way or the other, we’d have to use AI to get one or two things done. This is the future of humanity.
