We're all aware that we live in a world that's been transformed by technology, and while this provides us with many benefits, it can also have some long-term consequences.
It's believed humans inhabiting the Earth 1,000 years from now will have very different physical characteristics than us now, and new technologies may be the reason why.
This outlook is due to 'Mindy', a human model created by a group of researchers from Med Alert Help and the New York-Presbyterian Orch Spine Hospital.
This experiment shows all the transformations that humans will undergo, as well as what they will look like in the year 3000.
The characteristics of humans in the future
Toll Free Forwarding has published a report which states that the "constant use of smartphones, laptops and other technology" will be why our bodies will change so much. These are some of the features that are expected to change.
1. Stooped over
First, humans of the future will have a hump.
"The design and habits of users of modern technological objects, such as smartphones and computer monitors, have a significant impact on the way we sit and stand," says the report. Thus, our descendants will be more stooped than we are.
"It has been shown that constantly adjusting our position to look down at our phone or up at our office screen strains parts of our body that determine our posture."
2. Claws instead of hands
"A recently coined condition, the 'text claw,' occurs after constantly holding your cell phone and curling your fingers around it in an unnatural position for long periods of time," the article states.
According to the media outlet, this change "is directly caused by the use of one particular technological device: the smartphone."
3. 90° elbow
'Mindy' explains another modification that will come as a result of frequent cell phone use, the 90° angled elbow.
"Also known as 'smartphone elbow', it is due to the position of the arm when holding and using smartphones, either for general use or for holding them next to the ear during phone calls."
4. The skull will get bigger but the brain will get smaller
Humans in the year 3000 will have a larger skull but, at the same time, a very small brain.
"It's possible that we will develop thicker skulls, but if a scientific theory is to be believed, technology can also change the size of our brains," they write.
5. Thicker necks
For its part, the neck will also go through some obvious changes.
"Going back to 'Mindy's' posture, the effects of technology on the neck have also resulted in a new condition, aptly named 'tech neck," the report adds, stating the neck will get thicker and wider.
6. New eyelids
"Screens cause headaches, eyestrain and even blindness," the researchers say. "Humans can develop a larger inner eyelid to avoid exposure to excessive light, or the lens of the eye can evolve to block incoming blue light, but not other high-wavelength light such as green, yellow or red," says Kasun Ratnayake of the University of Toledo (Ohio, USA).
FAQs
Humans will become cyborgs.
In 1,000 years from now, merging with technology might be the only way for humanity to compete with Artificial Intelligence. Merging human minds with computers would create a superbrain that could perform complex equations and search the internet just by thinking.
How have humans evolved in the past 1000 years? ›
Human traits that emerged recently include the ability to free-dive for long periods of time, adaptations for living in high altitudes where oxygen concentrations are low, resistance to contagious diseases (such as malaria), light skin, blue eyes, lactase persistence (or the ability to digest milk after weaning), lower ...
How will humans look like in the year 3000? ›
Humans in the year 3000 will have a larger skull but, at the same time, a very small brain. "It's possible that we will develop thicker skulls, but if a scientific theory is to be believed, technology can also change the size of our brains," they write.
What will human beings look like in the future? ›
We will likely live longer and become taller, as well as more lightly built. We'll probably be less aggressive and more agreeable, but have smaller brains. A bit like a golden retriever, we'll be friendly and jolly, but maybe not that interesting.
What was life like a 1000 years ago? ›
For the majority of people, their lives would be spent working on a farm as everything had to be done by hand and would take a huge amount of time and labour.
What will Earth look like in 10,000 years? ›
(It also considered scenarios in between.) In 10,000 years, if we totally let it rip, the planet could ultimately be an astonishing 7 degrees Celsius warmer on average and feature seas 52 meters (170 feet) higher than they are now, the paper suggests.
Will humans evolve again? ›
Human evolution relies on the differences in our genes and in our ability to pass on these genetic differences (ie our breeding capabilities). Over time, the population should change as these differences become more apparent. If the genetic changes are great enough, a new species will arise.
Are humans losing wisdom teeth? ›
The trend towards fewer or absent wisdom teeth has been driven by human evolution, with genetics and environmental factors affecting wisdom tooth prevalence.
What did original humans look like? ›
Individuals were comparable to humans today in terms of body size and shape, although they were more muscular and had much wider hips. Adults grew to about 1.4-1.8 metres tall and weighed 41-65 kilograms.
How humans looked 10,000 years later? ›
We are now generally shorter, lighter and smaller boned than our ancestors were 100,000 years ago. The decrease has been gradual but has been most noticeable in the last 10,000 years.
Asteroid strikes, supernovae blasts, and other calamities could take out humanity. But no matter what, a cataclysmic event 1 billion years from now will likely rob the planet of oxygen, wiping out life.
How long will humans last? ›
But how long can humans last? Eventually humans will go extinct. According to the most wildly optimistic estimate, our species will last perhaps another billion years but end when the expanding envelope of the sun swells outward and heats the planet to a Venus-like state. But a billion years is a long time.
Will humans evolve to fly? ›
To fly! The dream of man and flightless bird alike. Virtually impossible. To even begin to evolve in that direction, our species would need to be subject to some sort of selective pressure that would favour the development of proto-wings, which we're not.
Will humans be immortal in future? ›
Some researchers believe there's a limit on how long it's physically possible to live: perhaps 125 years. But what if we don't need our bodies at all? Some people, including famed futurist Ray Kurzweil, believe that by 2045, we might become immortal by uploading our brains into computers.
Can humans evolve to breathe underwater? ›
This took more than 350 million years. There are humans (Bajau Laut- sea nomads) who can hold their breath for longer durations (up to some minutes) underwater. However, it is biologically impossible to evolve (or devolve) to live underwater in a short period.
How long will human civilization last? ›
Parfit points out that the Earth will remain habitable for around a billion years. And these might be lower bounds on our potential: if humanity is able to expand beyond Earth, it could greatly increase the human population and survive for trillions of years.
What will technology be like in 10,000 years? ›
Over the next 10,000 years, humanity's technological progress is bound to be astounding. Breakthroughs in artificial intelligence may lead to self-aware machines capable of unimaginable tasks, while space exploration could result in interstellar colonization and contact with extraterrestrial civilizations.
Was there a civilization 10000 years ago? ›
Around 10,000–7000 years ago (8000–5000 BC), humankind experienced perhaps its most important revolution. The Neolithic revolution, as it is called, forever changed the interaction between humans and the world around us by introducing the basic ingredient that makes civilization possible: agriculture.
What will civilization be like in 100 years? ›
Many workstations would be replaced by robots. There would also be new and faster means of transportation – Maybe even flying cars. Our climate would continue to increase in temperature. The world population would increase by several billion and therefore our field and forests would disappear and become cities.
