Evolution Tomorrow and Beyond - Robin May

Evolution has led from amoebae to blue whales and from algae to giant redwoods.

So what might it do in the future? What species might evolve in the next ten million years? How will evolutionary processes change as a result of human innovation and what are the risks of us getting it disastrously wrong? What might evolution look like if we ever set up home on another planet, or if inhabitants of other planets arrive here?

Chapters
00:00 - Introduction
02:02 - How Evolution Works
05:27 - Climate Change
08:05 - How we've accidentally impacted animal evolution
13:05 - How Pandemics shaped human evolution
19:06 - Bacterial resistance to antibiotics
21:24 - Future pandemics
23:39 - Survival through better immune systems
26:18 - Survival through being antisocial
28:35 - Survival through being violent
32:23 - Gene editing to prevent disease
39:17 - Cosmetic gene editing in utero
41:20 - Does musical genius come from genes?
43:52 - Human evolution beyond Earth
46:41 - Conclusion
47:28 - Q&A Session

This lecture was recorded by Robin May on 8th May 2024 at Barnard's Inn Hall, London

Robin is Gresham Professor of Physic.

He is also Chief Scientific Adviser at the Food Standards Agency (FSA) and Professor of Infectious Disease at the University of Birmingham.

The transcript of the lecture is available from the Gresham College website:

[hoangvu]

43:40 LVB was "massively unmusical, " falling in the 9th percentile of people with musical skills. Who knew? Robin is hilarious, but how come people don't laugh (or at least giggle) at his quips? Immensely enjoyable, and educational to boot! Thanks.

[delphinidin]

Honestly, in the case of a post-apocalyptic society, I think research has shown that cooperative people have a better survival rate in adverse circumstances than violent people. Humans are a social species, and we survive best by helping one another in a group rather than fighting to the death for just ourselves or our immediate family. I would think that the biggest challenge to this would be, not a selection for violence, but the fact that people who like isolation (and therefore survive pandemics better) would be the people who would then be forced to cooperate with one another for survival lol

[samomuransky]

I do understand concern of genetic modification leading to less diversity and therefore possibly catastrophic consequences for the humanity in the future when our conditions change but at the same time, surely if we develop the capability of modifing DNA, we will also be able to use it when it happens? Diversity ensures survival of the species but at the expense of many individuals dying. With gene editing, if we ever face new conditions, we can re-edit the genes to suit them. That sounds like a more efficient strategy to me.

Besides, I don't really believe in banning research because its goal is unethical. It's not possible to enforce this worldwide and forever. Someone, somewhere at some point will develop it, we're just delaying it and risking that those who do develop it first will be the ones who don't play by the rules (leading to all kinds of catastrophic scenarios). There are millions people on this planet who could benefit from gene editing and have their lives massively improved but won't live to see that day because we're holding this unrealistic hope that it will never be developed. When in reality we're delaying it by what? Decades? Certainly no more than a century.

[SiddarthaTB]

The fact that Beethoven wasn't musically inclined and yet still manged to be who he is just reminded me of Gattaca.

[katarinavidakovic]

Always make my day enjoy every minute of it❤

[vaclavskarda]

The bid with the bird feeding, we also feed birds in central europe but instead of these cagy things pictured we use little open tree houses on our gardens, therefore they don't really need longer beaks and also our cats like to hunt their and eliminate any bird (once a year max) that's stupid enough to fly there when there's a cat inside...

[SunflowerFlowerEmpire]

Evolution is super slow, we're always in the present aren't we?

[ozachar]

50% of the population of today is just the world population 50 years ago. That's actually not such a huge reversal. Hopefully the expected decline of global birth rate would do it on its own within 100-200 years.

[Eatsgreencandles]

The more gresham stuff I watch the more I despise that podcast ad that is 10 times too long and unnecessary. you could just put a text banner and a link in the description and not devalue the videos.

[kooter]

IF 90% of the Native Americana died because of small pox why didn't this effect South America? Why didn't it spread there? Or why didn't the Spanish or Portuguese bring it there?

[rovert]

Pretty depressing picture for human evolution. Our medical care keeps most alive through the breeding ages. The more successful (in a technology age) are not breeding to any extent. Firstly due to education demands and then career aspirations. I suspect those without education/careers are breeding at a higher rate. I read that IQ is in a downward trend which does not bode well for the long term. Perhaps intelligence is no longer a requirement for the

[gk-qfhv]

With 8 billion people on earth now, shouldn't their be more mutations than before?

[marc-andredesrosiers]

Bad democratization. Over-simplified to the poi t that fundamental facts are obscured.
See work by Denis Noble.

[hmq]

We may get two types of human. Rich and poor. The rich will be tall and magnificent and highly intelligent (because they can afford 'perfect' children thanks genetic planning) and an underclass of short, brutish, slaves.