#46. Body-mod Bob's [evolution, evolutionary psychology]

EP   EV

Red, theory; black, fact

Techno-evolution 

Evolution may be operating in cooperation with a general capacity for technology. Natural selection would operate on the brain pathways underlying our aesthetic preferences concerning our own appearance and that of possible reproduction partners, and in lockstep with this, a technology would automatically be developed to satisfy the new preferences.

In the Past

As an example, consider the oil and brush technology previously assumed for differentiating women from men by hair smoothness. 

Theory

This style of evolution could be very fast if the brain pathways of aesthetic preferences require few mutations for their modification compared with the number required for the equivalent direct modification of the body. If technologically assisted evolution has general advantages, then we can expect its importance to grow with increases in the reach of technology. 

In the Present

Today, we seem to be at a threshold, with male-to-female and female-to-male gender transitions becoming well known. Demand for this service is probably being driven by disordered neural development during fetal life due to contamination of the fetus by environmental pollutants that have estrogenic properties (e.g., bisphenol A, PCBs, phthalates, etc.). The result would be the birth of individuals with disordered and mutually contradictory gendered aesthetic preferences. 

In the Future 

With further development of cell biology in the direction of supporting body-modification technology, who knows what bizarre hankerings will see the light of day on demand from some customer? Remember that in evolution, the mutation comes first, and the mutation is random. Most such cases will be punished by reduced employability and reduced reproductive success, doubtless exacerbated by prejudice on the part of the normal, normative majority.

However, the very occasional success story is also to be expected, involving the creation of fortuitously hyperfunctional individuals, and thus the technologically assisted creation of a new pre-species of human.

If the engineering details learned by the body-modification trade during this process are then translated into germ-line genetic engineering, then a true artificial humanoid species will have been created.

Photo by Levi Stute on Unsplash