Are we interfering the evolution?

Since I got some time off last week, I was reading one of the "diwali" magazines. It had an interesting topic covered - where will India be in 2025. Most of the authors were very optimistic and had noted down many of the very obvious thoughts. However one of the scientists, Niranjan Ghate, had written a very interesting thought - Human being is interferring with evolution process and hence it is difficult to predict what happens to the natural evolution process by 2025. Surprising? I always thought that it's a natural process and it favors the "survival of the fittest" priciple. Then how come we can interfere this process? No, he was not referring to the advances in medication and thus prolonging the human life, nor he was referring to the cloning.

He was referring to the fact that advanced medical science can help those unfortunate couples, who can have a baby by natural means. It took me a while to understand why it is so. Let's see the natural process of fertilization. As we all know that there is only one sperm that is fortunate enough to meet the egg to produce an embryo. This sperm has to win the race to reach the egg and hence it is the strongest one - again underlining the "survival of the fittest". Now look at the process of artificial conception - The medical professional will pick up any of the sperms, without knowing which is the best amongst the available lot, and will allow it to meet the egg to form the embryo - where is the principle of "survival of the fittest"?

Isn't it interesting?

Ref: http://maharashtratimes.indiatimes.com/articleshow/2207064.cms

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Comments

Anonymous said…
We may call it "Survival of the Luckiest" :))
November 07, 2006 4:36 PM
Mandar Behere said…
haa haa .. that is a good one :)
November 07, 2006 5:03 PM
Parimaula said…
Well, we can verify the result. As per my knowledge, top cyclist Lance Armstrong and wife kik had gone for this process of artificial conception when he was figting testicular cancer way back in 1996 i guess...lets see if any of his children come anywhere near his "seven time winner tour de france" record.....
November 14, 2006 2:57 PM
Mandar Behere said…
hmmm ... I didn't know about that, thanks for the information :) Let's see
November 14, 2006 4:06 PM
Unknown said…
I'm sure that the Medical Professionals only select healthy sperm... the far more philosophical discussion is around medical sciences prolonging the lives of people with less-fit genes and allowing them to procreate. Eventually, a vast majority of the human race will have compromised genes and ultimately the race will fail.

Our compassion will be our undoing.
November 08, 2010 4:22 PM
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