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The Time Machine

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Projecting human evolution: 5 traits we might possess in the future. Of course, the idea that humans are still evolving is one that has never been legitimately questioned. In fact, according to an evolutionary principle called the Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium, evolutionary change is a mathematical necessity so long as at least one of the following influences occur to a genetic population: mutation, non-random mating (including sexual selection), gene flow, genetic drift or natural selection.

The first four of these influences obviously still occur. Now that it has been determined by the Sheffield study that natural selection is also still at play, it's worth wondering: In what ways are humans evolving? What traits might we possess if we projected human evolution into the future? Humans of the future may lack wisdom teeth Most people think of their wisdom teeth as a pesky medical annoyance — those things that must be surgically removed before they start to erupt. So it's not a surprise that wisdom teeth are beginning to disappear.

Related on MNN: Attachment Disorder, Attachment Therapy - Adult Attachment Disorder and Treatment. Unresolved childhood attachment issues leave an adult vulnerable to difficulties in forming secure adult relationships. Patterns of attachment continue through the life cycle and across generations. New relations are affected by the expectations developed in past relationships. There is a strong correlation between insecure adult attachment and marital dissatisfaction and negative marital interactions. If an adult does not feel safe with others, he/she will tend to be either rejecting of their partner or overly clingy. Attachment problems are often handed down transgenerationally unless someone breaks the chain. As a parent, an insecurely attached adult may lack the ability to form a strong attachment to their child and provide the necessary attachment cues required for the healthy emotional development of the child thereby predisposing their child to a lifetime of relationship difficulties.

Intense anger and loss Hostile Critical of others Sensitive to blame Lack of empathy Extreme emotions. What is Fear & the Causes of Fears - Ways of Overcoming Fear Naturally. What is Fear? Emotions play an important part in our daily lives. Fear is one such emotion that is pre-programmed into all animals and people as an instinctual response to potential danger.

As for what is fear biologically speaking, when a person experiences fear, certain areas in their brain such as the amygdala and the hypothalamus are immediately activated and appear to control the first physical response to fear. Chemicals such as adrenaline and the stress hormone cortisol are released into the blood stream causing certain physical reactions such as: Rapid heart rate Increased blood pressure Tightening of muscles Sharpened or redirected senses Dilation of the pupils (to let in more light) Increased sweating People who have experienced this will often remember the moment when disaster stuck and how time seemed to slow down. There are numerous causes of fear. Diagnosing Fear What is fear? Future-orientated fear is known as anxiety. What Causes Fear? However, this is not always the case. Fear of Darkness | Fearofstuff.com. Many children are afraid of the dark.

It is natural to find this fear in childhood. However, if the fear is not dealt with it can morph into what is commonly referred to as Nyctophobia. Other names for this fear include achluophobia, lygophobia and scotophobia. Horror movies capitalize on the fear associated with darkness by portraying many evil and violent acts perpetrated at night. And while it is true that most crimes do happen in the darkness there is generally less to fear about nighttime than you might expect. Many nyctophobes can pinpoint a specific incident in childhood that produced mental and emotional trauma that seems to revisit on a daily basis. Unlike many other fear types it is important to remember that there is very little in the way of avoidance. Your phobia causing you panic attacks? An acceptable fear might be apprehension of dark places, but that fear can become phobia quickly when an individual allows their minds to dwell on that apprehension.

Other symptoms include… The Future Is Not Accelerating. I think I mostly agree. Technological advance doesn't accelerate or exponentiate. What it does instead is to advance in endless fits and starts, like endless stair steps that vary in size. A breakthrough is made and for a brief period a lot of hurdles fall and things look like only endless acceleration is ahead. But then a technology reaches a point of diminishing returns and things settle down again until the next unexpected breakthrough. Bob Seidensticker calls this the "spotlight model" of technological advance.

A breakthrough is made in an area and suddenly the spotlight shifts to all that furious activity, ignoring the continued but very slow advances in the "more boring" areas. On the other hand, it is true that we have more scientists and engineers than in any other time in history but they are facing far more problems and, in many ways, tougher problems than in the past.