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. To evolve useful wings, we would also need to become smaller, evolve honeycomb bones and lose most of the muscle mass in our legs and nearly all our teeth just to be light enough. If our wings evolved from arms, we would become much clumsier and lose the benefit of our hands. If they grew as separate limbs, we would need to reorganise our skeleton and muscle structure radically over thousands of millions of years.
Luis trained as a zoologist, but now works as a science and technology educator. In his spare time he builds 3D-printed robots, in the hope that he will be spared when the revolution inevitably comes.
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
selective pressure
Evolutionary pressure, selective pressure or selection pressure is exerted by factors that reduce or increase reproductive success in a portion of a population, driving natural selection.
https://en.wikipedia.org › wiki › Evolutionary_pressure
All animals have genes that decide and control the development of organs. Due to these genes, it is impossible to find humans born with wings. Our limbs will develop according to the instructions encoded in such genes. It is because of these genes, a spider will form 8 legs but no wings.
Humans are not physically designed to fly. We cannot create enough lift to overcome the force of gravity (or our weight). It's not only wings that allow birds to fly. Their light frame and hollow bones make it easier to counteract gravity.
The weight of an organism increases at a faster rate than its strength as they grow, so, an average adult would need a wingspan of approximately 6.7m to fly. Even if we did have wings with the required wingspan, they would be way too heavy to function.
All muscles not needed for flight would need to shrink, legs could be a lot shorter (leg bones are heavy). Arms would be wings so we'd need more dexterous toes and a beak to help up eat and manipulate things.
Yes and no. It would take more than one genetic mutation to form wings for humans. One mutation will not do the trick. There is no selective pressure for humans to develop wings: our arms work well enough that another limb adaptation is not necessary or required.
However, determining which flapping strategy is best requires aerodynamic studies of various ways of flapping the wings. Therefore, a Swedish-Swiss research team has constructed a robotic wing that can achieve just that – flapping like a bird, and beyond.
It's important to note that Superman's abilities are fictional, and in the real world, breaking the speed of light is not possible according to our current understanding of physics. Superman's physical abilities play a crucial role in his ability to fly.
Avian humanoids (people with the characteristics of birds) are a common motif in folklore and popular fiction, mainly found in Greek, Roman, Meitei, Hindu, Persian mythology, etc.
A long, furry tail like a macaque's could be useful to wrap around ourselves for warmth, like a built-in scarf. And if we had evolved to hibernate during the winter, our tails could come in handy as a fat-storage system (a strategy employed by some non-primate mammals, such as beavers).
If humans developed wings, how long would our wings need to be to fly? The average adult male would need a wingspan of no less than 6.7 meters (~22 feet). The largest flying bird in history, argentavis magnificens, weighed about 200 pounds and had a wingspan of about 7 meters (~23 feet).
This bizarre, bird-like dinosaur, called Microraptor, appears to have four wings: both its front and back limbs were feathered. And those rear leg feathers weren't just decorative; they show adaptations for flight.
It's unlikely humans would ever grow gills, since no marine mammal has done so, but if you put humans in a situation where those who were best at swimming did best at breeding, in a few tens of millions of years you could get humans who could hold their breath for half an hour, had flippers etc.
In order for a human to fly without actually being in an airplane, hot air balloon, rocket, jetpack, or any other flying vehicle (real or imaginary) that person must be able to provide an upward thrust sufficient to counter his weight. Unfortunately, we have no way to provide this force without some outside assistance.
Could humans have evolved with gills if we had spent most of our time in water? No. Oxygen levels in water are much lower than in air, and gills are not a very efficient means of extracting it. Gills couldn't provide the body with oxygen fast enough to support the high metabolic rate that we and other mammals have.
If humans had wings, their metabolic rate would increase significantly due to the additional energy required for flight. The wings would require a substantial amount of muscle mass to move and control, leading to an increase in basal metabolic rate.
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.
Introduction: My name is Saturnina Altenwerth DVM, I am a witty, perfect, combative, beautiful, determined, fancy, determined person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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