Scientists have named 14 evolutionary traps that could lead humanity to extinction
Miscellaneous / / November 21, 2023
12 of them are already in advanced stages, and the threat of artificial intelligence is not among them.
Looking at the world through the lens of ongoing technological and medical progress, the future of humanity is encouraging. But if you dig a little deeper, it becomes clear that the success of humans as a species is far from guaranteed. Scientists at Stockholm University in Sweden think so.
In his new research They identified 14 different evolutionary traps that the world's population could potentially fall into, ultimately leading to extinction.
According to Swedish scientists, part of the problem is that we feel too good about ourselves: our dominance and success lead to dangerous consequences. But in fact, humanity is now experiencing a so-called polycrisis, when numerous threats - from climate change to global pandemics - threaten to bring an end to an era sooner or later Anthropocene.
Humans as a species are incredibly creative. We are able to innovate, adapt to many circumstances, and can collaborate on a surprisingly large scale. But these capabilities have unintended consequences.
Peter Søgaard Jorgensen
anthropologist from Stockholm University
Of the 14 possible evolutionary dead ends for humanity, five are designated as global:
- simplification (systems become too specialized to adapt, e.g. monoculture farming);
- growth for growth's sake (the continuous pursuit of development, which is detrimental to well-being);
- overshoot (using more resources than the Earth can provide);
- division (international conflicts);
- infection (for example, infectious diseases).
Five more are called technology traps:
- tied to infrastructure (as is the case with fossil fuels);
- chemical pollution;
- existential technologies (for example, nuclear weapons);
- technological autonomy (a striking example is increasingly independent artificial intelligence);
- disinformation.
The remaining four traps are called structural:
- short-termism (priority of quick results instead of long-term growth);
- excessive consumption;
- biosphere disunity;
- loss of local social capital (where an increasingly digital world cuts off social interaction and potentially contributes to further division).
Scientists estimate that 12 of these traps are in an advanced stage. Only technological autonomy and the loss of local social capital have not yet become serious problems.
What's more alarming is that these traps tend to reinforce each other. This means that when we get into one of them, we become much closer to the other.
The picture emerges quite gloomy, but researchers do not lose hope of correcting everything. According to them, what is now needed is active transformation - focused efforts aimed at consistently solving existing problems.
A very simple thing that everyone can do is to be more involved with nature and society at the same time learning about both the positive and negative global impacts of our own local actions level.
anthropologist from Stockholm University
Peter Søgaard Jorgensen
We may be short-sighted and destructive as a species, but we are also creative, resourceful and cooperative, the researchers note. This means there is hope that our fate is not yet sealed.
Interesting research🔍🧐🧭
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Wet the Manta. We got wet :-( based on the results, the child and I were sent for a diaskin test. We won't be allowed to go to school unless we go to the doctor. I asked to leave work twice and stood in the nursery for an hour to get a card among sneezing citizens. We went up to the 4th floor of the clinic to see the phthisiatrician. Well, screw this nasty Manta. It was a miracle that the child and I didn’t catch Covid; it was just at its peak in the fall.
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