macroevolution has effectively stopped in humans

PRO has claimed that Homo sapiens will not evolve into a different species, AND that we will not be significantly changed as a result of evolution. As PRO holds the burden to demonstrate these assertions, I will begin with a general overview of how I think she is mistaken, and provide a hypothetical situation where both of those assertions would be incorrect. I will then wait for PRO to provide her evidence so that I may address it directly. Speciation Speciation is the formation of a new species from an existing species [1]. It is accepted science that modern Homo sapiens evolved from a different species in a process of evolution that began about 200,000 years ago [2], likely from the species Homo heidelbergensis [2][3]. Also, it is well understood that the human genome is still evolving [4]. I therefore challenge PRO to demonstrate how the continued evolution of humans will NOT result in a speciation event. Significant Changes There have already been significant changes to the human phenotype, although not all of them obvious to the casual observer. One good example is lactose tolerance. There is evidence that as recently as 5000 BCE most adult humans did not produce sufficient quantities of the lactase enzyme to drink milk without gastrointestinal discomfort. However, most non-Asian adults are now able to do so as they have evolved the ability to continue produce in the lactase enzyme into adulthood [5]. This has led to numerous social, cultural, and nutritional changes in how we humans carry out our everyday lives. Since significant changes to the human genome are already well known and documented, I challenge PRO to demonstrate her claim that there will no longer be any significant alterations to humans. My Hypothetical As promised, I will not present a hypothetical situation which I believe will demonstrate beyond any reasonable doubt that it is quite possible for Homo sapiens to further (macro) evolve. At least two countries (Russia [6] and Japan [7]) have plans to put permanent bases on the moon. There are two things that push evolution along: isolation, and selection pressures. In this case, one selection pressure is obvious: the relatively low gravity of the moon [8]. The isolation would be a matter of the high cost of transient to and from the moon [9]. As a result, there would be little opportunity for the transfer of genes between those who live on the moon and those who live on Earth. To compound the problem of isolation, there is the likelihood that a long term moon colony would develop its own culture [10], which would make it unlikely that any casual encounter between the Earth and the moon would result in a swap of genetic material. Therefore, the environmental and social pressures along with isolation would result in a divergent evolutionary path, after which, speciation is only a matter of time [11]. Wrapping Up PRO has asserted both that humans will not evolve into a different species, and that humans will not be “significantly altered” as a result of evolution. I have demonstrated both that humans did evolve from a separate species, and that we have already undergone significant alterations as a result of evolution. I challenge PRO to demonstrate why these patterns will stop. I have also provided a hypothetical situation, which I do not think is far fetched at all, that outlines one possible way humans could undergo speciation. I look forward to PRO’s comments in the Round 2. Sources [1] http://www.biology-online.org... [2] http://anthro.palomar.edu... [3] http://humanorigins.si.edu... [4] http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov... [5] http://evolution.berkeley.edu... [6] http://rt.com... [7] http://www.washingtonpost.com... [8] https://www.google.com... [9] http://www.forbes.com... [10] http://www.des.ucdavis.edu... [11] http://mygeologypage.ucdavis.edu...