Us humans think we are the pinnacle of evolution. The most advanced creatures on the world, without opposable thumbs and altruism and fidget spinners. And now that we've mastered this, I mean, where is there left to go? What's in store for the future of human evolution? Homo sapiens first appeared on the scene about 200,000 years ago, and modern human culture has endured for at least the last 50,000 years. In that time, our physical appearances haven't changed very much, but that's not really surprising, because evolution is a gradual process, and the geological record shows that new species often take up to a million years to get going. A million years ago in human history, Homo erectus had not long discovered fire, but hadn't yet used it to cook food. I mean, everyone loves us salad, right? I'm sure Homo erectus did. So what about the next million years? Well, there's no shortage of speculation from the realms of science fiction. You've got H.G. Wells's prediction of subterranean goblin-like mollocks and passively elegant e-loy, or how about populations of super power-wielding mutants, or even the worryingly potentials fate of space-bound humans in warning? But little of these speculations are based in fact, and providing we don't wipe ourselves out. Any changes are likely to be a lot more subtle. In fact, some people think there won't be any changes at all. According to Darwin's theory of evolution by natural selection, any changes come about as a result of natural variations in an existing population that turn out to be a helpful bonus for survival in their chosen environment. Take our opposable thumbs for instance, nifty little things, good for grabbing and manipulating things, and even doing this. Sorry, sorry I'm getting distracted again. We've all got them because way back when one of our ancestors was born with a slightly more mobile thumb by chance. Being able to grab onto things and manipulate them a bit better was good news for its survival, and it lived a long and happy life, and had lots of babies. Over time, this wiggly thumb gave the advantage over a non-wiggly thumb, and the more primitive version gradually disappeared while the new model became what we have today. That's natural selection in a competitive world. Thank goodness, because how could you text? Only the theory goes that this natural selection isn't really working for us modern humans anymore. Without technology and our big problem solving brains, we are finding ways of overcoming many of the challenges that nature puts in our way, without necessarily resorting to survival of the fittest. If we were faced with the same need for a wiggly thumb today, we could probably make a machine that could fulfill that need. Well, we humans could just stay the same, not changing, not evolving. It's a compelling idea, but it's probably not true. Even in the relatively short time that humans have been around, some changes have been found. For instance, about 10,000 years ago, we developed a tolerance to lactose, allowing us to drink milk to supplement our diets. And in the last 150 years, the average adult height has increased by 10 centimeters. Not only that, but the age at which women have children is slowly creeping up, and we're gradually developing resistances to diseases like malaria and HIV. So changes are taking place, but it's a slow, slow business. And it's likely that when combined with the technological taming of the world around us, people a million years from now will simply look like healthier, longer living versions of ourselves. We could, however, speed it up by dabbling in a bit of genetic engineering, choosing desirable disease-free embryos or physically changing a human's genetic code. But since our understanding of the human genome is still vastly incomplete, the possibilities for future change are far too numerous for me to consider here. So let's assume we're stuck with natural change over a long period of time. One of the reasons it would take such a long time to see any big changes in human characteristics is the sheer amount of crossbreeding we do. For most animals, simply living on opposite sides of a river could put a dampener on any romantic notions, leading to the isolation of two different populations. And quicker evolution is different groups go their own separate ways. But many of us humans wouldn't think twice about getting on a plane to sustain a long-distance relationship. This globalization means that pretty much all seven and a half billion of us inhabit the same gene pool. So it's going to take a long time for any changes to ripple out across the whole pool and evolution to take place. Given a million years, though, it's conceivable that we will find a way to isolate small populations in potentially stressful environments like in space. Send up ships of colonists to a world with less oxygen or lower gravity or one that's covered in ice. And you've got yourself all the ingredients for major physical change. Diggling with a thin atmosphere could lead to humans with red blood cells that can stuff way more oxygen in, like people who live in the andes today, or who breathe much faster than we do and have wider blood vessels like the modern Tibetans. If gravity was lower, like on Mars or the Moon, humans could grow taller with longer arms and legs and would likely develop new ways of getting around. And that would change the structure of the muscles in their bodies. And on the ice world, we could see the return of insulating body hair and fat. Then even a change in our body clocks to encourage hibernation through the coldest times. Actually, I tell you what, hibernation and a reason to increase my body fat. That's awesome. Can you book me a seat on the next space flight? Can you do that? I would love to hear how you think humans will change in the next million years. Pop your ideas in the comments below. And don't forget to give us a like, subscribe, and click the bell icon for notifications of upcoming videos. I am off to hibernate. Sorry, I mean evolve.