One single gender?

[Jackmoves]

Fuck that, I love women because they are women, I also believe in equality though and that every person should be able to persue their own dreams and goals regardless of gender or sexual orientation. Oh and independent women over those who are not.

[Liagala]

That was my endgame. People just standing in a Wal-Mart line and having another one fall out.

GET ME SOME MORE DISCOUNT BLANKETS!

Gives a whole new meaning to "Cleanup in Aisle 3!" Janitorial jobs would have to come with hazard pay.

On a slightly more serious note, this thread started an interesting chain of thought going in my head. More and more, society is realizing that different does not equal bad, and is accepting everyone for who they are. Each generation sees less and less in terms of meaningful differences between people, and sees more and more that we're all just people. We also push more to put everyone on an even footing financially, educationally, and every other -ally we can think of. Assume we become successful in those goals, and fast forward a few thousand years - hundreds of generations of intermarriage and equality have produced a human race that is all the same. We've all evened out to roughly the same skin tone, facial features, and height range. We are born to similar parents, grow up in the same type of society, and learn the same things in the same ways as everyone else. Our acceptance and celebration of diversity would destroy it. Are our attempts at creating a better world for our children actually pushing our distant descendants toward a life that I would find utterly boring and miserable? Our differences are what make us interesting.

If you think about it in those terms, rather than actual biological change to a single gender, the OP might be on to something.

[Mihalik]

Actually.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Y_chrom...rinking_theory

The Y chromosome is decaying and has been so for several million years. It is not due to optimization but rather due to unhealthy mutation. On the long run of somewhere betwen 10 to 14 million years Humans will drop the Y chromosome altogheter. That does not mean that we will turn into an A-sexual species tho. Species that have lost or are in the final phase of losing their Y chromosomes have already switched reproductive functions to the X chromosome.

Considering that the Y chromosome is in great deal responsabile for Male body, on the long run we might become a more androginous species in appearance. None the less there will still be 2 genders. One filling the role of the male and the other of the female. Simply our appearance will be different and how reproduction will function will be slightly different.

[Ebildays]

Seems like everyday both women and men are being pushed acquire attributes of the opposite sex. Women are told to be stronger and more independent. Men are told to be more sensitive and understanding.

If this trend continues, in the extremely distant future, could we become a single sex species?

I think you are talking more about gender roles than about just plain gender. Lets hope in the distant future we will not longer have gender roles where people think that only males do this and only females do that, but a more gender neutral stance on things.

[Rukentuts]

If you think about it in those terms, rather than actual biological change to a single gender, the OP might be on to something.

Studies have used Brazil I believe in reference to such homogenization you describe, with the exception of gender.

[Wælcyrie]

Humans will never be one gender, we are split for a reason.

[Daws]

The Y chromosome is decaying and has been so for several million years. It is not due to optimization but rather due to unhealthy mutation. On the long run of somewhere betwen 10 to 14 million years Humans will drop the Y chromosome altogheter. That does not mean that we will turn into an A-sexual species tho. Species that have lost or are in the final phase of losing their Y chromosomes have already switched reproductive functions to the X chromosome.

Considering that the Y chromosome is in great deal responsabile for Male body, on the long run we might become a more androginous species in appearance. None the less there will still be 2 genders. One filling the role of the male and the other of the female. Simply our appearance will be different and how reproduction will function will be slightly different.

This is what I was talking with people jumping to the wrong conclusion. Item one it's called a theory not a fact and item 2 taken from the link a direct quote "On the other hand, comparisons of the human and chimpanzee Y chromosomes (first published in 2005) show that the human Y chromosome has not lost any genes since the divergence of humans and chimpanzees between 6–7 million years ago,[15] and a scientific report in 2012 stated that only one gene had been lost since humans diverged from the rhesus macaque 25 million years ago" In basics no change to Y chromosome in 6-7 million years and no chromosome loss to the human race in 25 million years. So don't bet on this chaning in the next 10-14 million years

[Brytallica]

There are complex lifeforms that have evolved and can reproduce asexually. There is a specific hybrid lizard that does this. A quick search is pasted below.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Mexico_whiptail

"It is one of many lizard species known to be parthenogenic. Individuals of the species can be created either through the hybridization of the little striped whiptail (C. inornatus) and the tiger whiptail (C. tigris), or through the parthenogenic reproduction of an adult New Mexico whiptail.
The hybridization of these species prevents healthy males from forming whereas males do exist in both parent species (see Sexual differentiation). Parthenogenesis allows the resulting all-female population to reproduce and thus evolve into a unique species capable of reproduction. This combination of interspecific hybridization and parthenogenesis exists as a reproductive strategy in several species of whiptail lizard within the Cnemidophorus genus to which the New Mexico whiptail belongs."

Their asexual process is called parthenogensis, where an embryo can form and grow without fertilization.

[semaphore]

Item one it's called a theory not a fact

No, it's not a theory, its a hypothesis/speculation.

[Rukentuts]

No, it's not a theory, its a hypothesis/speculation.

I haven't looked at the article, but if it is a scientific theory, that means it has significant evidence behind it that has been replicated.

Scientific theories are the most reliable, rigorous, and comprehensive form of scientific knowledge.[3] This is significantly different from the word "theory" in common usage, which implies that something is unproven or speculative.[5]

[sandmoth12]

Fuck that, I love women because they are women, I also believe in equality though and that every person should be able to persue their own dreams and goals regardless of gender or sexual orientation. Oh and independent women over those who are not.

You are a prime example of societies aim to gender equality. And, this gender equality view has the potential to physically manifest itself over millions of years.

[Jackmoves]

You are a prime example of societies aim to gender equality. And, this gender equality view has the potential to physically manifest itself over millions of years.

Individual freedom of choice and independence is a great thing, so it should make things better. Bring it on.

[Deleted]

I dont know where you got that idea but I've never pushed to be manlier by society or anyone else.

Being independent and not living to get a husband, make babies and cook and clean all day is not feminine and that's the only thing that society is pushing women away from. Sure there are women who want to be soldiers of lifters but that's just a right to do what you want instead of being excluded from some things just because of your gender. It doesnt mean the majority of women want to do such things. Same with men. Being sensitive is not less manly. If you think being a man is acting like a jerk and barfing at dinner table and not caring about anyone's feelings you really misunderstood something.

[semaphore]

I haven't looked at the article, but if it is a scientific theory, that means it has significant evidence behind it that has been replicated.

I know what scientific theories mean... who do you take me for? The OP? >_>

But yeah, it wasn't a scientific theory. It was what one study suggest might happen based on a critically flawed and basic modelling. Like I said earlier, it was debunked when it was shown that the genes we do still have in the Y chromosomes are quite sturdy.

[Melanieshaman]

IMO the gender a person identifies with is somewhere on a spectrum of:

M----------F

pretty much this... there is a wide range of "levels" of gender expression

[Aylasita]

whiptail lizards do it, so why can't we =)

http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/20...of-asexuality/

[Yohassakura]

Single sex species got evolved out of a very, VERY long time ago. Like during the age of proto-bacteria and when Abiogenisis was front-line news, lol.

Starfish can still be asexual.

If you believe that we evolved, the it's likely that we did evolve from bacteria, and work our way up, eventually evolving into a two-gender species.

@OP: No.

[Lovecrafts]

Seems like everyday both women and men are being pushed acquire attributes of the opposite sex. Women are told to be stronger and more independent. Men are told to be more sensitive and understanding.

If this trend continues, in the extremely distant future, could we become a single sex species?

If we only had one sex, what would all the new-wave feminists cry about then? Goodness, they'd have to find something else to make up statistics and conspiracy theories about! :O

[FathomFear]

Most people in this thread are not distinguishing between sex and gender. While the likelihood of the species every evolving into to be single sex is very unlikely, there's a good chance that gender roles will continue to change--just as they always have.

[Melanieshaman]

Most people in this thread are not distinguishing between sex and gender. While the likelihood of the species every evolving into to be single sex is very unlikely, there's a good chance that gender roles will continue to change--just as they always have.

not uncommon really.