There are various theories dictating how humans came to evolve into exactly that, humans. Some scientists theorize that we’ve evolved from primates or shared common ancestors with them due to our similarities in behavior and mutual natural instincts. According to PBS, though that exact idea is not proven, what we do know is that we came from a line of Homo Sapiens which were much like ourselves but with their own distinct differences. In a way, we are the future of a species that survived a plethora of diseases. Our existence at the present time was a result of  natural selection in an evolutionary process that goes far back to prehistoric times when disease and transmission rates were drastically excessive. Popular Science states that many of our ancestors survived the Spanish Flu epidemic, the Black Plague, which annihilated 30-60% of the European population in the 14th century, and many other epidemics that occurred throughout history.  Many of us are direct descendants from these individuals and have antibodies and genes that are able to fight against a wide range of these infections and diseases. These evolutionary processes allowed us to have progressive genetic mutations which make up our current species. So now what? Are we in a process of evolving right at this moment in time? And if we are how can we tell that this process is occurring like before?

Mental Floss points out 5 different observations that could potentially reveal the evolution of mankind at this period of time. First of all, most humans drink milk. Surprisingly, a few thousand years back, humans were not able to consume milk because they were lactose intolerant which meant their digestive systems were not receptive to it. The only times they could ingest milk was during the breastfeeding period of their lives. Nevertheless, as agriculture grew and raising farm animals developed, people started fostering a “genetic mutation” that allowed them to drink milk due to its myriad of healthy components.

Secondly, we do not require our wisdom teeth anymore and around 35% of us are being born without them. While our ancestors required wisdom teeth and bigger jaws to chew on harder food groups, our current food is much softer and easier to chew, rendering wisdom teeth useless in our current society.

Additionally, as stated before, we are progressively propagating genes to future generations that fight off past infections, allowing offspring to be more successful in fighting off the bacteria and viruses around them.

Not only that, but it’s been observed that our brains have been shrinking from the last thousand years until now. According to Mental Floss, “the average volume of the brain has decreased from 1,500 cubic centimeters to 1,3500 cubic centimeters, which is equivalent to a chunk the size of a tennis ball.” Some rationalize that this decrease is taking place because the human race is becoming more and more unintelligent, which others speculate that the brain might be morphing itself to take up less space but work faster and more efficiently by becoming smaller.

Overall, these observations may be keys in figuring out if we are truly evolving as a species. Because humans are such an adaptable species, natural selection has favored them in the long run through genetic mutations and transformations in the body and mind that might affect us in the future.