14 Evolutionary Traps That Could End Humanity Identified [Study]

(Photo: Wikimedia Commons/Purvis, B., Mao, Y. & Robinson, D)
14 Evolutionary Traps That Could End Humanity Identified [Study]

A number of evolutionary traps have been identified that could potentially end humankind. Among them is the threat from artificial intelligence.

Evolutionary Traps

Fourteen evolutionary traps were found in the study "Evolution of the polycrisis: Anthropocene traps that challenge global sustainability." These are dead ends that arise in a field after humankind's initially successful innovations, like becoming unduly dependent on streamlined agricultural production techniques. The experts at the University of Stockholm warned that these "evolutionary traps" could mean the end of humankind if we can't successfully address them.

Twelve of the 14 evolutionary traps the researchers determined to exist are thought to be at an advanced stage that may be challenging for humans to escape, and ten were shown to be negatively trending.

Additionally, the researchers discovered that evolutionary traps frequently reinforce one another, increasing the likelihood that a culture may fall into more than one trap.

"Evolutionary traps are a well-known concept in the animal world," said Peter Søgaard Jørgensen, an author of the report and researcher at Stockholm University's Stockholm Resilience Centre. "Just like many insects are attracted by light, an evolutionary reflex that can get them killed in the modern world, humankind is at risk of responding to new phenomena in harmful ways."

Five traps are categorized as global traps because they are brought about by social organization shifts toward higher levels, spur efficiency and growth, and increase the demand for resources.

Five other evolutionary traps were found to be technical. These include the possibility of becoming locked into physical infrastructure because of sunk costs and the potential negative effects of novel chemical compounds and materials on human health and the environment, all of which are essential byproducts of innovation cycles.

The other three technical traps identified by the study are thought to be consequences of advanced technology that manifest later in life. These include the existential threat of rapidly spreading false information via digital channels and the possibility that advanced technologies, such as artificial intelligence (AI), would wipe out mankind or develop autonomous technology at odds with human objectives.

The researchers also found that a focus on technological quick fixes and rapid economic growth could be detrimental to long-term sustainability, that there is a growing risk of overconsumption as a result of extensive global supply chains, that urbanization has reduced exposure to nature and obscured signs of environmental degradation; and that fewer in-person interactions have decreased social capital and society's ability to take collective action.

The report identifies two less sophisticated evolutionary traps: - technological automation through robots and artificial intelligence (AI) and digitalization resulting in a loss of social capital.

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Mass Extinction and Animal De-Extinction

According to experts, we are already experiencing the sixth mass extinction. This is reportedly driven by human actions, including unsustainable use of our resources - land, water, and energy - and climate change. This is unlike the other past extinctions brought on by natural causes.

However, science is trying to bring back some extinct animals, like the woolly mammoth, Tasmanian Tiger, dodo, Aurochs, Pyrenean ibex, Southern gastric-brooding frog, and the Christmas rat. The experts from Colossal Bioscience plan to bring back woolly mammoths by using their remains excavated due to permafrost and filling them with DNA samples from Asian elephants.