Alex,

I do not think that a generally accepted defintion of what is a biological species exists. The answer to the question will need to be based on such definition and this is problematic. What is more problematic is the social consequence of a scientific study that would conclude that yes humans are not one species but many. Could you imagine what all the racists, all the fanatics out there would do with such a study? I hope that such prospect will convince any scientist that humanity is not mature enough to study itself that way and that if their study would provide a yes answer, they would not publish it. Publishing a yes paper could be more dangerous than the manathan project.

@Artur

@Louis Thank you, my question is related more to further humans evolution. I think that modern humans have evolved in community of rather civilized ancestors. Can we be enough civilized to give a chance for next form of human beings?

Alex,

I am of the opinion that humans mostly evolve through cultural and technological artefacts. When we learn to use language as a toddler we become imbedded into a cultural matrix. Through the evolution of this matrix and the technologies of access to it, our way to think and behave individually and collectively are getting transformed. Homo sapiens sapiens have always live into a cultural world embedded into a natural world. This process of culturalisation of the world and of our action is rapidly accelerating. The new collaborative networked tecnologies are like a collective electronic nervous system. We moved out of africa and created different languages and culture and now we are finally meeting each other and merging. We were from the beginning were the ultimate collaborative biological actor and are now forging our collective nervous system to achieve what we are about: collaboration and that we greatly need right now.

The simple answer is no. We have extensive anthropological and genetic data from known populations across the world, all of it points to a single species. Moreover, all the genetic data we have shows that humans are remarkably undiverse for such a numerous species, much more so than other mammals of comparable size. This, of course, is a consequence of a single recent origin in Africa of modern humans. Several good textbooks go over the evidence for this in detail.

As for unknown populations of humans, its very unlikely. There was some speculation that, following the discovery of Homo floriensis fossils from 13 thousand years ago (very recent in human evolutionary time), that members of this species still existed. However, I cannot believe that we would have not encountered another living member of the Homo genus now, or clear evidence of thier existence, if they existed, given our extensive spread across the globe and technological resources available to us. If other Homo species do exist and we are unaware of them, they must be very very good at hiding themselves!

Louis,

I don't think there could be any scientific study concluding at the existence of different modern human species. For me, the question is rather: should neanderthal and human still be considered as two different species?

The biggest problem is not are there other human species but what is species. And question are there other species than Homo sapiens sapiens depends from definition of species. I hear from scientist way better than me in this matter that it's possible to exist for other human species for example criptic species. However there is a problem becouse we have very low genetic diverse and we can crossbreed what make hybrids and work on possible other human species harder. On the other hand even if someone examine that I dont think it's can be published.

Biological Species Concept is The group of similar king of Individual that can freely interbreed and are re productively isolated from other such groups. IF ANY BODY CONSIDER THIS THEN there is no other such kin species of human now. and the races which we consider has got very little genetic variation and more over due to globalization interbreeding is easy in races so there is to no subspecies i consider in Homo sapies. But in ancient times when the population is not able to interbreed there was distinct kin species and subspecies of human at a time on earth. But now is it not the case they merged or vanished.

Don't forgot about still egzisting isolated populations of Homo sapiens sapiens. Problem with definition of species has don't been solved. Definition from Mohammad is one of many others. In problematic fields for example xenobiology, Biological Species Concept is not that helpfull like all wants.

Human races dont exist becouse our phenotypic differences are made of genetic drift.

I want also add something for Luis. Humans are not only who have culture and "technology" other animals have it too.

Dear Przemy I know there are lot of species concept to define a species and it developing . now we consider Lineage species concept. it includes all the parameters like , morphometrics, Molecular information ,Niche modelling , ethology and other supplementary information to demarcate a distinct species. so in my view this can be applicable to all living organism and to how much extent we consider the gradient in all this to call a particular organism to be a distinct species..

Przemysław,

I am aware that culture and tools exist for other type of animals but they are limited in their capacity to innovate. I am aware that we are 99.9% biologically similar than our primate ancestors and we cannot understand what is properly humanly unique without understanding this 99.9%. Whales regularly composed new songs and they have their hit songs. Some birds are also able to compose songs and to dance. The mammalian learning capacity has been greatly enhanced in primates and has crossed a threshold with the homo sapiens sapiens that I would call the imaginary threshold. But this is a long story, the story we live by.

Daniel

I have participated to the thread:

Is it possible to reach a consistent notion of biological "species" at all?

https://www.researchgate.net/post/Is_it_possible_to_reach_a_consistent_notion_of_biological_species_at_all

and it appears that biologists in different fields have adopted operational definitions that are fruitfull in their respective domain but there is no consensus on a definition. My knowledge in genetic is so limited that I cannot contribute to any answer on that but I am listening.

Dear Louis,

I would say that speciation occurs when two populations are not able to exchange genetic material anymore. If genetic exchange occurred between two different species, then, you could not draw a phylogenetic tree, but a network.