I just wanted to point out something I noticed earlier: Whoever said people with sickle cell anemia are immune to malaria, you're wrong. They have a heightened resistance against malaria, because the parasite can't survive within the sickled cells.

And that's really only the heterogenous SCA carriers, because the homogenous ones tend to...well...die from SCA. As population's as concerned, though, it does help fight the disease.

The next smartest lifeform? A silly question. We don't know what genes give us sentience or free will. Our guess? Most would say huge ass brains. They're probably right, but that's a really big generalization that no one can delve any further into (yet).

Next smartest? Jeez...roll some dice and pick one. That's how good your guess will be. (Though, I did like WW's choice). I'd also like to think chipmunks become the next sentient lifeforms, then I can only hope they enslave us, and force us to work in their nut farms.

Note: The only thing that is theory about evolution is whether or not it's what created life up to this point. We know evolution does happen, we just don't know if it DID happen.

Or, in simpler terms, we can prove evolution and even have very strong evidence supporting speciation. We've even witnessed speciation in bacterium.

However: We do not know that monocellular organisms can evolve into multicellular organisms, for sure. We do not have proof that humans, carp, or cute little puppy dogs are the results of evolution or if they were created.

Fortunately, whether or not single cellular beings can evolve into multicellular ones isn't the subject of discussion here. It's which multicellular organism with an already decently developed brain will become the next sapient species if given enough time.

So, creationism and evolution are not ideas which have to be completely exclusionary. Especially in this topic.

So, let's not bring up how we don't believe in evolution anymore or how creationists are silly, ok?

psst, what about when babies are made? Single cellular becomes into multicellular.
*cough* I'm just gonna stop posting here.

edit: I said I'd stop posting, so here's what I WOULD be saying. "whaaa? since when does sexual reproduction have anything to do with creationism?
I'd hate to think that my muchsexing had some kind of religious mandate....or something."

And thats an example of creationism. No religion! ;)