designed for success in the past

[keannu]

I don't understand what the writer is trying to say exactly, especially the underlined. Does he mean humans' intelligence is behind computers? Or is he talking about human body?
Even though our brain can't calculate as fast as computers, our reasoning and intelligence brought about brilliant technology. What is he trying to get at?

st44)Because of the rapid change in the world around us since our birth, we humans are living anachronisms. Our world has changed dramatically in the past 150 years. Human physiology,in contrast, took millions of years to create and has not changed much in 150,000 years. Your body - even if it is in perfect condition - is designed for success in the past. It is an antique biological machine that evolved in response to a world that no longer exists. Although we live in a world in which computer procesing speed doubles roughtly every twenty-four months, human information processing has not expanded substantially over tha past 150,000 years. Our physiology is clearly behind the times..

 

[keannu]

I think the writer is trying to say human body is not well-developed compared to its time of evolution. If you have any other opinion, please let me know.

 

[riquecohen]

I think that your interpretation is correct.

 

[Chicken Sandwich]

I think the writer is trying to say human body is not well-developed compared to its time of evolution.

Yes, you are on the right track. An example may clarify this idea even further:

Simply put, humans evolved to crave sugar, store it and then use it. For millions of years, our cravings and digestive systems were exquisitely balanced because sugar was rare. Apart from honey, most of the foods our hunter-gatherer ancestors ate were no sweeter than a carrot. The invention of farming made starchy foods more abundant, but it wasn’t until very recently that technology made pure sugar bountiful.
The food industry has made a fortune because we retain Stone Age bodies that crave sugar but live in a Space Age world in which sugar is cheap and plentiful. Sip by sip and nibble by nibble, more of us gain weight because we can’t control normal, deeply rooted urges for a valuable, tasty and once limited resource.
(http://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/06/opinion/evolutions-sweet-tooth.html?_r=0)

Note especially 'The food industry has made a fortune because we retain Stone Age bodies that crave sugar but live in a Space Age world in which sugar is cheap and plentiful.' In other words, our environment is different from what it was ages ago, but our bodies are more or less the same.