Artificial Selection

I wonder if it crosses any body else's mind how far from nature humanity has strayed. I don't mean to say that we violate our basic instincts, but it is peculiar to note how certain characteristics found in the animal kingdom have been abandoned in our own species.
For example, clothing. It is peculiar enough that we adorn ourselves with artificial skin (but this can be attributed to the relative little amount of hair that we have and our ability to manipulate our surroundings to suit ourselves), but it is even more so that the style of our garb has changed so much. We always portray ancient man as wearing animal skins in unflattering fashions, a style which would ideally simply function as utility, and not as ornamentation. However, today, so many of our fashions serve so little purpose usefully, (such as high heels), but they work as natural attractive features.
Similarly, we've gone from emphasizing being well-fed to being nearly emaciated. We have gone from having normal-looking skin to considering excessively burned skin to be beautiful. I highly doubt that we would ever see a dog or a lizard voluntarily take on a diet to lose weight, or bask in the sun only in order to darken its color.
Of course there are a million other different examples of our deviation: procreation, recreation, relaxation, shelter, tool manipulation, commercial advancement, lack of survivability skills, and the increase of the importance of healthcare in order to prevent otherwise naturally occurring deaths.
It seems that there is good reason why we often differentiate between what is "natural" and what is "man-made" or "artificial." Man is, as the zoologists and biologists reassure us, an animal, but we are one that is so unique that we often don't consider ourselves as such. Over against the animal kingdom, we have a highly developed sense of morality, intelligence, and discipline, while we have very little stress on instinct, and base impulses.
Perhaps this is why the first chapter of Genesis states that we are made in the image of God. For if there is a God, what other shape could He be other than that of the one animal that is able to even comprehend the idea of a god?
Additionally, I think the reason why we have such strong faith is obvious at this point: every animal fulfills basic instincts for the sole purpose of furthering the species and balancing the ecological niche. Mankind has far surpassed the ability to "simply survive" and must therefore seek out a new purpose. So we find faith in God as a viable focus.
According to Aristotle and MacIntyre, mankind moves towards a specific purpose or goal. This is said in reference to our human ethics and morals. I think that in combination with the above stated conclusion, it is safe to assume as well that mankind's focus and goals are not truly in furthering the species, but rather in fulfilling our duty to a superior being.
Whether or not this seems accurate, it is also important to keep in mind that the human, though defined in Aquinas' time as the rational animal, in his normal life does not interact with the ecosystem as an animal normally would. We act as removed entities, independent of our specific ecological niche and place in the food chain.
In this, the 150th aniversary of Darwin's famous expedition, it seems quite applicable to note that despite our animal natures, we also have transcended the limitations and laws that bind every other creature in nature. Our destiny is not among the swine, but perhaps among the stars.