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Are we still evolving?
- Source :
-
New Scientist . 9/4/2004, Vol. 183 Issue 2463, p27-28. 2p. 1 Color Photograph. - Publication Year :
- 2004
-
Abstract
- The article states that it is tempting to think that human beings have moved beyond clutches of evolution. But conclusion is wrong. Evolution is built on two cornerstones: heritable variation and selection. Plainly, humans vary. The source of that variation is genetic mutation, which still occurs at around the same rate today as it has throughout evolution. In the west one certainly seem to have wriggled free of natural selection. It is no longer just the fittest who survive and reproduce. Modern medicine allows people to overcome diseases and injuries that would once have killed them. Birth control and reproductive technology make reproduction a matter of choice, not adaptive quality. Likewise, the power of sexual selection has been blunted because the mass media has a strong influence on who one finds attractive.
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 02624079
- Volume :
- 183
- Issue :
- 2463
- Database :
- Academic Search Index
- Journal :
- New Scientist
- Publication Type :
- Periodical
- Accession number :
- 14407619