Women Consistently Choose Brain
Over Brawn For Mate
SMH.com.au
5-28-2
Women may be responsible for the intelligence of the human race because
they consistently pick brain over brawn when choosing a mate. A study by
German geneticists supports the controversial theory that women approach
brains as a sexual ornament - much like a lion's mane or a peacock's tail
- according to a report published in New Scientist magazine. The theory
that women are responsible for intelligence is not new. Darwin came up
with the idea that sexual selection influences evolution, and US
researchers suggested 30 years ago that intelligence genes were
concentrated on the X chromosome. The X chromosome is what distinguishes
men from women. It is present in both sexes but women have two X
chromosomes while men have one X and one Y. The fact that men have only
one copy of every gene on the X chromosome influences whether particular
genetic traits - such as intelligence - are expressed. This in turn
affects whether certain traits drift out of the gene pool or are passed
on through sexual selection. The Germans looked at genes that caused
mental disability when mutated, arguing that in their normal state, these
genes would contribute to intelligence. Using a catalogue of genes and
genetic disorders, the team found X contained 21 per cent of the mental
retardation genes. An Australian sex chromosome expert, Jennifer
Marshall Graves, of the Australian National University in Canberra, said
the study was significant. "They have demonstrated that the
preponderance of mental retardation genes on the X chromosome is real,"
she told New Scientist.
http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2002/05/27/1022243315413.html
