I think those would be largely determined by the local environment (the particular culture). What qualities afford more mating opportunities in one culture might be very different in other cultures. I see cultures as a biologist might see particular ecological niches; what enhances fitness in one won't necessarily enhance fitness in another, and that's why we get divergence and new species.
If human cultures didn't overlap much and stayed stable for thousands of millennia, I'd bet we'd wind up with different species of humans. That would be cool. m -- Marc Carter, PhD Associate Professor and Chair Department of Psychology College of Arts & Sciences Baker University -- > -----Original Message----- > From: Paul Brandon [mailto:[email protected]] > Sent: Friday, May 13, 2011 11:21 AM > To: Teaching in the Psychological Sciences (TIPS) > Subject: Re: [tips] How Humans Are Evolving Now > > Natural selection is based on fitness (defined as the > likelihood of passing ones genes on to the next generation). > What human traits do in fact maximize fitness these days? > > Paul Brandon > Emeritus Professor of Psychology > Minnesota State University, Mankato > [email protected] > > On May 13, 2011, at 9:21 AM, Marc Carter wrote: > > > > > I always tell my students that if evolutionary theory is > correct (and of course, it is), every species, even those > "smart" enough to engineer their environments, are evolving. > As long as there is some sort of environmental pressure (and > our engineering our of environments only shifts those > pressures, it doesn't remove them), we will continue to evolve. > > > > Nutritional, hygienic, medical, and technological gains > have merely given us a new set of stressors, not removed them > to the point at which we would stop evolving. And if genetic > drift theories are correct (and of course, some genetic drift > really does happen), we would continue to evolve even in the > absence of those stressors. > > > > Evolution happens. It just happens very slowly in > long-lived organisms like ours. And we cannot now say what > direction it will take. > > > > I don't think height or size is particularly good evidence for the > > direction our evolution is taking. Neither necessarily confers a > > fitness advantage, and both are almost surely due to nutrition and > > better medical care (I couldn't follow the link to wealth > and height > > among women, but I do know that e.g. in the 20th century Japanese > > Americans were taller than their Japanese parents, although that is > > going away as Japanese nutrition changes). (That, of > course, doesn't > > explain why there is such wide variation in the heights among > > different African peoples, who arguably have equivalent nutrition, > > hygiene, and medical care.) > > > > Lamarck might have thought our increased height in the last > couple hundred years as good evidence for human evolution, > but Darwin wouldn't have. The gene pool just doesn't change > that fast. There have been about 12 generations of humans > since 1700. That's not much time for evolution. I think the > article of the Times piece (and the author of the book) are > making an error in even talking about evolution. I would > like to read the book to see whether and if so how much the > authors make a case that these height and weight changes are > evidence for evolution. > > > > The debate is good; especially Lieberman and de Waal. > Those guys know evolution. Thanks for the links, Mike. > > > > m > > > > -- > > Marc Carter, PhD > > Associate Professor and Chair > > Department of Psychology > > College of Arts & Sciences > > Baker University > > -- > > > >> -----Original Message----- > >> From: Mike Palij [mailto:[email protected]] > >> Sent: Friday, May 13, 2011 6:19 AM > >> To: Teaching in the Psychological Sciences (TIPS) > >> Cc: Mike Palij > >> Subject: [tips] How Humans Are Evolving Now > >> > >> There is an interesting article in the NY Times that was > published a > >> couple of weeks ago but is now servicing as the basis for > a debate in > >> the NY Times. The article is about a new book by Nobel winning > >> economist Robert Fogel and it focuses on human evolution > and how it > >> has been affected by developments in technology and public > health in > >> the past few hundreds of years. The article can be read here: > >> http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/27/books/robert-w-fogel-investi > > gates-human-evolution.html?_r=1&pagewanted=all > >> > >> Quoting from the article: > >> |"The rate of technological and human physiological change in > >> the 20th > >> |century has been remarkable," Mr. Fogel said in an telephone > >> interview > >> |from Chicago, where he is the director of the Center for > Population > >> |Economics at the University of Chicago's business school. > >> "Beyond that, > >> |a synergy between the improved technology and physiology is > >> more than > >> |the simple addition of the two." > >> | > >> |This "technophysio evolution," powered by advances in food > >> production > >> |and public health, has so outpaced traditional evolution, > >> the authors > >> |argue, that people today stand apart not just from every > >> other species, > >> |but from all previous generations of Homo sapiens as well. > >> > >> For the debate inspired by this research, see the Room for Debate > >> section on the NYT website with the heading "Do We Want to Be > >> Supersize Humans?" (supersize in a good way, not in a MacDonalds > >> way); see: > >> http://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2011/05/12/do-we-want-to- > >> be-supersize-humans?nl=todaysheadlines&emc=thab1 > >> > >> One of the biological indicators used in the research is physical > >> height because it is sensitive to a variety of biological and > >> environmental factors. One study that examines the height > of women > >> as a function of the income level of the country they live > has been > >> published in PLoS One and can be accessed here: > >> http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal. > > pone.0018962 > >> > >> So, if a student asks "Are humans experiencing > evolutionary pressures > >> now?", this research arguably answers "Yes". > >> > >> -Mike Palij > >> New York University > >> [email protected] > >> > >> > >> --- > >> You are currently subscribed to tips as: [email protected]. > >> To unsubscribe click here: > >> http://fsulist.frostburg.edu/u?id=13029.76c7c563b32ad9d8d09c72 > > a2d17c90e1&n=T&l=tips&o=10562 > >> or send a blank email to > >> [email protected] > > stburg.edu > >> > > > > The information contained in this e-mail and any > attachments thereto ("e-mail") is sent by Baker University > ("BU") and is intended to be confidential and for the use of > only the individual or entity named above. 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