Changes in modern technology will push human evolution in directions that we cannot foresee.
Neanderthals – close relatives of modern humans with thick noses, long skulls, large skeletal structures, possibly red hair and freckled skin. When riding on the subway, you may not notice people with such shapes, but you will definitely look back again to see clearly if you accidentally come across dark-skinned nomads. pale green color and eyes. These nomadic people were common in Europe between 7,000 and 8,000 years ago.
They migrated from the Middle East over the centuries and now they look like most Southern Europeans today with brown eyes, lighter skin.
The first farmers who lived on milk, had a gene for lactose tolerance that was almost absent in the ancient nomads. They ate less meat and more starch than the ancient meat-eating Europeans. They drink milk and stay in the sun to absorb vitamin D – so they have lighter skin. As for the black, blue-eyed people, had completely disappeared from Europe when the invaders flooded this place.
This is a story that describes the extremely rapid evolution of the human race. The new way of life – focusing on farming and raising livestock (rather than hunting as before) led to the rapid development of genes to adapt to the new culture. Humans’ black ancestors, which probably originated in Africa, seem to be at a disadvantage if they get their energy from cereal grains and not from wild animal meat, which is rich in vitamin D.
Human evolution is unpredictable. (Photo: Nik.vuk).
When it comes to Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution, we often think of this process as very slow: nature chooses the organisms that are best adapted to reproduce, multiply and survive in any ecosystem. which state. This process is also known as “natural selection”. Simply put, the organisms that are best adapted to particular circumstances pass on many of the genes that carry this trait to the next generation.
Permanent changes – like we see in the fossil record, take longer. Just look at the example of Hyracotherium and we will see. It is a puppy-sized forest mammal that gradually loses its lateral toes (four on its front legs and three on its hind legs) as its body grows. develop. It took 55 million years for this species to develop into the large, single-hooved, herbivorous horse we know today.
But sometimes evolution happens faster, as biologists Peter and Rosemary Grant at Princeton University in New Jersey showed in their study of the Galapagos finches. Small beaks can get bigger – within just a generation, depending on the climatic conditions and the type of food found on these inhospitable islands. Small-billed birds may be extinct, while large-billed birds will prevail – at least for a while.
But these rapid changes do not last forever. Mr. Grants has seen the whole process of evolution and he sees it change and come back the same, the process repeats itself over and over again. Because when there is a change in the food again, the large beaks turn out to be useless, and there is a reappearance of the small-billed bird. The process of small changes occurring in a short period of time is called “microevolution”.
Two evolutionary biologists – David Lahti of Queens University and Paul W Ewald of the University of Louisville – both think there is nothing unusual in the process. Rapid changes – transient or prolonged – simply reflect the intensity of selection: predator, hot, cold, parasitic. Tough times have caused some species to go extinct, while others have led to rapid growth.
But for rapid evolution, you must have enough genetic variation in the latent gene region for selection to take place. Like the ancient European peasants who quickly replaced the nomadic group. Light-skinned genes overwhelm dark-skinned genes because these genes are better suited to the European environment and new way of life.
Mr. Lahti also added that for humans, social selection becomes very important: the presence of hostile groups and the ability to cooperate have created complexity in society and the evolution of the set. brain. We do not know whether the relationship between European nomads and Middle Eastern farmers is friendly or hostile. Possibly, in ancient Europe, there were clashes; also, there were peaceful exchanges. All we see is only the result of penetrating a set of characteristics into a group of people, and they “eat in life” in that group of people.
Of course, blond hair and light skin are the hallmarks of European populations living further north, while pale skin may be an adaptation to vitamin D deficiency, while dark skin still predominates. in hot weather conditions. When the climate changes, there will probably be many changes and adaptations in humans that we cannot predict.
Human evolution and the forces that created it will never stop. Some people favor the theory of heredity, and their children will be more likely to survive. That is the nature of natural selection. And so human adaptation and evolution is always going on.
As a species in the wild, it can’t be said that we’re progressing in a particular direction – bigger heads and bigger organs – as sci-fi movies still draw. On a smaller level, however, adaptation and natural selection always work. They change so that people can cope with new diseases, climate change, new social selection processes. And now, we can’t “see” how that process happens either.