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For most of human history, evolution has been shaped in one way or another by genes. A person with better genes was stronger, easier to survive disease, was a more successful hunter. Such a person was more likely to pass those genes on to children. Such a man also had a better option for the second half, so his offspring might have the best possible set of genes.
This is a very primitive explanation of the evolutionary step. Evolution has always been determined by the environment. Once upon a time, a good hunter was a very valuable partner, then a good farmer. But researchers at the University of Maine say that culture is now the main engine of evolution. What does this mean?
Zach Wood, one of the study authors, used a simple example. When a virus spreads, people sooner or later develop immunity to it. Only the strongest people, whose genes code for a strong immune system, survive the infection. But now we have vaccines and drugs: infections are experienced by a wide variety of people and this is not even a factor in choosing with whom to transfer their genetic material to offspring.
In general, human mating has been cultivated for a long time and is not necessarily based on physiological factors. They pass on their genes to the future healthy and sick, physically strong and weak, adapted and repelled. Charles Darwin, often referred to as the father of evolution, argued that behavior can also be passed down from generation to generation. And it also shapes the course of evolution. For example, if a woman is a talented food collector, she can pass this ability on to her daughter, whose chances of survival are increased.
In a new study, scientists write that at some point, history and culture became a more important factor in shaping human evolution than DNA. In addition, it increases the speed of human evolution.
A gendered man comes from two people: his parents. Meanwhile, cultures unite large groups of people. Communication technologies (especially the Internet), the mobility of people and new social norms allow cultural traits to spread very far. Your personal culture has been shaped by many people. And it’s not just you who will shape the culture of your offspring.
Cultural evolution will also affect genes. Once upon a time, social norms limited the search for a couple of people. In many parts of the world, young parents still arrange marriages in advance. In the West, however, such norms no longer exist. As a result, human evolution is accelerating.
Source: https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rspb.2021.0538
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