Human genetic change LO10666

GSCHERL (GSCHERL@fed.ism.ca)
Wed, 23 Oct 96 09:26:09 EST

Replying to LO10651 --

Kent Myers said:

> Your speculation seems preposterous, that the human race has
> undergone perceptible "genetic mutations" in historical or
> near-historical time in response to "stress". The standard account
> of evolution wouldn't support this (changes are too big, too fast,
> not enough selection).

Let me add a more recent (maybe not grounded in fact) phenomenon.
When I travelled through England, I kept banging my head (yes it
hurt...) on the low rafters...not the low doors, but the rafters in
some of the 15th century building (and pubs...) We discussed the fact
that most people seem a lot taller nowadays, than how they built back
in the 15th century!

Is this true? Is it a myth? Has there really been such a change?
Due to diet, length, mutation? I wonder if anyone has really done
much look at how we may have changed over the last millenium... we
know technology has changed, but has the human being?

My belief would be that most changes, due to stress, would be small
incremental changes, not large changes.

Gary Scherling
Helping people help themselves
http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/GScherling_GMS_TPN

-- 

GSCHERL@fed.ism.ca (GSCHERL)

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