As we know there are many new problems that exist today that are man made and others that have likely been around for centuries. Some problems are more prevalent in different areas, therefore, only a population plagued with an issue is going to evolve not the entire human species. To better survive all of these problems, humans continue to evolve in many ways.
A prime example of how humans are continuing to evolve is within our environments. Areas that are higher in altitude have less oxygen, therefore, the people who live in those areas need to have an advantage to continue surviving and reproducing at remarkable heights. Increased blood oxygen levels at high altitude is not just important for day-to-day life but in order to be able to reproduce otherwise a population at high altitude can die out. Endurance athletes who do not live at high altitude go to places of high altitude to train, so when they return to near sea level they will perform better by having an increased blood oxygen levels. Unlike endurance athletes, people who live at high altitude have already evolved to be able to survive with little oxygen in the atmosphere.
In the Evolution and Origins of Disease reading I learned about the evolution of morning sickness which was quite interesting. As you know morning sickness is fairly common for pregnant women at the beginning of their pregnancy. What is broadly assumed is that morning sickness is a side effect that has no advantage or disadvantage. However, in this reading I learned that by feeling nauseous you are less likely to have drinks or foods that might aggravate your stomach and make you more nauseous and this is actually an evolutionary advantage to ensure the fetus is able to develop without ingested toxins. This occurs at a time when the fetus’ cells begin to differentiate into organs, systems, and other tissues that are important for its growth. Not all women experience morning sickness so I wonder if those who have pregnancies that reach full term and don’t get morning sickness have babies that have different learning disorders or health problems compared to a fetus whose mom had morning sickness.
Another example of evolution today is in our culture. Specifically in America unhealthy food is cheap and easily accessible at fast food restaurants that can be found on nearly every city block. In the past, before fast food restaurants were so common most people tended to lead fairly healthy lifestyles. A common result of unhealthy foods is obesity. America is one of the most overweight countries and it comes with several complications such as atherosclerosis and chronic diseases. Atherosclerosis and chronic diseases were not prevalent in the past. The pose a dangerous threat to those who have them. Our bodies do not burn off the calories very well from these foods because it saves it like a fuel reserve. In the case of famine those that have more body mass have a greater likelihood of surviving compared to someone who is smaller. In our industrialized, global society famine is very unlikely to become a problem and those who are obese can have health issues with the potential to kill them.
Hi Asha! I find this analogy so interesting! When I think of evolution within the environment, I never really considered the factors such as blood oxygen and the other concepts you brought up except when we discussed sickle cell anemia. I think its amazing how athletes can use high latitudes for training in order to make themselves better down in sea level. That’s an amazing concept to think about. It is also something to think about when the body is trying to send signals as a way to not have the mother ingest toxins to harm the fetus. The body’s chemical components all evolve a certain way in order to have humans develop properly to have our genes evolve and continue to prosper. If you think about it, this all leads back to the concept of selection and how mother’s contain nausea in order to have their fetus have good genes.
I definitely think that society is also creating negative selection through increased consumption of fast food and things that bring harm to the human body. Lots of people’s lives are being cut short due to diseases such as obesity and other factors. This actually stops individuals from reproduction and kills off their genes.
Hello, I think you did a great job on this week’s post. I 100% agree with you that humans are evolving a a vey rapid rate. I think that the examples you used to explain this are so good and super interesting. I never really though about people living at higher altitudes as having an advantage or being more adapted in the future. That was a really good point and after your detailed explanation, it all makes sense. I also think another great example was the food we eat now days. I don’t really think people realize how big of a deal this actually is. Not only are we ruining our lives with this terrible food but it is definitely going to impact the future because we will be less adapted for what comes next. Sometimes I wonder if food related things is the only area in which we are not progressing or moving forward with evolving like we always have.
Hi Asha,
I thought it was really interesting in mentioning the environment affect to humans evolving and living in higher altitudes can cause different traits to be passed on. That is extremely interesting to think if people who live at higher altitudes may not need as much oxygen compared to everyone else. In the reading, I also thought it was really cool to mention how our body counteracts to foreign things such as pregnancy with morning sickness like you mentioned. How you went on to describe why the morning sickness is there to make women more nauseous for the fetus to develop in the best way is also amazing to think what our bodies can do. There is still so much unknown, and who knows what else if we continue to adapt, evolve, and/or change as time goes on.
I think its really interesting that you point out how rapid we are developing as a society in whole which therefore creates this development of humans. We are constantly inventing and creating new things, such as this huge development of fast food and that in change has created huge problems for society. As we continue to change the environment we are living in we as humans will also have to continue to change and we will adapt to these things. For example, this is why Americans have a huge battle with obesity. We are bringing in new life to this society that is filled with things we have never had before which is in turn damaging our whole species. This creates a rippling effect of problems biologically and culturally as evolution continues and its definitely something to consider at a much larger scale when indulging in fast food.