AI Image
Humans Are Still Evolving Right Before Our Eyes. Here Are 5 Signs on Our Bodies
ScienceAlert • • health
Key Points:
- Human evolution is ongoing, with recent evidence showing adaptations in physiology such as gut function, blood oxygen delivery, and skin pigmentation driven by natural selection over the past 10,000 years.
- Lactose tolerance evolved in populations that domesticated dairy animals, spreading gene variants allowing adults to digest milk, now present in 30-35% of the global population.
- Indigenous Andean populations developed enhanced starch digestion linked to higher gene copy numbers related to potato domestication, providing a small but cumulative survival advantage.
- Tibetan high-altitude populations exhibit genetic adaptations improving blood oxygen saturation, which correlates with higher reproductive success, demonstrating ongoing natural selection.
- Changes in skin pigmentation among West Eurasians reflect selection for lighter skin to enhance vitamin D synthesis in low sunlight environments, while the rise in myopia may be influenced by gene variants with mixed effects on reproduction and health.
