October 26, 2009
Future Women Will Be Shorter, Healthier,
Plumper
A biologist doesn't believe human "evolution" has ceased.
Future Women Will Be Shorter, Healthier,
Plumper
A biologist doesn't believe human "evolution" has ceased.
SUMMARY: Women of the future likely will be shorter and plumper and have
healthier hearts along with longer reproductive windows, according to
predictions that see humans as still "evolving." Stephen Stearns, an
evolutionary biologist at Yale U., said the idea that modern medical science has
overcome natural selection and caused human evolution to cease is "just plain
false."
Sterns says that differences in reproduction still can select "fitter" humans and
their genes. The question is whether or not women who have more children
also have distinguishing traits they can pass on to offspring. To find out, he
and his colleagues studied data from a heart study that tracked medical
histories of more than 14,000 residents of Framingham, Massachusetts since
1948--in some families spanning three generations.
The team studied 2238 women to see if a woman's height, weight, blood
pressure, cholesterol or other traits correlated with the number of children she
had borne. The scientists discovered that shorter, heavier women on average
tended to have more children than taller, lighter ones, an indication to the
researchers that natural selection is shaping those traits. Also, women tended
to have more children if they had lower blood pressure, lower cholesterol, had
their first child at a young age, or entered menopause later than usual.
Sterns thinks if these trends continue for 10 generations, the average woman
in 2409 will be 2 centimeters shorter and 1 kilogram heavier than she is today.
She also will have her first child 5 months earlier and enter menopause 10
months later.
Because he controlled for many social and cultural factors in his study, Sterns
believes his findings reflect genetic rather than cultural evolution at work. "It's
interesting that the underlying biological framework is still detectable beneath
the culture," he says.
To read the entire article click on this link to NEW SCIENTIST.
COMMENT: I'm inclined to believe many scientists will disagree with the
conclusions of Mr. Sterns, but one thing is a sure thing. Future women will be
100% human. Readers of articles such as this one that use terms such as
"evolve" or "evolution" need to be alert for the context in which those words are
used. In this case, if the predicted changes do occur, they are minor and are
what creationists call "variation within a kind." The longer lives and healthier
lives that average Americans are enjoying today are due to factors other than
Darwinian evolution which, since it doesn't exist, doesn't affect anything.
Many people can look forward to a future change in their bodily conditions that
is guaranteed and which also has nothing to do with amoeba-to-man evolution. I
am referring to the perfect health that people will enjoy in heaven if they have
accepted the forgiveness for their sins which Jesus won for them on the cross
and which he freely offers to anyone willing to accept it.
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QUESTION OF THE DAY
How many species of microbes are thought to exist?
**************************************************************************************
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containing alternate views. However, comments containing profanity or
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healthier hearts along with longer reproductive windows, according to
predictions that see humans as still "evolving." Stephen Stearns, an
evolutionary biologist at Yale U., said the idea that modern medical science has
overcome natural selection and caused human evolution to cease is "just plain
false."
Sterns says that differences in reproduction still can select "fitter" humans and
their genes. The question is whether or not women who have more children
also have distinguishing traits they can pass on to offspring. To find out, he
and his colleagues studied data from a heart study that tracked medical
histories of more than 14,000 residents of Framingham, Massachusetts since
1948--in some families spanning three generations.
The team studied 2238 women to see if a woman's height, weight, blood
pressure, cholesterol or other traits correlated with the number of children she
had borne. The scientists discovered that shorter, heavier women on average
tended to have more children than taller, lighter ones, an indication to the
researchers that natural selection is shaping those traits. Also, women tended
to have more children if they had lower blood pressure, lower cholesterol, had
their first child at a young age, or entered menopause later than usual.
Sterns thinks if these trends continue for 10 generations, the average woman
in 2409 will be 2 centimeters shorter and 1 kilogram heavier than she is today.
She also will have her first child 5 months earlier and enter menopause 10
months later.
Because he controlled for many social and cultural factors in his study, Sterns
believes his findings reflect genetic rather than cultural evolution at work. "It's
interesting that the underlying biological framework is still detectable beneath
the culture," he says.
To read the entire article click on this link to NEW SCIENTIST.
COMMENT: I'm inclined to believe many scientists will disagree with the
conclusions of Mr. Sterns, but one thing is a sure thing. Future women will be
100% human. Readers of articles such as this one that use terms such as
"evolve" or "evolution" need to be alert for the context in which those words are
used. In this case, if the predicted changes do occur, they are minor and are
what creationists call "variation within a kind." The longer lives and healthier
lives that average Americans are enjoying today are due to factors other than
Darwinian evolution which, since it doesn't exist, doesn't affect anything.
Many people can look forward to a future change in their bodily conditions that
is guaranteed and which also has nothing to do with amoeba-to-man evolution. I
am referring to the perfect health that people will enjoy in heaven if they have
accepted the forgiveness for their sins which Jesus won for them on the cross
and which he freely offers to anyone willing to accept it.
**************************************************************************************
Want to be automatically notified each time there is a new post? Just e-mail
your request to [admin@lutheranscience.org].
**************************************************************************************
QUESTION OF THE DAY
How many species of microbes are thought to exist?
**************************************************************************************
NOTE ON VISITOR COMMENTS: Visitor comments are invited including those
containing alternate views. However, comments containing profanity or
advertisements will not be published. After posting a comment, please allow
several hours for it to appear on the blog.
**************************************************************************************
1 Comment
devon c. said...Interesting that this scientist has only studied American women.
devon c. said...Interesting that this scientist has only studied American women.
| LSI stands for the Lutheran Science Institute, an organization of WELS and ELS Lutherans interested in science and health issues with a special emphasis on the creation and evolution controversy. This blog's purpose is to search the Internet to find articles of interest to Christians. Views expressed are those of the author (Warren Krug) and are not necessarily those of the Lutheran Science Institute, Inc. |
About 30 million. Of these microbes, only
70 are known to cause disease, but
around 1,000 normally live on the
surface of human skin.
Source: Discover (September, 2009)
70 are known to cause disease, but
around 1,000 normally live on the
surface of human skin.
Source: Discover (September, 2009)