Science-Technology
See other Science-Technology Articles
Title: Human Intelligence Slowly Declining, Says Leading Geneticist
Source:
Rawstory
URL Source: http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2012/11/ ... ining-says-leading-geneticist/
Published: Nov 13, 2012
Author: Arturo Garcia
Post Date: 2012-11-13 10:42:21 by Brian S
Keywords: None
Views: 3842
Comments: 5
Humans are slowly losing their cognitive capabilities as adverse genetic mutations fail to be weeded out by evolutionary pressures, according to a bold hypothesis put forward by Dr. Gerald Crabtree of Stanford University. “I would wager that if an average citizen from Athens of 1000 BC were to appear suddenly among us, he or she would be among the brightest and most intellectually alive of our colleagues and companions, with a good memory, a broad range of ideas, and a clear-sighted view of important issues. Furthermore, I would guess that he or she would be among the most emotionally stable of our friends and colleagues,” the leading geneticist began his article in the scientific journal Trends in Genetics, adding the same could be said of the “inhabitants of Africa, Asia, India, or the Americas.” Crabtree explained that human intelligence and emotions relied on thousands of genes, which acted together as links in a chain rather than individual components. A mutation to any of one of these genes can produce intellectual or emotional disability — and research has found that most of these genes are particularly susceptible to mutations. Under the harsh circumstances that ancient humans endured, even a slight reduction in cognitive abilities could doom an individual. Those with lower cognitive abilities were more likely to die before reproducing, leaving only those with more refined cognitive abilities to pass on their genes. Based on human’s current intellectual and emotional abilities, Crabtree speculates that our ancestors lived in a world “where every individual was exposed to nature’s raw selective mechanisms on a daily basis.” The peak of human intelligence occurred 50,000 to 500,000 years ago, says Crabtree, when selective pressures were at their greatest. But as humans moved from small bands of hunter-gathers to dense agriculture-based societies, the “survival of the fittest” thankfully became less and less of an every-day reality. According to Crabtree, this transition had the side-effect of taming natural selection. The lack of evolutionary pressures prevented adverse genetic mutations that slightly reduced human’s cognitive abilities from being eliminated. Crabtree’s hypothesis does not predict a future chock-full of dimwitted humans, however. Any noticeable decline in human cognition would likely take hundreds, if not thousands, of years. Human society will probably overcompensate for the problem long before then. “One does not need to… have visions of the world population docilely watching reruns on televisions they can no longer build,” he concluded. “Remarkably, it seems that although our genomes are fragile, our society is robust almost entirely by virtue of education, which allows strengths to be rapidly distributed to all members.”
Post Comment Private Reply Ignore Thread
Top • Page Up • Full Thread • Page Down • Bottom/Latest
#1. To: Brian S (#0)
The consequences of supporting idiot leftists, who cannot survive without being a parasite on their more productive neighbors. Don't worry, though, Lyin' Brian... the time of such parasitism is rapidly coming to an end... and you'll either learn to survive on your own merits, or you'll die. Either way, I'll be quite happy with the results. :)
The total # of registered voters (election 2012) was ~197 million voters. Barack Obama: 60,652,238 = 30.8% The U.S. government no longer has the consent of the people. "I am relying on my personal experience with Morons, which have been universally positive." -jwpegler
I hope you're not holding yourself out as an example of human intelligence. I've yet to see any original thought from you. Just endless re-posting of other people's thoughts. And those are also without any signs of intelligence.
. Since you're one of the dull-witted sheeple, you've really no basis upon which to judge others' intelligence now, do you? Putz. Yeah, Shakespeare, Cicero and John Locke are such dopes compared to someone of your intellect, eh? LMFAO.
The total # of registered voters (election 2012) was ~197 million voters. Barack Obama: 60,652,238 = 30.8% The U.S. government no longer has the consent of the people. "I am relying on my personal experience with Morons, which have been universally positive." -jwpegler Here's why... 'Welfare' spending topped $1 trillion in 2011, study shows Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2012/10/18/welfare-spending-topped-1- trillion-in-2011-study-shows/#ixzz2CFWxVG1f In the old days, people who were too stupid to take care of themselves didn't stay around long. Now they comprise more than half of the western world.
Joe McCarthy was right ! Brainwashing - indoctrination via the liberal media - schools !
If you ... don't use exclamation points --- you should't be typeing ! Commas - semicolons - question marks are for girlie boys !
Humans are slowly losing their cognitive capabilities as adverse genetic mutations fail to be weeded out by evolutionary pressures, according to a bold hypothesis put forward by Dr. Gerald Crabtree of Stanford University.
Mitt Romney: 57,810,407 = 29.4%
NONE OF THE ABOVE: ~77,000,000 = 40%.
#2. To: Capitalist Eric (#1)
Say hi to your mom for me.
#3. To: Biff Tannen (#2)
I hope you're not holding yourself out as an example of human intelligence. I've yet to see any original thought from you.
Just endless re-posting of other people's thoughts. And those are also without any signs of intelligence.
Mitt Romney: 57,810,407 = 29.4%
NONE OF THE ABOVE: ~77,000,000 = 40%. 
#4. To: Brian S (#0)
adverse genetic mutations fail to be weeded out by evolutionary pressures
"we must as a species go into a period of shrinkage that we have not experienced since the Dark Ages and the Black Plague" -- lucysmom
#5. To: jwpegler (#4)
Top • Page Up • Full Thread • Page Down • Bottom/Latest
[Home] [Headlines] [Latest Articles] [Latest Comments] [Post] [Mail] [Sign-in] [Setup] [Help] [Register]