Are We Still Evolving

427 Words2 Pages
Are we still evolving? Many scientists assumed that we have stopped evolving because we have kept ourselves away from nature by inventing things that can protect us from natural phenomenon. For example, the ancient people did not have proper shelters to protect themselves from rain or snow, so their skin became tougher to protect themselves. Another example is that the ancient people did not have cutleries to cut meat, so their teeth became bigger and tougher so they could chew raw meat with their teeth. But the truth is that we are, in fact still evolving. But not only are we still evolving, we're doing so even faster than before. In the last 10,000 years, the pace of our evolution has sped up 100 times, creating more changes in our genes, and more natural selections from those changes. Here are some clues that show humans are continuing to evolve. A group of researchers looking for signs of recent evolution uncovered 1,800 genes that have only become prevalent in humans in the last 40,000 years, many of which are devoted to fighting infectious diseases like malaria. More than a dozen new genetic changes for fighting malaria are spreading rapidly among Africans. Another study found that natural selection benefitted people who live in the city. Living in cities has produced a genetic change that allows us to be more resistant to diseases like tuberculosis and leprosy. If you thought that we are smarter than animals because of our big brains, then you are wrong. Our brains have actually been shrinking over the last 30,000 years. The average volume of the human brain has decreased from 1,500 cubic centimetres to 1,350 cubic centimetres. So its bit like a part of brain about the size of a tennis ball removed from your brain. There are several different conclusions as to why this is: One group of researchers thinks that our brains are getting smaller because we are
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