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Aug 15 15 11:44 AM
IF a person from Athens 1000 BC came back to earth today, chances are they'd be smarter than all of us. So says Dr Gerald Crabtree, a leading geneticist from Stanford University in the United States, whose new research suggests we humans are just getting stupider. In theĀ paper published in the journal Trends in Genetics, Dr Crabtree says unavoidable changes in our genetic makeup, combined with advances in technology have caused us to become a mutation of our former human selves and a lot less bright than our ancestors. Dr Crabtree told the online journal Natural Society that humans were at their peak when exposed to nature's "fight or flight mechanism".Under those conditions humans were forced to rely on memory, clear thinking and emotional stability that allowed us to trust our instincts and adapt to situations quickly. Modern life places other demands on our bodies and our minds, but technology has replaced our need to rely on our natural abilities and instincts. Our over-processed diet is not doing us any favours, either. British researchers recently discovered that a steady intake of foods high in fructose can quickly reduce IQ. Pesticides and fluoride found in water supply are also said to have a negative impact on brain development. But all is not lost. Dr Crabtree argues that our superior education and progress means we'll have figured out how to overcome these weaknesses in another 300 years or so.
IF a person from Athens 1000 BC came back to earth today, chances are they'd be smarter than all of us.
So says Dr Gerald Crabtree, a leading geneticist from Stanford University in the United States, whose new research suggests we humans are just getting stupider.
In theĀ paper published in the journal Trends in Genetics, Dr Crabtree says unavoidable changes in our genetic makeup, combined with advances in technology have caused us to become a mutation of our former human selves and a lot less bright than our ancestors. Dr Crabtree told the online journal Natural Society that humans were at their peak when exposed to nature's "fight or flight mechanism".Under those conditions humans were forced to rely on memory, clear thinking and emotional stability that allowed us to trust our instincts and adapt to situations quickly. Modern life places other demands on our bodies and our minds, but technology has replaced our need to rely on our natural abilities and instincts. Our over-processed diet is not doing us any favours, either. British researchers recently discovered that a steady intake of foods high in fructose can quickly reduce IQ. Pesticides and fluoride found in water supply are also said to have a negative impact on brain development. But all is not lost. Dr Crabtree argues that our superior education and progress means we'll have figured out how to overcome these weaknesses in another 300 years or so.
Source http://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/health/human-beings-are-getting-dumber/story-fneuz9ev-1226581222526
We Are Losing Our Intellectual And Emotional Abilities - Scientists Say
We are losing intellectual emotional capabilities, because we no longer need intelligence to survive, according to a new study published in the Cell Press journal Trends in Genetics. This provocative hypothesis suggests that it happens because the intricate web of genes endowing us with our brain power is particularly susceptible to mutations and that these mutations are not being selected against in our modern society. Human intelligence and behavior require optimal functioning of a large number of genes, which requires enormous evolutionary pressures to maintain. "The development of our intellectual abilities and the optimization of thousands of intelligence genes probably occurred in relatively non-verbal, dispersed groups of peoples before our ancestors emerged from Africa," says the papers' author, Dr. Gerald Crabtree, of Stanford University. In this environment, intelligence was critical for survival, and there was likely to be immense selective pressure acting on the genes required for intellectual development, leading to a peak in human intelligence.
We are losing intellectual emotional capabilities, because we no longer need intelligence to survive, according to a new study published in the Cell Press journal Trends in Genetics.
This provocative hypothesis suggests that it happens because the intricate web of genes endowing us with our brain power is particularly susceptible to mutations and that these mutations are not being selected against in our modern society.
Human intelligence and behavior require optimal functioning of a large number of genes, which requires enormous evolutionary pressures to maintain.
"The development of our intellectual abilities and the optimization of thousands of intelligence genes probably occurred in relatively non-verbal, dispersed groups of peoples before our ancestors emerged from Africa," says the papers' author, Dr. Gerald Crabtree, of Stanford University.
In this environment, intelligence was critical for survival, and there was likely to be immense selective pressure acting on the genes required for intellectual development, leading to a peak in human intelligence.
Read more @ http://www.messagetoeagle.com/gettingmorestupid.php#.UK8h0mei7IY
These are old articles I came across while looking for an old thread on another subject.
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