tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2495252248554858744.post2507385566961824432..comments2024-02-21T21:14:26.819-08:00Comments on Experimental Evolution, Ecology and Behaviour (EXEB): BBC - The Darwin Debate (48mins)Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03175724495725111574noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2495252248554858744.post-44410839622525632862009-05-18T08:41:00.000-07:002009-05-18T08:41:00.000-07:00Also, and related to my previous point, it is actu...Also, and related to my previous point, it is actually possible that "culture" has given rise to NEW selection pressures (e. g. lactose tolerance, mate choice etc.), rather than just simply weakening old ones (like infant mortality). Selection is, after all, not only acting on infant mortality, but also on other life stages. Is human reproductive success truly random? I doubt it...Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03175724495725111574noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2495252248554858744.post-73311501205021243932009-05-18T08:39:00.000-07:002009-05-18T08:39:00.000-07:00Tom/Fabrice:
Yes, probably, that was my/our view....Tom/Fabrice:<br /><br />Yes, probably, that was my/our view. I would be very careful in claiming "no selection", neither for humans nor any other organism. It might simply mean that selection is too weak to be detected as significant, which is NOT the same thing as "no selection". Even weak to moderatselection coefficients (0.05 to 0.10)will have a dramatic effect in the long term, over many generations. Kingsolver's et al.s metaanalysis showed an average S of 0.16, which many would argue is quite strong selection.<br /><br />Claiming "no selection" is thus the same thing as claiming that S = 0.0000 (or so), which I do not think one should do unless one has MASSIVE sample sizes. On a per-locus basis, selection coefficients of only a few per cent will outpower genetic drift.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03175724495725111574noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2495252248554858744.post-7376288300282885662009-05-14T04:05:00.000-07:002009-05-14T04:05:00.000-07:00If I remember correctly, Erik and I said that even...If I remember correctly, Erik and I said that even though selection may have slowed on Humans (esp in the western world) it is still there. Fab had taken the rather extreme view that we were now above selection, due to high child survival, medical care etc..We briefly discussed how low numbers of children in higher educated families and how this will pan out. I don't remember how it ended.<br />One thing that was interesting about the tv debate was the discussion of the potentially strong selection in the developing world, esp when it comes to immune response in children (where there is a 50% survival rate). One of the panel suggests that this could be where we see the biggest change in human evolution.Tomhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16039167395989814688noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2495252248554858744.post-86658955911971766282009-05-14T00:59:00.000-07:002009-05-14T00:59:00.000-07:00I would say "Culture" can generate new selection p...I would say "Culture" can generate new selection pressures, which in turn might favor different traits (or alleles). The most famous one is lactose-tolerance, where the cultural habit of drinking milk favoured the spread of alleles that made it possible to break down lactose. Thus, culture can of course not affect genes directly, but culture creates new selection pressures that favours alleles that would not have been favoured in the absence of culture.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03175724495725111574noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2495252248554858744.post-24678286167260365702009-05-13T23:34:00.000-07:002009-05-13T23:34:00.000-07:00Well at first i was all in favor of culture, sayin...Well at first i was all in favor of culture, saying that selection almost did not act anymore on human genes because of the plasticity generated by culture, but i am also more leaning for a strong interaction between geens and culture. I will check the book, maybe it will help me... i dont remember what tom though though (at the time), i already know now that he is all in fvor of the "drag-king" conflict related Freudian model...Fabhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14709094442454535703noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2495252248554858744.post-50218612071561419202009-05-13T10:06:00.000-07:002009-05-13T10:06:00.000-07:00Well, I have actually forgotten my own position in...Well, I have actually forgotten my own position in that discussion, but I have probably changed it anyway, just as a matter of principles :)<br /><br />At the moment, I am thinking a lot of "gene-culture-coevolution", though, stimulated by the interesting book "Niche Construction" (Princeton University Press). Take a look at this book, at some point, it is some interesting idéas in it.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03175724495725111574noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2495252248554858744.post-15532415101826543812009-05-12T23:33:00.000-07:002009-05-12T23:33:00.000-07:00yes i remember too, and i have changed a lot my so...yes i remember too, and i have changed a lot my somewhhat naive positions since then... nice memory though...Fabhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14709094442454535703noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2495252248554858744.post-33236622620096987582009-05-11T23:06:00.000-07:002009-05-11T23:06:00.000-07:00Tom:
What a remarkable memory you have, in spite ...Tom:<br /><br />What a remarkable memory you have, in spite of the wine consumed at that particular occasion! I had completely forgot that episode. Thanks for the tip, seems interesting.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03175724495725111574noreply@blogger.com