All iLive content is medically reviewed or fact checked to ensure as much factual accuracy as possible.
We have strict sourcing guidelines and only link to reputable media sites, academic research institutions and, whenever possible, medically peer reviewed studies. Note that the numbers in parentheses ([1], [2], etc.) are clickable links to these studies.
If you feel that any of our content is inaccurate, out-of-date, or otherwise questionable, please select it and press Ctrl + Enter.
Modern man continues to evolve, the study showed
Last reviewed: 23.04.2024
A study conducted by scientists from Quebec University in Montreal, Canada, showed the obvious impact of natural selection on the community of people over the past 140 years.
There is a theory according to which modern man continues to evolve. But it's very difficult to prove. Therefore, until now, scientists have confined themselves to indirect signs, assessing the anatomical and genetic changes that have occurred to humans over the past 5-10 thousand years.
However, scientists managed to obtain direct confirmation of the pressure of natural selection per person. The object of the study was a community closed for 200 years on the island of St. Lorenz near Quebec. The basis of this community was 30 families who moved here in the 18th century.
Researchers analyzed the data of documents of the local church, which concerned the terms of marriage and childbirth in women from 1799 to 1940. The results of the analysis showed that for 140 years, women began to give birth to the first child 4 years earlier. The authors of the study argue that the cause of such changes lies in genetic factors, since natural selection is aimed at reducing the age of the first childbearing. The earlier a woman gave birth, the more she could bring children in the future and the more and more their genes were introduced in subsequent generations.
[