Human Evolution is over
Posted by Roffen on August 29 2009 19:55:12
Steve Jones, UCL's Department of Genetics, is claiming evolution is grinding to a halt. Fewer older fathers mean fewer mutated sperm-cells and therefore less variations in the offspring of the ancestor.
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Steve Jones, UCL's Department of Genetics, is claiming evolution is grinding to a halt. Fewer older fathers mean fewer mutated sperm-cells and therefore less variations in the offspring of the ancestor.
Every time there is a cell division, there is a chance of a mistake, a mutation. For a 29 year old father (average age of reproduction) there are around 300 mutations between the cells that made him to the one he passes on. Each one with an opportunity to make a mistake.
For a 50 year old father, that figure rises to well of a thousand mutation. Thus a drop in number of older fathers has a major effect on the rate of mutation.
'Our life expectancy is now so good that eliminating all accidents and disease would only raise it by two years." Steve Jones from UCL' Department of Genetics states.
Furthermore, natural selection is less of a factor.In ancient times, half the children died before the age of 20, leaving only the healthy and strong to live on. In the western world, now 98% of all children live past the age of 21.