biocultural evolution
Project: Branding the Species
Project: Branding the Species
Biocultural evolution is a means of describing the influence of both biological makeup and cultural behaviors on human evolution.
SKIN
-human activities/technologies have created holes in the ozone layer
-UV rays better able to penetrate through atmosphere
-tanning is culturally desireable
-skin cancer is occurring in higher frequencies
WISDOM TEETH
-modern diet and utensils render wisdom teeth useless
-more humans go through life without ever developing wisdom teeth
-those who develop them must have them removed because their mouths are now too small
MENOPAUSE
-50 years ago, most females did not experience menopause
-the human lifetime did not exceed the amount of time it would take to use all of a woman's eggs
-menopause an expected part of a female's life cycle
-lifetimes increase due to technology
NUTRITION
-corn syrup, transfat, white flour
-encourages fat storage and insulin production leading to heart disease and diabetes
-traits more susceptible to diabetes and heart disease are passed on
-in some cases, newborns with type 1 diabetes
BREAST FEEDING
-in hunting and gathering societies, breastfeeding may last anywhere from three to five years
-in western civilizations it can last as little as a year or even just months
-it is culturally undesirable to breastfeed for more than a year due to career and financial concerns
-western women become able to breastfeed for only about a year, whereas females in other civilizations maintain their ability for a longer period
FITNESS
-technology has promoted increasingly sedentary lifestyles
-the body loses its capacity to burn calories and maintain healthy function
-high blood pressure, high cholesterol, heart disease, and other problems, are directly linked to modern diets and being sedentary
DISEASE
-due to antibiotics and their overuse, bacterial diseases have encountered adaptations which render them immune to many of these antibiotics
-the human race is now re-encountering these diseases once again and in greater frequency
LIFETIME
-average human lifetime is at an all time long due to technologies in medicine
-medicine technologies can combat infectious disease, genetic defects, and the like, which might otherwise kill humans

SKIN
-human activities/technologies have created holes in the ozone layer
-UV rays better able to penetrate through atmosphere
-tanning is culturally desireable
-skin cancer is occurring in higher frequencies
WISDOM TEETH
-modern diet and utensils render wisdom teeth useless
-more humans go through life without ever developing wisdom teeth
-those who develop them must have them removed because their mouths are now too small
MENOPAUSE
-50 years ago, most females did not experience menopause
-the human lifetime did not exceed the amount of time it would take to use all of a woman's eggs
-menopause an expected part of a female's life cycle
-lifetimes increase due to technology
NUTRITION
-corn syrup, transfat, white flour
-encourages fat storage and insulin production leading to heart disease and diabetes
-traits more susceptible to diabetes and heart disease are passed on
-in some cases, newborns with type 1 diabetes
BREAST FEEDING
-in hunting and gathering societies, breastfeeding may last anywhere from three to five years
-in western civilizations it can last as little as a year or even just months
-it is culturally undesirable to breastfeed for more than a year due to career and financial concerns
-western women become able to breastfeed for only about a year, whereas females in other civilizations maintain their ability for a longer period
FITNESS
-technology has promoted increasingly sedentary lifestyles
-the body loses its capacity to burn calories and maintain healthy function
-high blood pressure, high cholesterol, heart disease, and other problems, are directly linked to modern diets and being sedentary
DISEASE
-due to antibiotics and their overuse, bacterial diseases have encountered adaptations which render them immune to many of these antibiotics
-the human race is now re-encountering these diseases once again and in greater frequency
LIFETIME
-average human lifetime is at an all time long due to technologies in medicine
-medicine technologies can combat infectious disease, genetic defects, and the like, which might otherwise kill humans
