Re: Yet another ID lie - Humans do evolve.


NashtOn wrote:

> Sla#s wrote:
> > Yet another ID lie - Humans do evolve.
> >
> > http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2087-1880301,00.html
> >
> >
> > The Sunday Times November 20, 2005
> >
> > "Scientists show we've been losing face for 10,000 years
> > Jonathan Leake, Science Editor
> >
> > THE human face is shrinking. Research into people's appearance over the past
> > 10,000 years has found that our ancestors' heads and faces were up to 30%
> > larger than now.
> > Changes in diet are thought to be the main cause. The switch to softer,
> > farmed foods means that jawbones, teeth, skulls and muscles do not need to
> > be as strong as in the past.
> >
> > The shrinkage has been blamed for a surge in dental problems caused by
> > crooked or overlapping teeth.
> >
> > "Over the past 10,000 years there has been a trend toward rounder skulls
> > with smaller faces and jaws," said Clark Spencer Larsen, professor of
> > anthropology at Ohio State University. ...
> >
> > Charles Loring Brace, professor of anthropology at the University of
> > Michigan, said: "Human faces are shrinking by 1%-2% every 1,000 years.
> >
> > "What's more, we are growing less teeth. Ten thousand years ago everyone
> > grew wisdom teeth but now only half of us get them, and other teeth like the
> > lateral incisors have become much smaller. This is evolution in action."
> > ....
> >
> > ....................
> > Slatts
> >
>
> Firstly, wouldn't a changing diet account for this change and wouldn't
> this be acquired during the life of individuals?
>
> Secondly, can you please demonstrate what survival pressures made the
> individuals with more wisdom teeth/larger jaws and skulls die off in
> order for the wisdom toothless/small jaw and skull individuals to become
> predominant?
>
> Is this the best evolutionary theory can do to prove major
> modifications, (macroevolution especially) that can account for, for
> example, man evolving to H. Sapiens from primates?
>
> If anything, this is proof of Lamarckism and I dare any of the
> scientists in this forum to prove otherwise.
>
> Nicola

Unfortunately the above poster omitted part of the article :

"What's more, we are growing less teeth. Ten thousand years ago
everyone grew wisdom teeth but now only half of us get them, and other
teeth like the lateral incisors have become much smaller. This is
evolution in action."

Softer food may not be the only cause. Some scientists blame sexual
selection - the preference of prehistoric people for partners with
smaller faces.

Dr Simon Hillson, of the Institute of Archaeology at University College
London, has studied humans living from 26,000 years ago to about 8,000
years ago. He measured 15,000 prehistoric teeth, jaws and skulls
collected by museums around the world and found the same pattern of
shrinking faces.

He said: "The presumption is that people must have chosen mates with
smaller, shorter faces - but quite why this would be is less
clear."

Sexual selection is a POSSIBLE explanation. This is work in progress.

.

Relevant Pages

  • Scientists show weve been losing face for 10,000 years
    ... Scientists show we've been losing face for 10,000 years ... THE human face is shrinking. ... crooked or overlapping teeth. ... skulls with smaller faces and jaws," said Clark Spencer Larsen, ...
    (soc.culture.indian)
  • Re: Yet another ID lie - Humans do evolve.
    ... >> THE human face is shrinking. ... >> crooked or overlapping teeth. ... >> with smaller faces and jaws," said Clark Spencer Larsen, professor of ... >> grew wisdom teeth but now only half of us get them, ...
    (talk.origins)
  • Re: Article: Neanderthals Grow Fast, Die Young
    ... >> Hss populations in which this would be true as well. ... Close - the teeth didn't shrink enough to compensate for our shrinking ... get all 4 wisdom teeth are "further evolved" than the rest of us. ...
    (sci.anthropology.paleo)
  • Re: Yet another ID lie - Humans do evolve.
    ... >>>farmed foods means that jawbones, teeth, skulls and muscles do not need to ... >>>crooked or overlapping teeth. ... >>>grew wisdom teeth but now only half of us get them, ... He measured 15,000 prehistoric teeth, jaws and skulls ...
    (talk.origins)
  • Re: jaw bone loss a result of aging?
    ... smoking, low calcium levels, or lack of teeth. ... This shrinking is unpredictable. ... implants have been around long enough to pretty conclusively demonstrate that functional stimulation of the alveolar bone is preservative. ...
    (sci.med.dentistry)