Re: Yet another ID lie - Humans do evolve.

On 20 Nov 2005 08:23:00 -0800, mikesgruv@xxxxxxxxx wrote:

>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?
>>
>Sure. As people's jaws get smaller the likelihood of impacted wisdom
>teeth increases, and before there was decent, safe dental surgery,
>these people (who would be at their level of sexual maturity) would
>have a higher risk of infection and death. Clearly over time there
>would a selection for not having wisdom teeth.


Wouldn't a smaller face and head also mean that fewer mothers would
die in child birth?

g.c.

.

Relevant Pages

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  • 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: Yet another ID lie - Humans do evolve.
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    (talk.origins)
  • Scientists show weve been losing face for 10,000 years
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