My ethnic group

[WallShadow]

I'm amused by the "Celtic" culture that is promoted by some Irish folk as exclusively Irish (a minority but prominent). I'd hate to point out to them that over the centuries the Celts got shoved progressively westward across Europe into Brittany and thence northward across the channel. Their origin? Where half of my bloodlines come from--Central Europe!

A large chunk of the other half of me derived from Scandinavian traders, the Rus, whose markets extended downriver from the Baltic, again, into the Caucasus.

If my research on my family genealogy is correct, I have a little Teutonic Knight in me.

And to top it all off, as I look at my high cheekbones in the mirror, I am left with a suspicion there had been a Mongol in the woodpile several generations back. (They, uh, toured the area several times, ya see.)

Mutts? Yeah, the most adaptable hodgepodge of genes that ever beat the natural selection dice roll!

[pmulcahy11b]

Humans have to be mutts. Homo sapiens is one of the most generalized animals nature has ever produced -- our species basically has no specializations adapting it for any specific climate or environment, except that it in general not be too hot or too cold. Our chief survival adaptation is our brains, and to a lesser extent, our hands. Our survival depends on the exchange of ideas. There is a debate among scientists as whether Homo sapiens is still physically evolving, or whether we've short-circuited that with science. Bad genes don't get culled from our species like they used to.

[Raellus]

Originally Posted by pmulcahy11b

Humans have to be mutts. Homo sapiens is one of the most generalized animals nature has ever produced -- our species basically has no specializations adapting it for any specific climate or environment, except that it in general not be too hot or too cold. Our chief survival adaptation is our brains, and to a lesser extent, our hands. Our survival depends on the exchange of ideas. There is a debate among scientists as whether Homo sapiens is still physically evolving, or whether we've short-circuited that with science. Bad genes don't get culled from our species like they used to.

In general, I agree with your first point but it's worth noting that there are a couple of notable exceptions. Skin and hair color are types of genetic specialization adapting humans to specific environments. Also, some tribal groups in the Andes have noses/sinuses and lungs adapted to cold, low-oxygen environments. Overall, though, your assessment is correct.

And, as others have stated, if one goes far enough back in time, all humans are essentially mutts. People that talk about "racial purity" flat out don't know their history, or are willing to ignore certain bits. I'm currently reading a book about the last days of the Roman Empire and I'm flabergasted by all of the migrations and ethnic minglings that took place throughout the empire.

[Webstral]

Originally Posted by pmulcahy11b

-- our species basically has no specializations adapting it for any specific climate or environment, except that it in general not be too hot or too cold.

I read an interesting piece on how well-evolved our African ancestors are for life on the grasslands bordering forests. An upright human being has approximately 7% of his surface area exposed to the direct rays of the sun during the hottest part of the day. Add in thick, tightly-curled hair, and the amount of exposure to direct sun is much less than that of any of the animals in the environment. This, and sweating, enable the big brain to stay cooler. So while the big brain and the hands are the trump cards, the body has mutated to support the trump cards.

The white folks among us represent a small but significant shift in morphology. Developing in central Asia as we are supposed to have done, we needed a lot less protection from the sun--thus the loss of melanin. Since early Caucasians were covering up so much, the usual physical signs of health and vitality were hidden under furs. Some beilieve that blonde hair evolved as a means of showing maturity: very light blonde meaning too young for coupling, darker blonde meaning suitable for child-bearing, and darker blonde meaning nearing the end of child-bearing age. I don't know how much credence to give these ideas, but I find them interesting.

Whether we're still evolving depends a good deal on what one means by evolving. We may have fewer genes being trimmed from the pool, but this is a part of punctuated evolution. The gene pool expands as our population fills the available niches. When circumstances change, a die-off determines which traits are going to remain in the new gene pool. My son brings together genetic lines that haven't crossed since homo sapiens was restricted to Africa. Is his rather unique combination of hair color, skin pigmentation, ocular configuration, nose shape, blood chemistry, and other traits going to be successful down the road? Unknown. But he represents a morphology almost unseen in the world iuntil very recently. Many other types are emerging as a rapid pace. I think this means that we are still evolving, albeit in a direction that is hard to predict.

Webstral

Webstral