The discovery that digesting milk as an adult is a recent evolutionary development makes sense, as there are still people who can’t easily. When you think of it, we are the only creatures that actively seek out and cultivate the milk of other animals (ants and aphids don’t count). It’s also odd that some people express distaste for human milk in preference of cattle milk.
A surprisingly recent instance of human evolution has been detected among the peoples of East Africa. It is the ability to digest milk in adulthood, conferred by genetic changes that occurred as recently as 3,000 years ago, a team of geneticists has found.
The finding is a striking example of a cultural practice — the raising of dairy cattle — feeding back into the human genome. It also seems to be one of the first instances of convergent human evolution to be documented at the genetic level. Convergent evolution refers to two or more populations acquiring the same trait independently.
Throughout most of human history, the ability to digest lactose, the principal sugar of milk, has been switched off after weaning because there is no further need for the lactase enzyme that breaks the sugar apart. But when cattle were first domesticated 9,000 years ago and people later started to consume their milk as well as their meat, natural selection would have favored anyone with a mutation that kept the lactase gene switched on.
I’ve always felt that our teeth were the best example of ongoing evolution, as they don’t fit our mouths properly. Animals don’t need braces, why do we? Obviously we’re a work in progress due to our ability to manipulate our environment. This milk discovery underscores that aspect of human development.
So does this mean as a lactose intolerant person that I am a less favorable potential mate? If so I must do my best to hide this from all females I encounter…;-)
Drink Soy!
Isn’t that Dave Bowman?
Why don’t ants and aphids count? Is it because it is a counter to your argument?
there is no evolution — there is no science. when will you people stop trying to figure out the world around you and simply accept what your relgious leaders tell you?
stop thinking for yourself, stop questioning religious dogma — it’s bad for you. the great oz has spoken.
This is to answer the Evolutionary Question on digesting milk.
Up until my 25th birthday, I had zero problems digesting milk & dairy, an ability passed down from my mother, and so on. All European (German & Scottish).
Then out comes the wisdom teeth, catching the dreaded C-Difficile (weaker immune system?), requiring three different sets of anti-biotics.
I am now lactose intolerant – severely. Soy milk only now. Why? Anti-biotics? What did they do?
Seems we have bugs in our digestive system, that our mother train into us. As long as we don’t have allergies, we develop the ability to digest lactose, by cultivating these bacteria.
Kill the bacteria, and you’re screwed in North America with lactose present even in Fries and Apple Pie (unless totally homemade).
Evolution plays ZERO role in this !!! Our mothers are simply passing along bacteria through the bloodstream by eating dairy products while pregnant.
Hitchhiking bacteria is not evolution of the humans, but rather the cow’s bacteria migrating from a calf to a human host.
All of God’s creatures are important, even the tiniest. Kill them all, and suffer the consequences.
(tongue-in-cheek last paragraph)
I still wish I could eat a bowl of ice cream.
Who says animals don’t need braces? My sister-in-law had a dog with some misaligned teeth. She made a comment to her vet about it and the vet told her that some dogs are receiving braces to correct these issues. She felt it a total waste, but it is done.
the ability to digest milk in adulthood, conferred by genetic changes that occurred as recently as 3,000 years ago, a team of geneticists has found.
Who knew that the National Dairy Council went back 3,000 yrs. ? 🙂 Even your genetics are belong to them.
We mustn’t discuss whether drinking milk in adulthood is actually a good thing. Shhh… THEY are listening….
National Dairy Council Propaganda Page: http://tinyurl.com/nwzpb
4,
Because with aphids it isn’t milk! (You don’t want to know what it really is.)
I’ve always felt that data like this feeds into the notion that of selected breading. As if people are making breeding choices based upon milk tolerance. The truth is even darker, as societies relied more of cows milk as a food source, people less capable of digesting that food source didn’t grow and thrive the same way of those capable. In turn, those who couldn’t digest milk in adulthood produced less healthy offspring who didn’t live to adulthood. Clearly, a malnourished mother does not produce healthy children. I’m thinking of these skinny, wind-swept people from the African savanna from who we all descended. Even today, the cows are worth more than any other possessions.
8,
Of course there will be aberrations, but animal teeth aren’t in need of regular adjustment to the point it is a stage in development the way human teeth are.
11,
We have caused selective development in the human species the moment we developed the ability to change our environment artificially.
8 and then 12
Dogs are probably more a ‘work in progress’ than humans. Look at all the different breeds (a result of Intelligent design if ever there was one) all descended from some wolves a very few thousand years ago
Milk is made from people. It’s people! (misquote)
lol #5
I can only hope that was a sarcastic comment
lets see…
9,000 years and we still havent adapted??
PS, soy isnt that good material for Males.. REALLY, isnt good for anyone.
Buy Soy…eat soy, drink soy….all you can…more and more.
Disclaimer: we grow organic soy. 🙂
And the EPA has not said its a edible substance YET…
18,
You keep giving me reasons to like you…
ya know – i was raised a vegan – i’ve drank more soy and eaten more soy prducts than anyone i know. Some people like it, more power to them
personally i HATE/LOATHE it – but… you eat vegan food for 15+ years (aka before i put my foot down, so to speak) you can identify with what im sayin
Oh, I love to eat meat, I just like not drinking pus.
conversely, i believe raw milk is banned in the good ol usa – and the majority of european cheeses are made with raw milk – it has to be aged for a specific time x (as in extra time x++) before it can be imported to america
I rememeber hearing about this on npr once