The average body mass of men will increase, and women will start early to have children.
Scientists at the University of California, Irvine found that the average body weight of men will increase, and women will start early to have children.
This is the conclusion the researchers came to discover that in the human population by natural selection, through which increases the frequency of signs such as high body mass index (BMI) and early childbearing.
The study used data repository of the British Biobank, which stores information about the genotype and phenotype of half a million men and women aged 40-69 years. Scientists have searched for signs and related genetic factors that could increase the offspring. This effect is often weak and noticeable after several generations.
The researchers note that, although in men with a high body weight on average more children, those who are obese are more likely to be infertile. Thus, natural selection favors large muscle mass. However, it is possible that the number of offspring depends on the BMI.
Scientists also found that natural selection reduces the level of women’s education. However, this indirect effect of evolution, as the level of education depends on the age at which woman first gave birth. At the same time, researchers believe that it is impossible to underestimate the power of social factors, as well as the development of modern medicine. Thus, infants with extremely high and extremely low body weight currently survive more often than in the past, although natural selection had previously rejected these signs.
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