• Question: how did the industrial revolution change evolution

    Asked by mattsid1 on 20 Jun 2010 in Categories: . This question was also asked by elliebayton, impish, alexleigh.
    • Photo: Bridget Waller

      Bridget Waller answered on 18 Jun 2010:

      That is actually a very interesting question. Some people would argue that it has an enormous impact on human populations because suddenly infant mortality reduced (less babies died) and the population increased. This sudden increase in population may have changed the gene pool in the population. ALSO, we evolved a tolerance to lactose very recently (and even now only in some parts of the world), so we can drink milk. This would have co-evolved with breeding cattle, and the development of agriculture. Excellent question, I’m going to remember this is in my lecture on the evolution of culture. 🙂

    • Photo: Ceri-Wyn Thomas

      Ceri-Wyn Thomas answered on 18 Jun 2010:

      That’s the sort of question you could do a PhD in! I guess the pollution and habitat destruction would have affected the behaviour and life habits of many organisms. The peppered moth went from having white to black speckled wings since those specimens looked less conspicuous to predators on all the soot-blackened trees!

    • Photo: Laurel Fogarty

      Laurel Fogarty answered on 20 Jun 2010:

      I’m not sure! In evolutionary time, the industrial revolution happened an instant ago. It seems like ages to us but really it is not at all long enough to see the effects. We have seen the results of the agricultural revolution (about 4000 years ago) which made humans evolve the ability to drink milk past childhood, so in a few thousand years we will start to see what the evolutionary effects of the industrial revolution will be. Should be very interesting for whoever is around to study it!!

Comments