Evolving to face the future

Last updated: Friday, December 14, 2007 Print This week scientists reported that human evolution has dramatically speeded up over the last few thousand years. This runs contrary to the widely held theory that modern lifestyles has resulted in weaker evolutionary pressures.

The finding is based on the analysis of genes from people of a wide variety of cultures. Among others, the researchers found genetic adaptations for fighting off malaria and digesting milk.

And in more evolutionary news, scientists have described the adaptations that make women's bodies more capable of carrying increased abdominal weight.

Apparently women have developed a larger curve in the lower back, a wider hip joint, and make use of more back muscles in order to help them deal with the weight of pregnancy.

Surviving the climate
Much of the world's attention this week was on the global climate conference in Bali. Whereas global warming is certainly about energy and sea levels and such things, there is finally a growing awareness of the health threats associated with global warming.

This week we heard how climate change has already shifted malaria lines and is threatening communities as a result.

Also this week, UNICEF warned that global warming will be particularly hard on children. Malaria, diarrhoea, malnutrition and asthma will all be made worse by the warming of the planet.

There is something very strange about the thought that decisions taken, or not taken, in Bali this week will have such a direct impact on the bodies of young children around the world.

Meat tied to cancer
Whereas a connection between red meat and the risk of gastrointestinal cancers is well known, scientists this week reported that red meat also increases the risk of developing lung cancer.

And getting to the other big lung cancer risk, we heard that smoking not only increases your risk of stroke, heart disease, blindness, erectile dysfunction, and various other cancers – it also ups your risk of developing diabetes.

If any other commercial product was this poisonous, it would long ago have been resigned to the history books.

0/10 for Manto
And finally, the DA this week awarded health minister Manto Tshabalala-Msimang 0/10 in their annual report card for cabinet ministers. Considering the minister's record, the low score is not at all surprising. The surprising thing is that she's lasted this long. – (Marcus Low, Health24)

Sources include HealthDay, Sapa, EurekAlert and Reuters Health

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December 14, 2007

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