On Tuesday at the Polytechnic Museum, Professor of the American Institute of Psychiatric and Behavioral Genetics Michael Reimers gave a public lecture "The latest evolutionary changes in the human genome."
The professor started right off the bat, recognizing that there is still no consensus in the scientific world regarding human evolution. Some researchers believe that at the moment human evolution has slowed down (meaning genetic changes); others, on the contrary, believe that it has accelerated, and tenfold.
The two "most recent" gene mutations of a massive nature occurred 11 thousand and 6 thousand years ago. The first is the appearance in Scandinavia of a gene responsible for light hair and blue eyes, the second is an unexpected opportunity that allowed adults to assimilate milk.
But non-mass mutations have spread nowhere further. According to Michael Reimers, each of us carries many mutated genes. "Approximately 50% - 60% of mutations are neutral, 30% - 40% are harmful and lead to various diseases and degeneration, and only 10% are useful," the professor explained.
And all these bad mutations are inherited. It turns out that pathological genes accumulate in modern humanity exponentially.
Earlier, just a few centuries ago, mutations helped humanity survive - in the event of various epidemics, there were always those whom the infection did not take. According to the professor, modern humanity is not threatened by any epidemics. For example, in the Middle Ages, the cow plague, mutating, spread to people, mowing half of Europe. In our time, bird flu, having tried to spread to the Chinese, has failed. Advanced medicine prevented him from doing this.
But what to do with non-mass mutations of a useless and negative plan? Genetic engineering should be put into action, the scientist said. According to Michael Reimers, each person's genes exist in two copies - "one healthy and one broken, tragedy occurs if both are broken."
In order not to inherit a mutated gene, a person must entrust his sperm (or egg cell) to professional geneticists, who will clean out everything bad from it. Now, according to the professor, humanity is afraid to use this method, but in 10 years (maximum - 20) we simply will have nothing else to do but to start multiplying in this way. Children from this will be all healthy and smart. Of course, there is one danger, the professor admitted. Most likely, certain genes will be recognized as ideal, and humanity will quickly become the same.
Promotional video:
The professor is not original in his thinking. In 1997, the dystopian film Gattaca was released. Biotechnology has developed to such a level that the breeding of ideal people is put on stream. All genetic defects and their potential consequences are easily deciphered, and people are divided into two social classes - "Valid" and "In-valid". The former receive all-round support from the society, while the latter are deprived of the most advantageous life prospects.
As a rule, "Good" is the result of a parent's visit to a doctor, where he offers them the choice of the most successful combinations of their genes in order to have a child or a successful combination of genes by chance. "Unfit", as a rule, is the result of completely natural fertilization - ordinary sex, when the genes of the parents converged on luck, which is why they are also called "God's children."
At the same time, the American scientist voiced some more interesting facts. For example, long arms in our ancestors arose 3 million years ago - and also as a result of mutations. Then people had not yet learned how to make fire, and they did not really know how to hunt either. Instead of chasing antelope across Africa, our ancestors sought out the meat that the lions hid. For a couple of hours, while the predators slept after dinner, the man had to "borrow" the half-eaten and drag it to his parking lot. It is clear that those with longer arms succeeded in stealing meat. So this beneficial mutation soon spread to all of the then Homo Sapiens.
Which, by the way, were not the only people - there were 5 different biological species of them in those days. But four of them died out - apparently, their hands were short.
