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The thing is that it isn’t that prevalent! Please look at the link I posted with the data - almost every ethnic group listed has less than 1% prevalence. The gr
by ojnabieoot 6y ago
The thing is that it isn’t that prevalent! Please look at the link I posted with the data - almost every ethnic group listed has less than 1% prevalence. The group it is most prevalent in is Ashkenazi Jews (3.4%), who have an unusual history that discouraged cross-ethnic relationships for millennia, and who are prone to many recessive genetic disorders that would have otherwise been more diluted. These mutations are not so prevalent because Ashkenazi Jews needed them to survive European persecution: they are the consequence of said persecution.
There really does not have to be an adaptive explanation or an adaptive “coincidence” like you suggested with the founder effect. Please please please please look at the data.
- im3w1l 6y agoThat's still quite a lot of people in absolute numbers. I'm not sure I buy that so many can have it without any reason at all.
- Armisael16 6y agoThe reason would be that there are a lot of people in general and the trait isn’t harmful enough to be weeded out. Humans are not perfectly optimized packages.
- im3w1l 6y ago> trait Just want to mention this mistake. We are talking about a gene variant, not a trait. Phenotype inheritance is much more complicated than genotype inheritance.
- ojnabieoot 6y agoA common misconception about natural selection is that it optimizes species. It’s really more about “this has bugs but it’s good enough to cut a release branch.”