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I hit the paywall but I’m wondering how scientists can differentiate between something that was an evolutionary advantage, and something that was a mutation (is
by blackeyeblitzar 2y ago
I hit the paywall but I’m wondering how scientists can differentiate between something that was an evolutionary advantage, and something that was a mutation (is that the right word?) that wasn’t relevant to the evolutionary survival aspect and just lingered.
- lithos 2y agoProliferation, like lactose and carbohydrate tolerance.
- lantry 2y agoAs the sibling comment put it so succinctly, "proliferation". To expand upon that, natural selection basically says that traits which are beneficial to survival or reproduction will become more widespread in a population over time, and traits which are detrimental to survival or reproduction will become more rare in a population over time. Ergo, the fact that ADHD is rather widespread indicates that it is, on the whole, beneficial to the survival and/or reproduction of the individual that carries it. Of course, this is a drastic simplification. If you want to dive deeper, I suggest reading "The Selfish Gene".
- aaron695 2y ago> and just lingered This is important to know. But it in practice it seems everything has a cost. An extra useless toggle means more chance of cancer since you have more volume. ADHD might be a negative from the species having smart people. Every now and again it breaks and you get ADHD. But having smart people makes up for that. Or it might be beneficial in its own right. It's unlikely it's neutral.