/sci/ - Science & Math

[Anonymous No.1848391]

Alright /sci/,

You'll have to go easy on me, I was sent to Christian schools my whole life, so my understanding of evolution is pretty poor, but I am at this point, for all intents and purposes, atheist/scientific reductionist/etc. But I have some questions. I was wondering how evolution might affect certain habits like alcohol consumption? Can we know if natural selection will look more or less fondly on those who consume alcohol? Is it possible they will adapt and become less susceptible to it? Are people who indulge in habits that are harmful to their health likely to be weeded out of existence? Also, evolution is basically just natural selection + random mutations, right? Why do random mutations occur?

Sorry, I'm dumb. :X

[Anonymous No.1848405]

>>1848391
Humans haven't really been drinking alcohol long enough for it to have an effect on natural selection

And random mutation occur because DNA can't replicate/combine perfectly every time

[Anonymous No.1848423]

>>1848405

>Humans haven't really been drinking alcohol long enough for it to have an effect on natural selection

but hypothetically, for all we know, it could?

[Anonymous No.1848438]

>Why do random mutations occur?
When the genetic code is being copied in reproduction there is a small chance that is will 'misread' itself, ergo make a change to the original design.This mutations is usually detrimental for the creatures survival, but sometimes, by chance, the error will result in a better design than the first. Allowing the creature to have a better chance of survival and a high chance of spreading its altered design to the next generation.

Carl Sagan's Cosmos Episode Two explains further on this.

>I was wondering how evolution might affect certain habits like alcohol consumption
I don't know whether addictive behaviors are genetic so cannot comment of if this is relevant to evolution.

[Anonymous No.1848444]

>get drunk
>get pregnant
>have kids because abortion is wrong and evil

No, I can't see that happening. If anything it's going to select for susceptibility.

[Anonymous No.1848450]

>>1848438
Random mutation really only describes micro-evolution

macro-evolution usually follows from gene duplication, including hox-gene duplication and changes in ploidy.

[Anonymous No.1848458]

>>1848405
this is not true. how come there is a difference in the tolerance for alcohol between races? different cultures drink it more, making their descendants more tolerant of it

[Anonymous No.1848465]

it doesn't matter if alcohol kills you, what matters is whether or not you can pass on genes before it kills you, and obviously most people do. And as such, evolution can't make a blind bit of difference.

In fact we could speculate that humans could become more susceptible as it may increase your chances of having a child. i mean, who do you think is more likely to have a child, the abstaining Christian or the teenager getting drunk and partying at 16? Extreme examples i know, but you get the point.

And it's the same for smoking, fatty foods etc, if they don't kill you before you have a child, evolution can't make a difference.

[Anonymous No.1848482]

>>1848458
I'd like to see the evidence that supports this.

[Anonymous No.1848490]

>>1848458
I don't think it's a racial thing, but cultural. Some cultures allow kids to drink earlier, so they get used to it and tolerate it more.

[Anonymous No.1848500]

>Implying that there is any fucking evolutionary pressure on humans like every other idiot that asks "Can this happen with genetics?"

[Anonymous No.1848497]

I've been told that the reason Asian get drunk on one or two shots is that unlike Europeans they boiled water to kill bacteria, instead of sumping booze in it.

I'm not sure how true that story is.

[Anonymous No.1848501]

>>1848458
That's the result of a race specific genetic mutation that was there long before humans started making alcohol

[None !icpFTW4/1E No.1848510]

Up until ~120 years ago alcohol consumption was normal for most people, as water was filled with cholera and all that jazz. More recently, alcohol will probably have a positive effect one peoples' chances of breeding (as they are less inhibited, they are more likely to have sex) Though in term of genetics, this is probably a bad thing, as those who exercise caution and plan children will be gradually outnumbered by others. It's not really that likely we'll adapt further- Evolution doesn't work when civilizations reach our stage in the way it does before then- but it's remotely possible we could build up an immunity to ethanol. Most other alcohols (methanol, butanol, propanol) are poisonous to humans, and the only reason ethanol isn't is that it was in rotting fruit long before we knew what it was. Therefore, those who couldn't handle rotten fruit died out, and those with more food to eat survived. People who do harmful things are only less likely to reproduce if A) they die before they reach 18, B) they become impotent, or C) they tend to be less sociable than others. Otherwise, they'll do what the rest of us do.

Evolution is Natural selection plus mutations, and the mutations occur because DNA is pretty complex, and replication isn't perfect. Most cells with mutations don't do anything different (as most of DNA is just blank space), most that do anything cause cancer, but mutations only really get passed down if they happen to reproductive cells. Otherwise, the single mutated cells just die off.

[Anonymous No.1848516]

>>1848510
>they die before they reach 18

Let's not be hypocrites, we all know that there's plenty of girls who can't use condoms and get knocked up at 15.

[Anonymous No.1848527]

>>1848510
>>Otherwise, the single mutated cells just die off.

Or turn into cancer

[None !icpFTW4/1E No.1848540]

>>1848516
the majority don't

>>1848527
Read what I wrote again kthxbai

[Anonymous No.1848543]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pSm7BcQHWXk

[Anonymous No.1848549]

>>1848510

Yup, was looking for this. People have been drinking alcohol as their primary beverage for a very long time. Alcohol kills germs, thus drinking beer all the time instead of water would have been a great health benefit.

The idea that alcohol is something you should only drink recreation ally and shouldnt drink it while young or at work is a recent phenomenon. They did however know it was bad for pregnant women, they would give pregnant women a form of watered down beer. But still, it was healthier for them than drinking the water that was around back in their day.

This is why I think humans can handle alcohol so well, I mean, its just a straight up poison, but we are extremely good at handling it. So frankly most humans probably have a higher alcohol tolerance than most animals (i dont really know).

Not to mention, alcohol is one of those things that kills you slowly, not immediatly. You can get drunk everyday and youll be alive and kicken throughout your most fertile years.

[None !icpFTW4/1E No.1848564]

>>1848549
Thanks for expanding the point, I didn't realise quite how brief I'd been :s.

[Anonymous No.1848567]

>>1848516
15, 18, 12 whatever, it doesn't make a difference, the point is they die before they able or willing to have children.