Unnatural Selection
Gonorrhea. Bed bugs. Weeds. Salamanders. People. All are evolving, some surprisingly rapidly, in response to our chemical age. In Unnatural Selection: Choosing Boys Over Girls, and the Consequences of a World Full of Men
, Emily Monosson shows how our drugs, pesticides, and pollution are exerting intense selection pressure on all manner of species. And we humans might not like the result.
Monosson reveals that the very code of life is more fluid than once imagined. When our powerful chemicals put the pressure on to evolve or die, beneficial traits can sweep rapidly through a population. Species with explosive population growth—the bugs, bacteria, and weeds—tend to thrive, while bigger, slower-to-reproduce creatures, like ourselves, are more likely to succumb.
June 9, 2015 @ 9:36 pm
It might be better if we do succumb-make that it would be better-as we have totally upset the natural balance of nature thus creating superbugs who are resistant to chemicals. we are killing off the predators who keep other populations in check. Leave nature to do what she does and all will get back in balance with some bumps along the way. Surely things have gotten out of whack before but we have really pushed the planet to far and it is time to let it heal.
June 10, 2015 @ 4:38 am
Reacting to foul stimulants is far from evolving as creatures. We and all creatures have not changed much from how we were created. In fact if anything we are degrading from all the poor choices we make with pollution, poor diet with hardly any natural whole foods. It’s a shame we haven’t even learned the basic message to love they neighbor and care for our one and only planet.