Intellectually speaking, it only makes sense that humans are still evolving…as long as we are still living, learning and the world we live in is changing, it would stand to reason that we as a species, having an interdependent relationship with that world, it would spur continued evolution for all it’s inhabitants…be they flora or fauna.
This idea is supported by the DNA changes seen in the populations gathered by the HapMap project…be they the adaptations that allowed ancestors of Northern Europeans to digest lactose in order to consume milk -or- other changes in skin color, senses of taste and smell, bone structure, and brain function that allowed other populations to adjust to their changing environments.
What I find truly amazing is that we are scientifically able to recognize and track these evolutionary changes by scanning the human genome and then mapping those changes using statistical methods to identify the specific genes that carry those adaptations forward through certain populations. And while it appears that these genetic adaptations may be able to be correlated to the events in the archeological record, it also may be a misattribution to say that these changes were linked to a shift from nomadic lifestyles to more agricultural ones…turth be told, we just don’t know that for certain at this time. Perhaps as science itself evolves, we will develop new techniques for DNA testing that can affirm that link for certain, moving forward.
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