Monday, January 18, 2010

Evolution continues: Can the fashion industry keep up?

I ran across this at Gene ExpressionSome researchers looked at data from two generations of people in the Framingham Heart Study.
We found that natural selection is acting to cause slow, gradual evolutionary change. The descendants of these women are predicted to be on average slightly shorter and stouter, to have lower total cholesterol levels and systolic blood pressure, to have their first child earlier, and to reach menopause later than they would in the absence of evolution. Selection is tending to lengthen the reproductive period at both ends.
 It's sure working on me. I'm a good deal shorter and stouter than I used to be.

Of course, this means we will be needing different clothes for our shorter, stouter bodies. (Also already true.) I assume the fashion industry will make the newer clothes but change the sizes so women can still get into the same size dress, no matter how big it is.

No comments:

Post a Comment