Culture-fueled lactose persistence spread to a third of humanity in ten millennia

Evidence

These selection pressures drove genes for lactose persistence to 32% of the global population in less than 10 millennia. That’s really fast compared to the rates observed elsewhere in nature, and even in the human genome. — Joseph Henrich, The Secret of Our Success, 299

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: Cultural evolution can create selection pressures stronger than natural ones — Joseph Henrich, The Secret of Our Success: How Culture…, 282; Adopting cheese technology can halt a population’s lactase gene evolution — Joseph Henrich, The Secret of Our Success: How Culture…, 295; Religious practices may have genetically altered human populations through gene-culture coevolution (+5 more)

Broader Connections

• Cultural evolution has been the central driver of human genetic evolution for eons. #expands (0.80) — Joseph Henrich, The Secret of Our Success, 1015
• Religious practices may have genetically altered human populations through gene-culture coevolution #expands (0.75)