Domesticating humans
Humans turn out to be self-domesticated. As I’ve blogged previously, if you cull the most aggressive individuals from a breeding pool (minks, foxes, whatever) and continue, breeding only the least aggressive, within a few dozen generations the animal changes: coloration changes, the coat and build change, it becomes affectionate and resembles a young animal of the species. It, in a word, becomes domesticated. (The article at the link contains more info and is quite fascinating.)
In the current issue of Discovery, not available on-line as yet, is an article on how humanity began to direct its evolution from the beginnings of the hunter-gatherer stage. At that point, humans are living in groups that thrive best when their members cooperate. Being uncivilized, some members of the tribe doubtless did not want to cooperate: perhaps and bigger and stronger than the others, such a member might seize more of the food, and perhaps the best mates.
In those cases, it’s likely that the others cooperated in killing the bully—and found that, as a result, things went better.
This process, culling out those who are least cooperative and most aggressive toward other members of the group, certainly went on for more than a few dozen generations. Indeed, it’s still going on.
Very interesting article. Check it out in the magazine.
