- Women may be responsible for the intelligence of the
human race because they consistently pick brain over brawn when choosing
a mate.
-
- A study by German geneticists supports the controversial
theory that women approach brains as a sexual ornament - much like a lion's
mane or a peacock's tail - according to a report published in New Scientist
magazine.
-
- The theory that women are responsible for intelligence
is not new. Darwin came up with the idea that sexual selection influences
evolution, and US researchers suggested 30 years ago that intelligence
genes were concentrated on the X chromosome.
-
- The X chromosome is what distinguishes men from women.
It is present in both sexes but women have two X chromosomes while men
have one X and one Y.
-
- The fact that men have only one copy of every gene on
the X chromosome influences whether particular genetic traits - such as
intelligence - are expressed.
-
- This in turn affects whether certain traits drift out
of the gene pool or are passed on through sexual selection.
-
- The Germans looked at genes that caused mental disability
when mutated, arguing that in their normal state, these genes would contribute
to intelligence.
-
- Using a catalogue of genes and genetic disorders, the
team found X contained 21 per cent of the mental retardation genes.
-
- An Australian sex chromosome expert, Jennifer Marshall
Graves, of the Australian National University in Canberra, said the study
was significant.
-
- "They have demonstrated that the preponderance of
mental retardation genes on the X chromosome is real," she told New
Scientist.
-
-
- http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2002/05/27/1022243315413.html
|
