Md> From: Michael Clingman <[log in to unmask]>
 Md> Subject: Re: instinctivore?? (fwd)

 Md> From: Tiina Makela <[log in to unmask]>
 >    Regardless of whatever intellectual and social fantasies the human
 >species has generated in the past 100,000 years, our biochemistry has
 >not changed and our bodies need what they are designed to eat.  Eating
 >otherwise, as the cultural diet shows clearly, creates all the
 >'diseases' that plague the human species.
 Md> (with my poor english, warning!) Shortly, I don`t belong here. People
 Md> don`t understand me. They appeal to cultural evolution and tell me
 Md> humans have adapted themselves living this far north. But I will
 Md> never adapt! Never!
    One of the great cultural myths is the erroneous claim of
'adaptation'.  This comes from the observation that various species
seem to change such as to be more in harmony with their environment
and/or change as the environment changes.  This occurs as a result of
inherent genetic diversity.
    An example: 100 insects are sprayed with DDT, 90 of them die.
The 10 that survived the toxic insult did so because of their inherent
ability that was a result of their genetic makeup at the time of the
insult.  They reproduce to produce insects more resistant to DDT than
the original population.
    Although the gene pool shifted to produce insects more resistant
to DDT, thus producing the observation that the surviving population is
more resistant, the _individuals_ did NOT "adapt"; they either died
(removing the weaker individuals from the population such that they
can not reproduce and pass the weaker genes on) or lived as a
result of their inherent genetic abilities thus passing on the
'stronger' genes.
    Similarly, the use of antibiotics has directly produced 'super
infections'; strains of 'pathogens' that are resistant to antibiotics.
    So, the important thing to understand is that unless large
percentages of any given population are killed _before_ they
reproduce, the population will not 'adapt' to any insult.
    That is the reason that even though humans have eaten animal
flesh/products and animal milk for unknown hundreds of thousands of
years, the human species has NOT 'adapted' such as to be able to
consume these things and remain healthy.  IF we had 'adapted' to such
dietary items, we would not get healthier when we eliminate them from
our diets.
    Evolution occurs at the genetic level only, and the application
of the word 'evolution' to such non-genetic processes as cultural
fantasy can lead only to confusion.  Culture exists in the domain of
human consciousness only, and is not controlled by natural law, as is
true evolution.  "Cultural evolution", like culture itself, in nothing
more that a human fantasy.