On Tue, 12 Jan 1999 15:26:57 -0500, Todd Moody <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

>This means that if we accept the Neanderthin premise that 12,000
>or so years is not enough to cause reliable adaptation to
>agricultural foods then we should also accept the conclusion that
>there has not been enough time to adapt to New World foods.

It seems to me that the flaw in this reasoning is that it assumes that first the
environmental stimulus occurs, then the environmental adaptation occurs.

However, Dr. Peter Dadamo points out that the mutations could occur long before
the environmental stimulus, which then is favorable for the "mutants".

Here is an example of what he has to say on this topic (the relevant statement
is the second half of the paragraph, but I included the whole paragraph for
those who might be interested):

" The work of physicial anthropologists Frank Livingston and William C Boyd and
the paleoserologist AE Mourant. Many of their findings were the result of grave
exhumations and blood grouping via reconstitution of remains. Mourant's work was
centered around classic epidemiologic studies with regard to population
densities. It is important to realize that the blood type genes are "squelchy":
beyond the expression of antigenicity, and the production of opposing blood
group antibodies, they seem to code for many secretory functions (particularly
digestive), in addition to having other non-Darwinian manifestations, presumably
by their interactions with co-adjacent alleles on the same chromosomes. In
understanding the presumed blood type timeline, it is important to remember that
it is not probably the case for blood types to having arrived one after the
other, like "Act One", "Act Two" etc: indeed the ABO mutations may have first
occurred as long as 7 million years ago, but with regard to A and B there were
probably only very small clusters of mutations existing in isolated pockets here
and there. Eventually, with a change in conditions for the better, their special
attributes became a plus rather than a hindrance. It is important to realize is
that the digestive and immune characteristics of a blood group are a reflection
of their response to the environmental conditions which would have served to
encourage their growth and expansion. Is this an ongoing process? Undoubtably.
Some sources seem to think that A is the current "wild type." "

This is from the FAQ at www.dadamo.com .


--
Cheers,

Ken                         <*>
[log in to unmask]