Peter J. Richerson|Rober T. Boyd|Joseph Henrich
Gene-culture coevolution in the age of genomics
University of California, Davis|University of California, Los Angeles|University of British Columbia
use socially learned information culture central human adaptations investigate hypothesis process cultural evolution played active leading role evolution genes culture normally evolves rapidly genes creating novel environments expose genes new selective pressures many human genes shown recent current selection changing result new environments created cultural innovations changed response development agricultural subsistence systems early middle holocene alleles coding adaptations diets rich plant starch eg amylase copy number epidemic diseases evolved human populations expanded eg sickle cell g6pd deficiency alleles provide protection malaria largescale scans using patterns linkage disequilibrium detect recent selection suggest many genes evolved response agriculture genetic change response novel social environment contemporary modern societies also likely occurring functional effects alleles selection last 10000 years currently unknown also unknown role paleoenvironmental change regulating tempo hominin evolution although full extent culturedriven geneculture coevolution thus far unknown deeper history human lineage theory evidence suggest effects profound genomic methods promise major impact understanding geneculture coevolution span hominin evolutionary history