Biocultural Evolution Still Affecting Humanity

The term biocultural evolution is a means of describing the influence of both biological makeup and cultural behaviors on human evolution. It also explains that the nature of these two aspects is that they are somewhat interdependent and influential on each other. There are many examples of how environmental surroundings have influenced evolutionary changes. Similarly, there are numerous instances in which biological factors have influenced cultural behaviors. Often times, evolutionary changes may take place as a result of both biological and cultural factors working together or occurring alongside one another, and this phenomenon is still happening to humans.

One example of how humans are still bioculturally evolving is the increasing rate of skin cancer. Various human activities, especially resulting from technology, such as air pollution, have created an ozone layer that gets increasingly weaker. Since the ozone layer helps to block both the amount and intensity of UV rays, when it is weakened, it is far less effective in doing so. Therefore, it makes the occurrence of both skin lesions and skin cancer much more frequent, as UV rays are what contribute to these outcomes. It does not help matters that there is also a cultural desire to be tan. This means that humans who indulge in this desire by spending time in the sun, in fact contribute to the frequency of skin lesions and skin cancer in themselves.

Another example of biocultural evolution at work today is the number of teeth in humans. First, due to diet, wisdom teeth are essentially useless to present-day humans. As our biology progressively adapts to this circumstance, more and more humans go through life without ever developing wisdom teeth. The majority of those who do, must get them taken out, as their mouths are not designed with enough space for these teeth to grow correctly, and their presence usually causes pain as well.