Category: evolution

Billions

They think the known universe is something like 14 billion years old. That could conceivably mean that somewhere out there is a civilization that has been around for 1 billion years.

Our modern civilization on Earth is only about 3000 years old (homo sapiens for 1 million years) — compare that to a civilization that has existed for 1 billion years. We have come a long way technologically in only 3000 years, but just think how advanced a civilization would be that has existed for 1 billion years. Such a civilization would regard us as “advanced” as mere bacteria.

Unique

Fructose

Evolution has played you relative to fructose.

Primordial man –this is, the human condition for much of the million years we have been around — was faced with frequent periods of starvation. So the body learned to store fat as a natural defense against this likely occurrence. Fructose was a major piece of this mechanism, as it is not metabolized by the body but instead is turned into fat by the liver. For much of human history, that mechanism with fructose in fruit was a good thing — as it protected us from the frequent periods of starvation, i.e., the body would have a reserve of stored fat in order to survive those periods.

Fast forward to today, when in the developed world food is so abundant and easily available, and the obesity rate is through the roof. Now, the fact that fructose isn’t metabolized but turned into fat becomes a significant liability. Here evolution has been stood on its head — what was once a benefit with fructose has become a serious shortcoming.

Sarcopenia