Originally Posted by ilnjscb

End of story - debate all you want he's right. Even within a population you can change the population by defining success. In Jamaica, running is success, life, everything. In 15th century England, the average "good" archer could draw a bow that no one can draw today, and shoot farther. Today pretty people do better, have more children who in turn are more likely to succeed which leads to:

Gentlemen, you've never had it so good: Women are getting more attractive in evolutionary 'beauty race'

"It is a common misunderstanding that evolution took place a long time ago, and that to understand ourselves we must look back to the hunter-gatherer days of humans."

Dr Lummaa said evidence had already proved important selection had been taking place in very recent populations.

She added: "Humans continue to be affected by both natural and sexual selection. Although the specific pressures, the factors making some individuals able to survive better, or have better success at finding partners and produce more kids, have changed across time and differ in different populations."

The findings have been published in the 'Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences' journal.