A friend suggested that adult-onset lactose intolerance could be a selection adaptation to spare more scarce milk resources to children in a tribal community context. I thought that was a really interesting consideration, because it suggests natural selection at the level of community interactions, maximizing the preservation of the community's genes via its children, rather than just for maximizing any individual's own fitness.
A friend suggested that adult-onset lactose intolerance could be a selection adaptation to spare more scarce milk resources to children in a tribal community context. I thought that was a really interesting consideration, because it suggests natural selection at the level of community interactions, maximizing the preservation of the community's genes via its children, rather than just for maximizing any individual's own fitness.