Human Culture, an Evolutionary Force

There's a gathering scientific consensus that culture has shaped human evolution and that genes and culture co-evolve. This is contrary to the traditional stance, which views culture as a shield against natural selection, slowing the rate of evolution. A notable example is the gene for lactose tolerance. In cultures descended from cattle-rearing folk – like northern Europeans – a greater percentage of people tolerate milk products. The gene that controls lactose tolerance does not switch off after childhood unlike in other cultures. Fed on milk protein, the survival rate of adult consumers of milk and their descendants was high, allowing the tolerance to persist. But genes respond to other environments as well such as climate or disease. Still, science has not been able to develop accurate scans for many gene selections. But if cultures, which have been shaped by and themselves shape globalization, can affect genetic selection, then globalization too, may be bound up with human evolution. – YaleGlobal