Wednesday, May 24, 2023

Unhappy Arabia

Our Stem1-2 East African forebears left Africa - and stalled. This stall now has a span: 80-50kBC, basically MIS 4. That's a long stall!

Basically in Africa if temperatures got a bit cold in the highlands, you could leave the highlands. If you were in the Hijaz or Yemeni uplands, where were you going to move to? Also the south Arabian coast was subject to the monsoon.

After thirty thousand years, those ancestors adapted - making do with less. The authors note similarity with adaptations which the Inuit have inherited. In return, a genetic timebomb was awaiting these people, should they ever settle down again: obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular disorders. I take it that Masai lionchasers don't get these problems.

COGNITION 5/27: The HR Department won't like this.

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