Another reason why Ireland – having already saved civilization twice - will eventually rule the world:
(Author Steven) Johnson notes that historians interested in genetics believe that the roughly simultaneous emergence of urban living and the manufacturing of alcohol set the stage for a survival-of-the-fittest sorting-out among the people who abandoned the hunter-gatherer lifestyle and, literally and figuratively speaking, went to town.
To avoid dangerous water, people had to drink large quantities of, say, beer. But to digest that beer, individuals needed a genetic advantage that not everyone had — what Johnson describes as the body’s ability to respond to the intake of alcohol by increasing the production of particular enzymes called alcohol dehydrogenases. This ability is controlled by certain genes on chromosome four in human DNA, genes not evenly distributed to everyone. Those who lacked this trait could not, as the saying goes, “hold their liquor.” So, many died early and childless, either of alcohol’s toxicity or from waterborne diseases.
The gene pools of human settlements became progressively dominated by the survivors — by those genetically disposed to, well, drink beer. “Most of the world’s population today,” Johnson writes, “is made up of descendants of those early beer drinkers, and we have largely inherited their genetic tolerance for alcohol.”
Guinness, my friends. For strength!
Thus the increase in desire to mate amongst males who have imbibed large quantities of beer, and the more beer, the lower the standards. Thanks, Cap’n Lex, for giving me the rationalization for those youthful indescretions
I missed that part of the gene pool I guess. I’m a total lightweight with alcohol – then again, it could be because I drank my life’s allotment in college. We’d toast to just about anything…and everything.
‘Sláinte chuig na fir, agus go mairfidh na mná go deo.’
Health to the men, and may the women live forever!
further proof of the Cliff Claven Corollary to Darwin’s “Survival of the Fittest”…
“..and pardon me, miss, you do appear to have a wee bit of the Irish in ya… and, if not, would ya care to?” (caution: only works on Saint Patrick’s Day in NYC)
That explains some of why those of us of American Indian decent are lightweights in this department. (Apache in my case.) Just can’t figure out why I hate the French so much!!!!
BT: Jimmy T sends.
Sorry, Cap’n,
Can’t happen.