Humans may be gradually losing intelligence, according to a new study.

LiveScience Staff Writer | LiveScience.com ^ | Mon, Nov 12, 2012 | Tia Ghose

[haffast]

Are Humans Becoming Less Intelligent? By Tia Ghose, LiveScience Staff Writer | LiveScience.com – Mon, Nov 12, 2012

Humans may be gradually losing intelligence, according to a new study.

The study, published today (Nov. 12) in the journal Trends in Genetics, argues that humans lost the evolutionary pressure to be smart once we started living in dense agricultural settlements several thousand years ago.

"The development of our intellectual abilities and the optimization of thousands of intelligence genes probably occurred in relatively non-verbal, dispersed groups of peoples [living] before our ancestors emerged from Africa," said study author Gerald Crabtree, a researcher at Stanford University, in a statement.

Since then it's all been downhill, Crabtree contends.

[haffast]

I'd say six million dollars later, on November 7, we have proven this to be true.

I may be movin' to Montana soon...

gonna raise me some dental floss...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=Ialhaxhr7iA#!

[brivette]

yippee eye oh ki yah.

[davius]

Nonsense! I am far more intelligent than I was thousands of years ago.

[ArGee]

I wonder how this study might have been different if they had included Republicans in the sample.

[yarddog]

I recall when I was in college, one of our textbooks said that ancient Athenians, or maybe it was ancient Greeks had a much higher IQ than modern man.

I have no idea how that was calculated but I can believe it considering it was at most a city of 100,000 and produced so many brilliant men.

[faithhopecharity]

Millions of people just voted for more and more unemployment and debt for themselves and their children.

These researchers are a bit late...

[SampleMan]

"The development of our intellectual abilities and the optimization of thousands of intelligence genes probably occurred in relatively non-verbal, dispersed groups of peoples [living] before our ancestors emerged from Africa,"

Yea, I don't see much empirical evidence for that.

[kosciusko51]

Looking at the comments from the link, I would agree with the premise.

[PapaBear3625]

The study, published today (Nov. 12) in the journal Trends in Genetics, argues that humans lost the evolutionary pressure to be smart once we started living in dense agricultural settlements several thousand years ago.

I disagree. The rise of cities and commerce produced an evolutionary incentive to be smart, in the sense that the stupid and gullible became poor and unable to feed their families.

The rise of the welfare state, where the non-working have ten kids, and the educated career women have one or none, is a strongly dysgenic environment. While it lasts.

[Mr. K]

The movie “Idiocracy” was a DOCUMENTARY

[C. Edmund Wright]

....gradually?

Hah. Rapidly.

[max americana]

“Are Humans Becoming Less Intelligent?”

If you count DU or DailyKos members as “human”, then yes.

[OneWingedShark]

Prophetic.

[ilovesarah2012]

And become democrats.

[stephenjohnbanker]

” Nonsense! I am far more intelligent than I was thousands of years ago.”

Hmmm....even your best friends won’t tell you : )

[TSgt]

Well Duh...

[WKUHilltopper]

“Humans may be gradually losing intelligence, according to a new study.”

You can expect this when learning how to put on a rubber is priority over academics.

[EEGator]

[Sir Napsalot]

No worries, mate.

The reason why human lose intelligence is they have less challenge to survive. After Zombie Apocalypse, humans (those survived) can re-evolve intelligence.

[Alex Murphy]

The movie “Idiocracy” was a DOCUMENTARY

You beat me to it!