Byrd Wrote:
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> Yeah, but the "biology trumps social status"
> doesn't explain regional differences in the way
> people look. Cultural standards of beauty do, and
> those can be determined by fame and status.
Okay...Let's see if regional differences are determined by plain old Darwinian selection. People at the equator are typically darker skinned than people at the poles. As a result they survive the skin cancers from greater melanin in the skin. On the other hand people living at the poles have lighter skin as melanin no longer contributes to survival rates, however being short and squat and conserving body heat is selected for. After all tall, skinny, people have less volume to surface area and quickly freeze to death since they radiate heat away and die of hypothermia. Pick your region study the differences between the various groups and sooner or later you'll find the invisible hand of Darwin selecting who lives and who dies. Clearly whoever survives, watches their fame and status, elevate quickly, and the cycle begins again, with the sneaky bastards that don't have fame or status meeting in the market place alley to make sure their genes survive. Biology wins again!