What in the world does climate change have to do with making babies? A lot, according to a Japanese study, which claims global warming is impacting our evolutionary output, so to speak. In layman's terms, fewer boys are surviving.
Researchers found a "statistically significant" link between rising temperatures in recent years and the number of girls and boys being born in Japan. In short, ever since the '70s fewer males have been born and there have been more spontaneous fetal deaths in correlation with temperature fluctuations due to climate change.
Findings published in the journal Fertility and Sterility indicate that although the ratio of male-female offspring is pretty steady around the world, the females tend to be hardier and tend to withstand more environmental stressors, not just limited to extremes in temperature, but also "war and economic hardship."
"There seems to be now very strong evidence suggesting that male fetuses are more vulnerable, in general, to sub-optimal conditions—for example maternal malnutrition or stressful situations," said professor of biological anthropology at Yale University, Claudia Valeggia, who independently reviewed the Japanese study, which echoed other findings hailing from Denmark and Sweden.
So does natural selection tend to favour little girls? Can we expect boys to become endangered over coming decades?
Obviously further studies are needed, in other countries, to corroborate what is nonetheless a fascinating hypothesis. So ladies, no need to fret just yet. Feel free to soak up the sun and get your vitamin D on.
However, if your name is Margaret Atwood and you happen to be reading this, I fully expect you to plumb this study for your next feminist sci-fi tome. Life After Man. The truth is sometimes just as strange as the fiction.
What do you think of this research?
Greenpeace wants you to boycott this toy.
Printer-friendly version