[ExI] Swallows may be evolving to dodge traffic

[Dan]

On Tuesday, March 19, 2013 2:47 PM Alfio Puglisi <alfio.puglisi at gmail.com> wrote:
> How about human beings? Are people better at crossing the
> street, or driving without rear-ending someone else?

I don't see why there couldn't be some changes here, especially if some of this is genetic. Humans, however, have longer breeding cycles than swallows. And the effect is probably a lot smaller to begin with since humans usually don't run across big highways in the first place. :)

> In Europe traffic fatalities have been steadily decreasing in
> the last ten years:
> http://ec.europa.eu/transport/road_safety/specialist/statistics/index_en.htm
> this is usually attributed to better car technology, driver behaviour, etc.

I don't know the break down here and some of that might actually not lead to a kind of direct genetic change, such as humans evolving better means of directly avoiding accidents like faster reflexes or better sensory accuity, etc.

Regards,

Dan
 My science fiction short story "Residue" is now on Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00BS3T0RM for the US

 At least check out the new cover!
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