Speaking of technology and its effect on evolution, consider this:
Automobile accidents form a major component of the "death by accident" category. A quick web search indicates this is the 5th leading cause of death in the U.S. in 2004 with 112,000 deaths (http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/lcod.htm).
Another citation: "Road traffic injuries represent about 25% of worldwide injury-related deaths (the leading cause) with an estimated 1.2 million deaths (2004) each year.[23]" (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Automobile)
While there can be numerous underlying causes (mechanical failure of brakes, loss of traction on ice/water, inattention of the driver, etc), I think it would be fair to say the primary cause is traveling at speeds in excess of those that humans can handle (at least, once things start going wrong).
I think it would be reasonable to hypothesize that death by automobile is a strong enough force of selection that it may be selecting for people with faster physical/mental reaction times (surviving/avoiding an accident via a quick response), or perhaps even just people that are more patient/more cautious (surviving/avoiding an accident due to behavior that grants the subject more time with which to react).
I recall reading an article (in Popular Science or Wired I believe), in which star professional athletes were compared against more "average" professional athletes. I believe they found that their physical reaction times were about the same. The difference in performance was mental and primarily related to anticipation of the actions of other players. Thus, Wayne Gretzky (the primary "star" athlete cited) is great, not because he is the strongest, nor the fastest, but because he anticipates where his teammates and opponents *will* be and how they will react.
Perhaps automobile accidents could be selecting for this trait in humans. Given the relatively recent discovery of the power of "mirror" cells in the human brain, perhaps automobile accidents are selecting for stronger mirror cells. In such a situation, driving more cautiously (generally slower) or quickly choosing a safe path to avoid an accident could both be viewed as a manifestation of anticipating the actions of fellow drivers.
Slashdot Mirror
Speaking of technology and its effect on evolution, consider this: Automobile accidents form a major component of the "death by accident" category. A quick web search indicates this is the 5th leading cause of death in the U.S. in 2004 with 112,000 deaths (http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/lcod.htm). Another citation: "Road traffic injuries represent about 25% of worldwide injury-related deaths (the leading cause) with an estimated 1.2 million deaths (2004) each year.[23]" (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Automobile) While there can be numerous underlying causes (mechanical failure of brakes, loss of traction on ice/water, inattention of the driver, etc), I think it would be fair to say the primary cause is traveling at speeds in excess of those that humans can handle (at least, once things start going wrong). I think it would be reasonable to hypothesize that death by automobile is a strong enough force of selection that it may be selecting for people with faster physical/mental reaction times (surviving/avoiding an accident via a quick response), or perhaps even just people that are more patient/more cautious (surviving/avoiding an accident due to behavior that grants the subject more time with which to react). I recall reading an article (in Popular Science or Wired I believe), in which star professional athletes were compared against more "average" professional athletes. I believe they found that their physical reaction times were about the same. The difference in performance was mental and primarily related to anticipation of the actions of other players. Thus, Wayne Gretzky (the primary "star" athlete cited) is great, not because he is the strongest, nor the fastest, but because he anticipates where his teammates and opponents *will* be and how they will react. Perhaps automobile accidents could be selecting for this trait in humans. Given the relatively recent discovery of the power of "mirror" cells in the human brain, perhaps automobile accidents are selecting for stronger mirror cells. In such a situation, driving more cautiously (generally slower) or quickly choosing a safe path to avoid an accident could both be viewed as a manifestation of anticipating the actions of fellow drivers.