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Originally Posted by MolsonInBothHands
First of all let me just say I believe in evolution, but this fact about the vitamin C gene strikes me a little odd. Wouldn't the undamaged gene be more suited for survival of a species? How would the damaged gene have become prevalent? Wouldn't that be reversed evolution? Just asking.
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Yeah, but that sort of de-evolution isn't that uncommon. At some point, we depended on that gene to survive. The gene was genetically protected, because any offspring born with a defective gene would die. But once our diet switched to significant fruit content, the gene was no longer protected. With increasing frequency, new offspring were born with the defective gene, but were no longer weeded out by natural selection. The gene is kinda like the appendix. Our diet has dictated that it's no longer necessary.