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Cultural evolution and emergent group-level traits through social heterosis

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 June 2014

Peter Nonacs  and
Karen M. Kapheim
Peter Nonacs
Affiliation:
Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095. [email protected]://www.eeb.ucla.edu/index.php
Karen M. Kapheim
Affiliation:
Department of Entomology, Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801. [email protected]://www.igb.illinois.edu/
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Abstract

Smaldino proposes emergent properties of human groups, arising when individuals display both differentiation and organization, constitute a novel unit of cultural selection not addressed by current evolutionary theory. We propose existing theoretical frameworks for maintenance of genetic diversity – social heterosis and social genomes – can similarly explain the appearance and maintenance of human cultural diversity (i.e., group-level traits) and collaborative interdependence.

Type
Open Peer Commentary
Information
Behavioral and Brain Sciences , Volume 37 , Issue 3 , June 2014 , pp. 266 - 267
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2014 

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