We’re evolving too slowly for the world we’ve built | Many chronic stress-related health issues are the predictable result of forcing Stone Age physiology into a world it was never built for

As our evolution slows and industrialization and technology accelerates, a growing body of research suggests that human biology is struggling to keep pace. Many of the chronic stress-related health issues we face today aren’t personal failings or modern inconveniences – they’re the predictable result of forcing Stone Age physiology into a world it was never built for.

A fascinating new study from University of Zurich researchers has investigated whether the rapid and extensive environmental shifts of the current Anthropocene have compromised the fitness of Homo sapiens. In less-evolutionary speak: if the world most of us experience daily is having a profound impact on mental and physical health as a species.

Synthesizing data concerning industrialization and urbanization and health, the researchers argue that there are many signs that humans haven't had time to adapt to the rapid changes in the world over the last century. They cite declining global fertility rates, rising chronic inflammatory conditions and other chronic health trends as signs that we've been struggling on Earth since the Industrial Revolution.

We live in a society, and it's killing us.