SoylentNews is people
SoylentNews
Sex on Mars is going to be risky, but it could create a new human subspecies
In a new research paper published in Futures, an international team of scientists examines the challenges of reproduction on the Martian surface. It's a risky proposition, but if humans succeed in conceiving, carrying, and birthing offspring on another world it might actually be the start of a new species.
In the paper, the researchers tackle a huge number of potential problems that could crop up when humans are finally ready to rear young on Mars. The first and most obvious hurdle is the low gravity environment, which could pose a serious threat to the conception and pregnancy processes that seem so simple here on Earth.
[...] The paper also examines the inherent challenges of bolstering the numbers of a small colony of settlers on the planet. The concept of "love" might have to take a back seat to pure survival, with men and women being paired up by their biology rather than emotion. Additionally, some individuals may never be allowed to have children due to undesirable traits that are a risk to the colony as a whole.
In a somewhat scary aside, the researchers also note that editing the genes of future Mars babies might be an easy way to increase the prospects of survival.
Also at Live Science.
Biological and social challenges of human reproduction in a long-term Mars base (DOI: 10.1016/j.futures.2018.04.006) (DX)
Related: Space colonization and suffering risks: Reassessing the "maxipok rule" (DOI: 10.1016/j.futures.2018.04.008) (DX)
(Score: 3, Interesting) by HiThere on Thursday May 31 2018, @05:33PM (1 child)
Sorry, but not every society is structured the same way. There are advantages to other structures, as well as costs. Traditionally one alternative is that women lived with the families, and loved outside them. The mother's brother was quite different in importance than the father's brother. He was often more important than the father (who may well have been uncertain).
This kind of society is called (variously) matri-local or clan. The kids took the name of the family they were born into. Traditional Christianity was very destructive to this kind of society, so I don't know if any are still around. (I'm no anthropologist.) Existing reports seem to say that people were about as happy living that way as living in an extended patriarchal family, and happier (socially) than those living in a nuclear family. But the traditional forms are a lot less mobile.
Javascript is what you use to allow unknown third parties to run software you have no idea about on your computer.
(Score: 3, Interesting) by Weasley on Thursday May 31 2018, @05:52PM
I think bradley's point was that love is an evolution created mechanism for social bonding to facilitate the long maturation process of humans that existed long before the concept of marriage. It is an animal instinct.