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Natural selection associated with birth weight. VI. Towards the end of the stabilizing component
Author(s) -
ULIZZI L.,
TERRENATO L.
Publication year - 1992
Publication title -
annals of human genetics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.537
H-Index - 77
eISSN - 1469-1809
pISSN - 0003-4800
DOI - 10.1111/j.1469-1809.1992.tb01138.x
Subject(s) - component (thermodynamics) , natural selection , selection (genetic algorithm) , biology , natural (archaeology) , evolutionary biology , computer science , artificial intelligence , paleontology , physics , thermodynamics
Summary The secular trend for stabilizing selection on birth weight has been analysed in Italy from 1954 to 1985 in order to study changes in the forces of natural selection which have occurred as a consequence of progress in health care. In previous papers we demonstrated a very rapid relaxation of stabilizing selection on birth weight. In this paper we show that in the last few years this kind of selection has been coming to an end for the vast majority of Italian newborns.