Final answer:
True, lactose intolerance is an example of long-term human biocultural evolution, showing how genetic traits like lactase persistence have evolved in response to dietary changes stemming from cultural practices such as dairy farming.
Step-by-step explanation:
The discussion of lactose intolerance as an example of long-term human biocultural evolution is indeed true. This condition highlights the interplay between our genetic makeup and cultural practices. Human populations that historically consumed more dairy, such as those in Europe, have a higher prevalence of the lactase persistence trait, allowing them to metabolize lactose in adulthood. Traditional thinking posits that these populations gained an evolutionary advantage from this mutation. Meanwhile, the majority of the global population, lacking this trait, remains lactose intolerant. This adaptation to a dairy-rich diet occurred relatively recently in our evolutionary history and reflects ongoing changes in human genetics in response to dietary practices.
Moreover, the change in diet from hunter-gatherer to agricultural societies led to new selection pressures. While humans evolved for over a million years with a diverse, nutrition-rich diet, the shift to a grain-based diet from agriculture introduced incidents of disease and nutritional deficiencies. Lactose intolerance and dental caries are prime examples of the human body's ongoing adaptation to dietary shifts associated with agriculture.