Chapter 3, Problem 7Q

At the end of an article on how mutations in variable number tandem repeat (VNTR) sequences of DNA are associated with disease, Krontiris (1995, p. 1683) writes: “The VNTR mutational process may actually be positively selected; by culling those of us in middle age and beyond, evolution brings our species into fighting trim.” (T.G. Krontiris.1995, “Minisatellites and Human Disease.” Science 269, Reprinted with permission of the AAAS).

This researcher proposes that natural selection on humans favors individuals who die relatively early in life. His logic is that the trait of dying from VNTR mutations is beneficial and should spread because the population as a whole becomes younger and healthier as a result. Can this hypothesis be true, given that selection acts on individuals? Explain.