No doubt some of your cousins and great-uncles died in childhood, but not a single one of your ancestors did. Ancestors just don't die young!
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- Any ancestor of yours who died young would have had no descendants, so every person you are related to must have survived to reproduce.
- In plain terms
- Everyone in your family tree lived long enough to have children, otherwise you would not exist.
- What can you take from it?
- Your existence proves all your ancestors survived to adulthood.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- What does your survival say about your ancestors?
- How does selection shape family trees?
Another view
This statement ignores ancestors who died after reproducing but before you were born.
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