ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Sexual selection in human evolution

Okay kiddo, have you heard of evolution? It's when living things change over a long time to become better adapted to their environment. And did you know that humans evolved from other animals, like monkeys and apes?

Well, one thing that played a big role in human evolution is something called sexual selection. That means that some traits made certain individuals more attractive to mates, and over time those traits became more common in the population.

For example, let's say that back in ancient times, the guys who were taller and stronger were more likely to get the girls. The girls would choose those guys because they felt protected and safe with them. Over time, more and more guys would get taller and stronger because those traits gave them an advantage in mating.

But it's not just about strength and height. This kind of sexual selection can also be based on other characteristics, like intelligence or humor or social skills. And it's not just about males either – females can also have traits that make them more desirable to males.

So, sexual selection played a big role in shaping human evolution. It's not the only force, of course – there are many other factors that contributed to our development as a species. But it's an important one to understand if you want to know how we got to where we are today!