Human beings are getting dumber Geez, how thick are these people? They can't do anything without a phone... Modern life making us dumb Instincts and emotional stability out of whack Over processed diets and pesticides affecting brain development IF a person from Athens 1000 BC came back to earth today, chances are they'd be smarter than all of us. So says Dr Gerald Crabtree, a leading geneticist from Stanford University in the United States, whose new research suggests we humans are just getting stupider. In the paper published in the journal Trends in Genetics, Dr Crabtree says unavoidable changes in our genetic makeup, combined with advances in technology have caused us to become a mutation of our former human selves and a lot less bright than our ancestors. Dr Crabtree told the online journal Natural Society that humans were at their peak when exposed to nature's "fight or flight mechanism." Under those conditions humans were forced to rely on memory, clear thinking and emotional stability that allowed us to trust our instincts and adapt to situations quickly. Modern life places other demands on our bodies and our minds, but technology has replaced our need to rely on our natural abilities and instincts. Our over-processed diet is not doing us any favours, either. British researchers recently discovered that a steady intake of foods high in fructose can quickly reduce IQ. Pesticides and fluoride found in water supply are also said to have a negative impact on brain development. But all is not lost. Dr Crabtree argues that our superior education and progress means we'll have figured out how to overcome these weaknesses in another 300 years or so.