Human evolution; "Little foot's" brain (Introduction)

by David Turell , Friday, December 21, 2018, 16:22 (2162 days ago) @ dhw

DAVID: You are correct but it appears others had a less advanced vascular system but was several million years younger. Note this from the article:
"Beaudet and her colleagues compared the Little Foot endocast with endocasts of 10 other South African hominins dating between three and 1.5 million years ago. Their preliminary calculation of Little Foot's endocranial volume was found to be at the low end of the range for Australopithecus, which is in keeping with its great age and its place among other very early fossils of Australopithecus from East Africa."

DAVID: Yet its vascular system is more advanced. Pre-planning by God?

dhw: Here are two more quotes: "This would mean that even if Little Foot's brain was different from us, the vascular system that allows for blood flow (which brings oxygen) and may control temperature in the brain—both essential aspects for evolving a large and complex brain—were possibly already present at that time," says Beaudet.

"Given its geological age of over 3 million years, Little Foot's brain suggests that younger hominins evolved greater complexity in certain brain structures over time, perhaps in response to increasing environmental pressures experienced after 2.6 million years ago with continuing reduction in closed habitats.”

If the more complex vascular system is essential for developing a more complex brain, I don’t understand why the earlier hominin with the more complex vascular system had a less complex brain than the later hominin with the less complex vascular system. And as discussed under God’s purposes and methods, I don’t understand why a God who 1) is always in full control, and 2) has the one and only purpose of creating the brain of H. sapiens, would 3) design all these different combinations. Nor do you, so maybe one or more of your three assumptions is wrong.

We can't get around the point Little Foot had a somewhat advanced brain circulatory system. Progress toward H. sapiens apparently went at different speeds in different areas of Africa. I can't explain it clearly to you without assuming God may have been experimenting with different approaches to evolution of humans based on differing environments, differing circulatory arrangements. There is no reason not to entertain God as being somewhat of a tinkerer. No loss of full control, but as an experimenter working things out. Remember I don't view God as religions do, absolutely omniscient. Setting up an advanced circulation before enlarging the brain makes sense since evolution builds stepwise.