Back to brain expansion (Humans)

by David Turell , Friday, October 23, 2020, 18:21 (1490 days ago) @ dhw

QUOTES: The new analysis reveals how a changing climate along with new land faults introduced by tectonic activity and ecological disruptions in the vegetation and fauna all came together to drive disruptions that made technological innovation, trading resources and symbolic communication¬—three key factors in adaptability—beneficial for early humans in this region.

"'Then with humans in the mix, and some of their innovations like projectile weapons, they also may have affected the fauna. It's a whole ecosystem changing, with humans as part of it.'"

DAVID: With big-brained H. sapiens dated at 315,000 years ago in Morocco the ability to adapt had to be improved. Darwinists, like the authors, assume it is all adaptability changes, but the appearance of the big brain was undoubtedly was the main factor in human response and inventiveness.

Wikipedia: The emergence of these behaviors, it is observed by the authors of three 2018 studies on the site, approximately corresponds to the earliest known Homo sapiens fossil remains from Africa (such as at Jebel Irhoud, Morocco and Florisbad, South Africa) dated to about the same period, and it is suggested that complex behaviors began in Africa around the time of the emergence of Homo sapiens

dhw: This is a brand new contribution to our discussion on brain expansion. My proposal has always been that brain expansion was triggered by new requirements which demanded extra cells. Previously you have harped on the fact that there was no evidence of new requirements. Here you have a whole list of them, all occurring at the same time as the known expansion of the brain. Your proposal is that your God expanded the brain in anticipation of the changes listed above. Mine is that the brain expanded in response to these requirements. Nothing proved, of course, but this article removes your main objection to my theory. Many thanks for drawing our attention to it.

DAVID: You are using the Darwinian interpretations in the articles. Naturally they would say the environmental changes provoked the larger brain. The bold of 320,000 years ago marks a beginning, not an exact driving force, of new products, just at the exact time H sapiens new big brain suddenly appeared according to our fossil record at this time. I'll stick with God as speciating the big brain.

dhw: You had told us there were no new requirements to justify my proposal that the effort to meet new requirements caused brain expansion. Now we learn that there were multiple new requirements. We needn’t go over the rest of the discussion. I am simply pointing out that your major objection to my theory has been removed.

Not removed. The timing of events and brain expansion is not clear. A chicken and egg problem. The timing sim ply shows the Big Brain is strictly related to the new events. I view the responses by sapiens as a result of better thinking capacity. God drives evolution not nature.

Note yesterday's entry: "erectus made barbed bone points (Introduction)
by David Turell @, Thursday, October 22, 2020, 23:11". Erectus could think to the level their brain allowed. What appears as new depends on the level of the model of brain available for use.