Human evolution; living preferences, open or forest (Introduction)

by David Turell , Friday, May 12, 2023, 18:29 (561 days ago) @ David Turell

Here is the article that is the basis of the report yesterday:

https://www.sciencemagazinedigital.org/sciencemagazine/library/item/12_may_2023/4100904...

"Taken together, our findings suggest that human species were actively seeking out more abundant and diverse food resources in regions with higher ecosystem diversity . Using a relationship between densities of historical hunter-gatherer populations and our calculated preindustrial biome diversity as a proxy for the past, we propose that diverse landscapes may have also sustained larger hominin populations, serving as hotspots for cultural innovation and playing an important role in genetic diversification.

"The derived inclination of humans toward landscape mosaics and their ability to adapt to regionally diverse vegetation conditions has not been shown before at continental scales, leading us to propose the diversity selection hypothesis: Homo species, and H. sapiens in particular, were specially equipped to exploit heterogeneous habitat conditions. Such heterogeneity, which correlates to high plant and vertebrate richness in current ecosystems, may have conferred hominin resilience to environmental perturbations by providing a wider and more stable resource base. Here we suggest that behavioral and cultural plasticity may have allowed humans to exploit habitat diversity and diverse food resources.

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"Our data-based diversity selection hypothesis may also add context to our more recent human history. According to our analysis, our genus Homo has adapted over the Pleistocene and migrated to areas with higher landscape diversity. Utilizing resources from various biomes provided a resilient and successful strategy over hundreds of millennia. However, during the Anthropocene, our species has caused a massive decline in global ecosystem diversity due to land use practices, gradually shifting away from integrated agricultural practices and toward monocultures. Modern humans have clearly taken an unprecedented path away from our ancestors’ resilience and diversity-based strategies."

Comment: no question H. erectus leading to H. sapiens was the final step. The jump from Lucy-like forms to our present form occurred quickly as compared to most mutation rates calculated in the recent past. Adler's point is still cogent. Why the giant brain, not needed when it appeared. Adler's point is/was God at work to prduce us. Nature itself couldn't do it.