Human evolution: erectus adaptability (Introduction)

by David Turell , Saturday, January 18, 2025, 18:25 (4 days ago) @ dhw

Homo erectus adaptability

QUOTE: "For example, the archeological data shows that groups of Homo erectus repeatedly returned to live in locations with freshwater availability such as ponds and developed specialized stone tools.”

dhw: They would have had to be particularly stupid NOT to return to places they knew would provide the fresh water so crucial to their survival. Why is anyone surprised that our ancestors and our fellow animals actually had/have the intelligence to know what will help them to survive?

QUOTE: "These prominent ancestors were not just able to survive in every kind of environment from rainforest to dessert [sic], but also build boats and get across ocean straits and get to different islands."

dhw: This is already well known. It simply shows us that our ancestors were more intelligent and innovative than the image we originally had of them. There seems to be some controversy concerning whether erectus and sapiens overlapped, but apparently the brain size of late erectus is virtually the same as that of early sapiens. That alone suggests a species that evolved mentally in the course of its history.

QUOTE: "It's still unknown whether they could talk or had language, he says, but they may have been able to communicate in other ways to find resources such as water or rocks for making tools or fire."

dhw: I always find this kind of speculation irritating. “May have been able to communicate…"? Why "may"? All social creatures MUST have means of communication. Our own languages must have evolved at least partly from our use of sounds (which we only learned comparatively recently to reproduce in the form of writing), and what are words if they are not sounds used for communication? It is pretty absurd to even contemplate the possibility that our ancestors did not use their voices to produce communicatory sounds.

I'm sure they vocally communicated.

DAVID: A propos of our global warming discussion, this shows our potential for adaptability. Evolution produced a big-brained planner. Surely we can handle the current challenges despite the complexity of our current civilization.

dhw: Yes, we are adaptable. So was erectus. But one theory is that he went extinct because of climate change!.

AIP.ORG
https://ww2.aip.org › inside-science › the-final-days-of-… (Sorry,but once again I can’t get the link!)

On my computer it pops right up and is of no value.

dhw: No need to speculate anyway. Even if the human race does survive the consequences of global warming, should we not take every precaution now to save our descendants from the possibly appalling consequences of the practices listed on the “balance” thread?

Back to propaganda.