Ah--what's a few million years?

[YoursTrue]

Just released -- "Modern brains are younger than originally thought, possibly developing as recently as 1.5 million years ago, according to a study published Thursday -- after the earliest humans had already begun walking on two feet and had even started fanning out from Africa."
Like I say, what's a few million years change in evolution? After all, them's the facts (according to the many). Give or take a few million -- (who cares?)
Mind blown: Modern brains evolved much more recently than thought (msn.com)
More from this article:
"Scientists have been trying to solve a mystery for as long as our origin story has been known: Exactly when and where did the brain evolve into something that made us human?"

(My, me oh my...!)

 

[YoursTrue]

Made us human and not -- gorillas?? Or whatever is supposed to be the last known legitimate, legal ancestor??
"Scientists have been trying to solve a mystery for as long as our origin story has been known: Exactly when and where did the brain evolve into something that made us human?"
"MADE US HUMAN??????" Really???"

 

[sayak83]

Made us human and not -- gorillas?? Or whatever is supposed to be the last known legitimate, legal ancestor??
"Scientists have been trying to solve a mystery for as long as our origin story has been known: Exactly when and where did the brain evolve into something that made us human?"
"MADE US HUMAN??????" Really???"

Is there a point here somewhere?

 

[Altfish]

Shock horror!!!! Scientists discover new evidence and amend hypothesis.

Errr, that's what science does.

 

[YoursTrue]

And, of course, there's more news --
"So, you have a spray first of primitive-brained people, then things evolve to a modern brain in Africa, and these people sprayed again," explained Zollikofer."
Primitive-brained people????? Primitive brained people????
Mind blown: Modern brains evolved much more recently than thought (msn.com)

 

[Twilight Hue]

Made us human and not -- gorillas?? Or whatever is supposed to be the last known legitimate, legal ancestor??
"Scientists have been trying to solve a mystery for as long as our origin story has been known: Exactly when and where did the brain evolve into something that made us human?"
"MADE US HUMAN??????" Really???"

Our closest living ape relatives are chimps from my understanding.

 

[ChristineM]

Science learns by discovery. Can you say the same about creationist religion... No? Oh me. oh my

 

[Mock Turtle]

Tricky subject when one only has the casing and not the brain to work on, and where the function of the brain possibly depends upon what it is composed of. Scientists are always updating such stuff.

 

[metis]

Made us human and not -- gorillas?? Or whatever is supposed to be the last known legitimate, legal ancestor??
"Scientists have been trying to solve a mystery for as long as our origin story has been known: Exactly when and where did the brain evolve into something that made us human?"
"MADE US HUMAN??????" Really???"

I seriously do think you're misinterpreting what they're actually saying.

 

[exchemist]

Just released -- "Modern brains are younger than originally thought, possibly developing as recently as 1.5 million years ago, according to a study published Thursday -- after the earliest humans had already begun walking on two feet and had even started fanning out from Africa."
Like I say, what's a few million years change in evolution? After all, them's the facts (according to the many). Give or take a few million -- (who cares?)
Mind blown: Modern brains evolved much more recently than thought (msn.com)
More from this article:
"Scientists have been trying to solve a mystery for as long as our origin story has been known: Exactly when and where did the brain evolve into something that made us human?"

(My, me oh my...!)

I'm not sure what your issue is, here. Fossils are few and far between, so there is always a process of joining the dots to be done, with gaps in between. We have enough dots to establish the genus homo from about 2.5m ago, but assessing the shape and size of the contents of the skull is a lot harder, especially when whole skeletons are not generally found. And now someone has evidently done a new study and found out something new about when the genus homo acquired the homo sapiens type brain.

This is science at work, finding out new things that help to fill in gaps in our knowledge. Yet you affect to find this ridiculous, for some reason. Why?

P.S. 2.5m - 1.5m = 1m, not several.

 

[QuestioningMind]

Just released -- "Modern brains are younger than originally thought, possibly developing as recently as 1.5 million years ago, according to a study published Thursday -- after the earliest humans had already begun walking on two feet and had even started fanning out from Africa."
Like I say, what's a few million years change in evolution? After all, them's the facts (according to the many). Give or take a few million -- (who cares?)
Mind blown: Modern brains evolved much more recently than thought (msn.com)
More from this article:
"Scientists have been trying to solve a mystery for as long as our origin story has been known: Exactly when and where did the brain evolve into something that made us human?"

(My, me oh my...!)

Ah yes! The wonderful scientific method at work! Constantly updating its findings as new information becomes available. Isn't it great?

 

[Altfish]

And, of course, there's more news --
"So, you have a spray first of primitive-brained people, then things evolve to a modern brain in Africa, and these people sprayed again," explained Zollikofer."
Primitive-brained people????? Primitive brained people????
Mind blown: Modern brains evolved much more recently than thought (msn.com)

OK, so you find evolution hard to understand, I find Quantum Theory absolutely baffling.

But our lack of comprehension doesn't make it wrong. - evolution explains the diversity of life on this planet - end of.

 

[sun rise]

We know evolution is continuing. I'm looking forward to Humanity 10.0 (or whatever the number is). There are a few improvements that stand out as being needed.

 

[Polymath257]

Just released -- "Modern brains are younger than originally thought, possibly developing as recently as 1.5 million years ago, according to a study published Thursday -- after the earliest humans had already begun walking on two feet and had even started fanning out from Africa."
Like I say, what's a few million years change in evolution? After all, them's the facts (according to the many). Give or take a few million -- (who cares?)
Mind blown: Modern brains evolved much more recently than thought (msn.com)
More from this article:
"Scientists have been trying to solve a mystery for as long as our origin story has been known: Exactly when and where did the brain evolve into something that made us human?"

(My, me oh my...!)

It has been known for a while that walking upright came before the enlargement of the brain. So, at one point there were several species that walked upright and has largish brains, but not as large as modern humans.

It has been a question for a while when in this sequence the brains changed to allow for such things as language, art, and abstract thought.

This article is pointing out that this transition occurred later than was previously thought.

Since it is our brain that is what contributes the most to our differences with other apes, this is what separates humans from non-humans according to some classification schemes.

And, of course, there's more news --
"So, you have a spray first of primitive-brained people, then things evolve to a modern brain in Africa, and these people sprayed again," explained Zollikofer."
Primitive-brained people????? Primitive brained people????
Mind blown: Modern brains evolved much more recently than thought (msn.com)

Yes. There were other species related to the human line that had smaller (more primitive) brains. Calling them 'people' is just a usage to show they are closely related to us. Also, if those smaller brains did not allow for language or other cultural things we identify as human, they can be considered to be 'primitive'.

 

[icehorse]

The human brain is - at this point in time - the most complex thing in the universe. But science is growing in many domains at the same time. Researchers are also discovering that birds in the parrot and crow families have capabilities that scientists thought only humans had. What's extra-interesting about this is that brain scientists have long felt that "what makes us human" is tightly tied to the fact that we have cortexes. Crows and parrots do NOT have cortexes, so the fact that they can do what they can do without a cortex is creating a new round of interesting puzzles for scientists to solve.

I admit it, I'm a geek, but science really IS cool.

 

[sun rise]

The human brain is - at this point in time - the most complex thing in the universe. But science is growing in many domains at the same time. Researchers are also discovering that birds in the parrot and crow families have capabilities that scientists thought only humans had. What's extra-interesting about this is that brain scientists have long felt that "what makes us human" is tightly tied to the fact that we have cortexes. Crows and parrots do NOT have cortexes, so the fact that they can do what they can do without a cortex is creating a new round of interesting puzzles for scientists to solve.

I admit it, I'm a geek, but science really IS cool.

Amen, so am I. I find it fascinating how "bird brain" has gone from insult to praiseworthy in a few short years!

 

[Dan From Smithville]

Just released -- "Modern brains are younger than originally thought, possibly developing as recently as 1.5 million years ago, according to a study published Thursday -- after the earliest humans had already begun walking on two feet and had even started fanning out from Africa."
Like I say, what's a few million years change in evolution? After all, them's the facts (according to the many). Give or take a few million -- (who cares?)
Mind blown: Modern brains evolved much more recently than thought (msn.com)
More from this article:
"Scientists have been trying to solve a mystery for as long as our origin story has been known: Exactly when and where did the brain evolve into something that made us human?"

(My, me oh my...!)

I too and missing your point here. Is it that you think that new discoveries in the timing of the evolution of some biological feature somehow refutes the underlying principles of evolution?

 

[Bear Wild]

Made us human and not -- gorillas?? Or whatever is supposed to be the last known legitimate, legal ancestor??
"Scientists have been trying to solve a mystery for as long as our origin story has been known: Exactly when and where did the brain evolve into something that made us human?"
"MADE US HUMAN??????" Really???"

So you find a really interesting article but have no understanding of its meaning. Do not worry. There are many of us here in the forum to help you understand.

1. The term made us human just refers to the evolutionary changes that occurred giving us enough genetic distinction for our species homo sapiens.

2. The study uses indirect but interesting evidence to support the claim through the changes in the skull morphology to accommodate the changes in the brain and in particular mention Broca's area of the frontal brain which is the part of the brain involved with language processing. Thus the indentions of the skull corresponding to this area increased 1.5 million years ago it is reasonable to believe that was about the time when complex language was forming. Complex language is one of the distinguishing features of humans and therefor this finding suggests that this was the time when our ancestors evolved the frontal brain changes making them characteristically human like. We have further evolved from then but those ancestors would be more recognizable to us as humans than other primates in our primate order.

Mystery solved for you.

 

[YoursTrue]

It has been known for a while that walking upright came before the enlargement of the brain. So, at one point there were several species that walked upright and has largish brains, but not as large as modern humans.

It has been a question for a while when in this sequence the brains changed to allow for such things as language, art, and abstract thought.

This article is pointing out that this transition occurred later than was previously thought.

Since it is our brain that is what contributes the most to our differences with other apes, this is what separates humans from non-humans according to some classification schemes.



Yes. There were other species related to the human line that had smaller (more primitive) brains. Calling them 'people' is just a usage to show they are closely related to us. Also, if those smaller brains did not allow for language or other cultural things we identify as human, they can be considered to be 'primitive'.

uh - huh. (not) about the enlargement of the brain by evolution. I'll get back to this later.

 

[YoursTrue]

The human brain is - at this point in time - the most complex thing in the universe. But science is growing in many domains at the same time. Researchers are also discovering that birds in the parrot and crow families have capabilities that scientists thought only humans had. What's extra-interesting about this is that brain scientists have long felt that "what makes us human" is tightly tied to the fact that we have cortexes. Crows and parrots do NOT have cortexes, so the fact that they can do what they can do without a cortex is creating a new round of interesting puzzles for scientists to solve.

I admit it, I'm a geek, but science really IS cool.

So these guys (birds, squirrels, bonobos, etc.) have brains but just not as complex as the latest humans.