Re: A quick question on human evolutionary history...


John Wilkins wrote:
Nickhotep <Nickhotep@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:

It came up in conversation earlier today, and since I've been lurking
for a little while, I figured I might as well ask this forum as a way
to introduce myself.

Anyway, someone told me recently that Homo Sapiens Sapiens might have
actually evolved from both the neanderthal and the cro magnon, breeding
together. This statement is, I suspect, a badly mangled restatement of
a new theory, as it was (quote) "Something I heard on CNN a month ago"
and I was just wondering if there was any truth to it.

As for myself, I find this place endlessly entertaining. As far as I
can tell, the general practice is: "A creationist/IDer comes along,
says something nuts, is dogpiled." Wax, rinse, repeat.
Hilarious and educational at the same time.

I'm not at all well versed in the subject, and other than reading a
few Dawkins books here and there I know almost nothing about it, but I
find it pretty interesting. This eventually led me here.

First off, the taxonomic name _Homo sapiens sapiens_ is not used much
these days - it assumes that there is a subspecies of _Homo sapiens_
sometimes called "modern man" in the older literature, which is distinct
from older Hs types. This is pretty well abandoned, and there was always
a whiff of European superiority in it.

Oh, I beg to differ! It has nothing to do with European snobbery.
Science was so embarrassed that it didn't even know what species, we
are, they just tacked on an additional sapien when they discovered homo
sapiens were extinct. (I'm still pissed... we should have gotten a new
name, a better name... we should have gotten a vote, anyway! How often
does the opportunity arise when you have to rename your own specie?)

If you're so hot to be a homo sapien, you should have brain surgery to
cut away 150cc to participate fully in the experience.

Quote_____
http://www.human-evolution.org/historyfossil.php

Homo sapiens (archaic) provides the bridge between erectus and Homo
sapiens sapiens during the period 200,000 to 500,000 years ago. Many
skulls have been found with features intermediate between the two.
Brain averaged about 1200cc and speech was indicated. Skulls are more
rounded and with smaller features. Molars and brow ridges are smaller.
The skeleton shows a stronger build than modern human but was well
proportioned.

Homo sapiens sapiens first appeared about 120,000 years ago. Modern
humans have an average brain size of about 1350 cc.
End Quote____


JTG 6/20/06


<snip>> --
John S. Wilkins, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Biohumanities Project
University of Queensland - Blog: evolvethought.blogspot.com
"He used... sarcasm. He knew all the tricks, dramatic irony, metaphor,
bathos, puns, parody, litotes and... satire. He was vicious."

.

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