What Makes Humans Human?

cool, gonna check out the podcast

Today's show was good (about the way our brains evolved).

I would say the thing that sets us apart is that we question the meaning of life, which in turn gives us greater desires than the animal kingdom, such as for wealth, power and knowledge and spirituality.

Our abstract thought processes plus our ability to store away and make use of more and more complex knowledge -

But, what was the thing that lead to questioning life and abstract thought? What set us down this road?

I'm probably off topic, but I've been wondering about the effects of our general lack of facial furnishings. Facial expression has much to do with communication, at least it seems so. Could it have a similar effect on humanity? Just a thought I wanted to toss in.

I am aware that some people wear beards, and most primates are bare faced.

Perhaps humans having the ability to use language is such a way as to communicate on paper (having opposable thumbs). We talk, instruct, but most importantly record our history. Then we re-read that history and the promptly ignore it -- proving we are less civilized.

FWIW, I know of no animal culture that uses language in such a way that it writes its history down so that others might benefit.

badabing. IMHO I like the part where we finally developed the equipment and resonance capability for actual speech. Speech of a higher order was theorized to be unavailable to neanderthals. The subspecies of Homo sapiens (idaltu) had a different bone setup and probably they had a higher less resonant voice than H. sapiens sapiens

the podcasts are all about 7 0r 8 minutes long, does that jive with what you're hearing on the radio?

dj - yes, that sounds right.

We didn't fall out of the trees because we had opposable thumbs, we developed them after we began to be 'human'.

I do find it remarkable that we can show compassion for every living thing and work toward saving creatures from extinction. Equally remarkable that we have developed the technology to destroy ourselves in an instant. We have become too smart for our own good.

When you speak of "tools," you must consider the crudeness or advancement in technology of the tool.

Humans are the only ones able to transmit history to future generations, and study the anthropology, paleontology, and pathology of its species. How many animals know about its genetics?

roger, Don't forget body language.

Again folks, I'm thinking of the first sparks more than the achievements we've made since then.

When you say "first sparks," how long a period are you looking at?

The following was copied from Wiki:

National Geograhics has a great program The Human family Tree

http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/channel/human-family-tree

http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/big-idea/02/queens-genes

CI, I'm not sure. Actually, don't some primates have opposable thumbs?

If primates did and hand that fine motor control with digits, then my understanding would be they can write.

"The opposable thumb has helped the human species develop more accurate fine motor skills. It is also thought to have directly led to the development of tools, not just in humans or their evolutionary ancestors, but other primates as well. The opposable thumb ensured that important human functions such as writing were possible. The thumb, in conjunction with the other fingers, makes human hands and those of other species with similar hands some of the most dexterous in the world."

"The most important factors leading to the habile hand (and its thumb) are:

* The freeing of the hands from their walking requirements—still so crucial for apes today, as they have hands for feet, which in its turn was one of the consequences of the gradual pithecanthropoid and anthropoid adoption of the erect bipedal walking gait
* The simultaneous development of a larger anthropoid brain in the later stages

It is possible, though, that a more likely scenario may be that the specialized precision gripping hand (equipped with opposable thumb) of Homo habilis preceded walking, with the specialized adaptation of the spine, pelvis, and lower extremities preceding a more advanced hand. And, it is logical that a conservative, highly functional adaptation be followed by a series of more complex ones that complement it. With Homo habilis, an advanced grasping-capable hand was accompanied by facultative bipedalism, possibly implying, assuming a co-opted evolutionary relationship exists, that the latter resulted from the former as obligate bipedalism was yet to follow. Walking may have been a by-product of busy hands and not vice versa."

Remember folks, we're talking about evolution. The opposable thumb came about in stages. Homo erectus-home habilis had the first fully apposable thumb, but many other critters (not just primates!) have precursor opposable thumbs (from dino days).