In the last thousands of years human brain has evolved by leaps and bounds and in just a few milleniums the man who was figuring out in the caves what fire was has reached to the moon.
Our fellow creatures like lions tigers etc have not evolved mentally by the same %.
Are there any scientific reasons why our intelligence has increased tremendously in such a short time or biological reasons?
Many scientist say that if Human race was to continue for a few more thousand years then our brain size will increase in physical terms because of evolutionary effects.
2006-10-10 18:45:54 · 24 answers · asked by Anonymous in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
Good question, though you have some facts wrong. The human brain has a very large neocortex compared to all other animals. This is what gives us our tremendous mental advantage. But homo sapiens has had this advantage now for more like 100,000 years. The reason why we have advance so much in the last few thousand years has to do with the invention of written language, and more significantly the means to mass produce books. One of the biggest changes was the rediscovery of the scientific method after the dark ages that caused the Renaissance.
None of these recent changes in technology have had any effect on the human brain. In fact, the odds are very high that long before any biological evolution of the brain occurs, mankind will figure out how to augment our brains with computer technology.
2006-10-10 18:58:02 · answer #1 · answered by Jim L 5 · 1⤊ 1⤋
1. The evolution of the human brain has probably taken a few million years, not a few thousand. Changes in the physical brain over the last few thousand years would be insignificant. Technoligical advances over the past few thousand years show advancements in human culture, not the human brain.
2. That said, in terms of the speed of human evolution vs. evolution of "lower" life forms, I would think human evolution would happen faster. I would think the biggest threat to any animal's survival likely comes from competition with others of its species. If we consider humans the most advanced species, then the competitive pressures they put on each other should be higher than those for the other animals. Thus, in general, the more advanced the species, the faster they would evolve.
2006-10-11 02:07:30 · answer #2 · answered by PFuller 5 · 0⤊ 1⤋
The human brain has not evolved by any measurable amount in the last few thousand years. The thing that has changed, is that agriculture was discovered. This permitted a miassive increase in nutrition, and the brain is as much a benificiary of that as the rest of the body.
2006-10-11 01:56:21 · answer #3 · answered by lenny 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
The size of our head or the brain has not changed over the years.and It may not in the years to come too.But the overall size of our body has been increasing.But it will saturate at some point i believe.
Why then the lions and other animals are trailing behind.The probable reason is perhaps the evolution of the sixth sense(reasoning) has opened a flood of ideas.in the humans.
So we cannot discount the evolution of a seventh sense which may carry Super Humans to unbelievable heights and distances.
2006-10-11 11:10:30 · answer #4 · answered by balaGraju 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It's actually more than a few millenia that saw the increase in mental capacity. Its more along the lines of millions of years, not thousands.
The scientific reasons are rather simple, we were taking our place at the top of the food chain. Humans, by way of evolution, were better suited for dominance in the animal kingdom...brain size and composition, opposable thumbs, walking upright, etc.
It's only in the last few thousand years that those cave dwellers were able to use the brain capacity they were granted thru natural selection. They used it to gain more and more knowledge about how the world, and universe works.
2006-10-11 01:53:35 · answer #5 · answered by Bill K Atheist Goodfella 6 · 2⤊ 1⤋
The ability to use tools (and our thumbs). Other animals (minus certain prime apes) never got around to using tools because their claws were their hunting tools and their teeth were their killing instruments. We have flat teeth and delicate nails. Not the best hunting tools out there. The need to have sophisticated tools (and an organized manner in which to use them) dictated the path of our mental development. If you were to look at brain wolves (though this is just an assumption) I am positive that their brains have increased since their ancestors. Wolves are creatures with a social hierarchy and have well developed hunting strategies. I doubt that their ancestors dealt in the same manner.
And to respond to Sapna, many early biologists were also priests. They do not seek to destroy god but rather reconcile knowledge with faith.
2006-10-11 02:04:50 · answer #6 · answered by savior_of_hyrule@sbcglobal.net 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
are you trying to say that modern man is more intelligent than before? Remember that ancient thinkers came up with calculus before computers were invented. Generals devised ways of conquering the world without GPS. if we suddenly lost that knowledge and the means to get it, do you think modern man could duplicate it?
Modern man is encumbered by products he does not need. Is that intelligent? Science is understanding minute levels of reality but can't describe consciousness and have no idea what love truly is.
So what is your question again? What reasons have our intelligence increased? I'd say the only reason was a necessity imposed upon us to accomodate for billions of human lives. Other than that I think intelligence is if not sinking being put on hold while modern absurdities take over.
2006-10-11 01:56:39 · answer #7 · answered by Julian 6 · 1⤊ 1⤋
If you consider chimps, brain size is relative to intelligence and mental capacity; however, because man does not use the entire brain, in my opinion as we continue to evolve in our mental capacity there will be little or no growth except for that growth which is equal to the use of that portion of the brain we don't use. Please consider how many of society's genius minds did not posses features anymore abnormal than that of the average person. But what does this have to do with our spirituality?
2006-10-11 02:12:25 · answer #8 · answered by pHatLip 3 · 0⤊ 1⤋
sorry but there is one man can never try beating up in evolution -- Viruses and the next is Bacteria. remember they are far more evolved than any of us.
other intelligent and evolved species include --
Dolphins
African Grey Parrots (, remember Alex?)
Chimps
Dogs and cats
and every insect (ever thought about spiders-- they dont build the same kind of web more than few times and chemical signalling between ants? cockroaches among roahes -- one of the highly evolved and Mosquitoes?)
2006-10-11 02:13:46 · answer #9 · answered by marissa 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Oh Lord then that means that the shoulders will not be able to hold the head
As far as Lions goes.....I guess that means also that they will learn that they can really take over a group of Humans even if the Humans are armed
2006-10-11 02:02:02 · answer #10 · answered by snuggels102 6 · 0⤊ 1⤋