Insights Blog
-- Browse All Articles --
Physics Articles
Physics Tutorials
Physics Guides
Physics FAQ
Math Articles
Math Tutorials
Math Guides
Math FAQ
Education Articles
Education Guides
Bio/Chem Articles
Technology Guides
Computer Science Tutorials
Forums
Chemistry
Biology and Medical
Earth Sciences
Computer Science
Computing and Technology
DIY Projects
Trending
Featured Threads
Log in
Register
What's new
Search
Search
Search titles only
By:
Chemistry
Biology and Medical
Earth Sciences
Computer Science
Computing and Technology
DIY Projects
Menu
Log in
Register
Navigation
More options
Contact us
Close Menu
JavaScript is disabled. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding.
You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly.
You should upgrade or use an
alternative browser
.
Forums
Other Sciences
Biology and Medical
Current thinking on diet and brain evolution?
Reply to thread
Message
[QUOTE="jim mcnamara, post: 5439215, member: 35824"] You have several statements in your post that you seem to have gotten by reading popular accounts of some scientific work. It is great that you have enough interest to stray into a field that is not your mainstay. But I think there are some assumptions about Science and more specifically about Evolution in there as well. So let's go from the top. Natural Selection works on populations by differential survival and reproduction of some individuals based heritable traits. But the process can deal with different traits in different environments. So every single 'model of survival' you mention may have contributed the current genetic makeup of modern humans. So, we keep looking for better models Here is the crux of the matter: those models are analytic, they tear a multitude observations apart until they reach a point where it is possible to formulate and answer a how question - that is supposed to be clear. We have not developed an accepted set tools to examine Evolutionary history using all of the intraspecies variables (genetics and climate,etc.) that existed for our species, let alone the interspecies interactions that also existed. So these models still have problems. There is no one model that is so wonderful that we can pitch everything else. IMO, E O Wilson's Sociobiological approach is a way to get answers for some of the really hard questions - namely: Natural Selection favors certain really plastic social behaviors in hypersocial species. Ex: ants and humans. So maybe Natural Selection is operating at a level the models you mention do not delve into. Food gathering is one extremely plastic behavior for humans - you mentioned the Inuit. In other words most of those models simplify to gain understanding. Therefore, what you mentioned about diet remains operable, but only in the context of: We cannot really exclude the other layers, necessarily. Take these papers as attempts, not necessarily "the" answer. E O Wilson included. We still do not fully understand all aspects of human nutrition and nutrition related human behaviors. FWIW there are also models that employ the known facts about a series wet/dry climate shifts (~50K yrs) in Africa that putatively favored complex behavior and human reasoning - not simply diet. They fostered ever-changing food gathering strategies. And larger brain size. [/QUOTE]
Insert quotes…
Post reply
Forums
Other Sciences
Biology and Medical
Current thinking on diet and brain evolution?
Back
Top