Neanderthals carb loaded, helping grow their big brains

by Disillusioned JW 9 Replies latest social current

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  Disillusioned JW

  See https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2021/05/neanderthals-carb-loaded-helping-grow-their-big-brains . The article says in part 'The study is “groundbreaking,” says Harvard University evolutionary biologist Rachel Carmody, who was not part of the research. The work suggests the ancestors of both humans and Neanderthals were cooking lots of starchy foods at least 600,000 years ago. And they had already adapted to eating more starchy plants long before the invention of agriculture 10,000 years ago, she says.'

  The article (in the above quote) has an error in suggesting that Neanderthals were not humans. Neanderthals were also humans, though possibly not a subspecies of our species (Homo sapiens) of humans. Neanderthals were in our genus, Homo, and as such they were humans. That is because the word Latin Homo means "Human/Man" and the word Homo as used in taxonomy means "Human/Man". [See https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/homo and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homo .] There is also genetic evidence that our species (or sub species of Homo sapiens) interbred with the Neanderthals and produced viable offspring - many of us carry some Neanderthal genes.
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  joey jojo

  On a related note, its interesting to hear vegans proclaim that humans have traits like 'long intestines' , or 'teeth made only for eating vegetables' to prove that humans originally only ate plants.

  They seem to forget that a vast range of grains and vegetables are virtually inedible or poisonous to humans unless processed, in some way. Even their beloved tofu is not a natural food for humans and has to be prepared in a particular way before consumption.

  It was only cooking that enabled humans to vastly increase their diet and unlock more nutrition from food. It makes more sense that early humans probably had a diet that contained berries, fruit, leafy greens and raw meat when possible. If a chimp wins masterchef, maybe I'll start taking vegans more seriously.
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  Sea Breeze

  Now that we have the entire genome mapped we know that Neanderthals and humans are closer related than brown bears and polar bears.
  
  They are also more closely related than chimps are to each other.

  Neanderthals are fully human.
  
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  LV101

  Tofu not a natural food/lololol but it must be the processing that makes it nutritionally questionable. The soy beans are healthy.
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  Diogenesister

  If a chimp wins masterchef, maybe I'll start taking vegans more seriously.

  Well now that's just plain silly.......

  ........ ...Chimps are not vegetarians
  
  
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  Phizzy

  It is an area of Study that has long fascinated me, the emergence of modern humans, and earlier iterations, and of course the reality is we cannot be categorical about things, although Scientists make findings and then interpret them for us, we have to be prepared for new knowledge to change those Scientist's views.

  But it is now certain that Neanderthals were a lot more advanced than was thought just a few years ago, and were civilised, I would use that word, their Art, Burial Customs etc etc are evidence of a civilisation.

  What I have found interesting to observe in the Interpretations of findings is the obvious bias of the Interpreter. This is evident in Science writers more than the Scientists themselves.

  But just as an example, haven't the Writers refrained from pointing out that is is possible that Neanderthals were MORE advanced than the lot who came out of Africa most recently ( recent in Evolutionary terms). It is known that we Europeans and therefore you American Immigrants/Invaders are all related to that group that over time came out of Africa, and also to Neanderthals, but I saw one Writer's thoughts that maybe Neanderthal DNA came to us through interbreeding with a more distant common relative, much earlier in time, than the ones who lived in Europe up until around 35,000 years ago. Why this desire to distance us from Neanderthals ? Bias. Also note that " Modern Man" is always depicted as VERY WHITE in illustrations, or was until recent times, again Bias ?

  But there are bound to be more discoveries in this fascinating area of study.
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  stan livedeath

  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0e0qYP_PTlY&list=RD0e0qYP_PTlY&start_radio=1&rv=0e0qYP_PTlY&t=31
  
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  Sea Breeze

  Maybe it had nothing to do with diet but everything to do with great age since the human skull never totally stops growing while alive.
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  LoveUniHateExams

  Neanderthals are fully human - yes, and they apparently mated with Homo sapiens.

  Some ethnic groups, people who left Africa - white people, Indian people, Chinese, Middle Eastern people - have some Neanderthal DNA.

  Sub-Saharan Africans don't.
  
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  pistolpete

  Scientists make findings and then interpret them for us, we have to be prepared for new knowledge to change those Scientist's views.

  Like Covid, Masks, Locking down the world economy and Social distancing.