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Pastimes : Don't Ask Rambi -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Ilaine who wrote (66254)	12/17/2004 10:19:23 PM
From: Maurice Winn	Respond to of 71178

CB, years ago, I pondered that there are two things left when time has gone by; knowledge and DNA. Everything else fizzles out, erodes, falls down, rusts and is gone in relentless wearing away processes. It's just as well people don't leave too much memorabilia because after a few generations all we'd do is cart previous generations of stuff around, needing bigger and bigger trucks and warehouses. But because we don't know what went on 10,000 years ago doesn't mean they were as 'human' as we are now [or some of us are now]. There was of course a range of people then as there are now. < their culture today is incredibly rich and complex, which suggests to me that they are human, and have been human for far longer than we may ever know.> With genetic statistics, I suspect we'll know exactly when different genes reached different levels and we'll be able to pin down the timing of development in different areas in a detailed way. I think the trends of human DNA development will follow that population graph quite closely. Median human IQ will track it precisely is my bet. From about 50 10,000 years ago to about 100 today. IQ is a function of DNA and IQ will be able to be determined for past populations by DNA calculations. Mqurice

To: Ilaine who wrote (66254)	12/18/2004 9:24:05 AM
From: Rambi	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 71178

But their culture today is incredibly rich and complex, which suggests to me that they are human, and have been human for far longer than we may ever know. There is a wonderfully readable book,The Wisdom of Bones by Alan Walker about the discovery of the Nariokotome (sp?)Boy in Kenya (lived a million and a half years ago and was hoped to be the missing link. He stood erect but lacked the physical equipment for speech. Fascinating read, if you are interested in this topic.) Walker discusses the discovery of an older female whose bones indicated she had lived with a debilitating disease and had died a slow death. The condition of the bones showed that she had been cared for, not left behind, by someone. (I can't check on the age of the bones because the book is in Ammo's room, which we turned into the "library" this summer). It was a very touching passage- indicating that we early on developed a more sophisicated capacity for empathy or love.