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Predators 'Drove Human Evolution'
BBC ^ | 2-19-2006 | Paul Ricon

Posted on 02/19/2006 12:18:49 PM PST by blam

Predators 'drove human evolution'

By Paul Rincon
BBC News science reporter, St Louis

The alternative view that man was the one hunted was suggested

The popular view of our ancient ancestors as hunters who conquered all in their way is wrong, researchers have told a major US science conference.

Instead, they say, early humans were on the menu for predatory beasts.

This may have driven humans to evolve increased levels of co-operation, according to their theory.

Despite humankind's considerable capacity for war and violence, we are highly sociable animals, according to anthropologists.

James Rilling at Emory University in Atlanta, US, has been using brain imaging techniques to investigate the biological mechanisms behind co-operation.

He has imaged the brains of people playing a game under experimental conditions that involved choosing between co-operation and non-co-operation.

From the parts of the brain that were activated during the game, he found that mutual co-operation is rewarding; people reacted negatively when partners did not co-operate.

Dr Rilling also discovered that his subjects seemed to have enhanced memory for those people that did not reciprocate in the experiment.

Man 'the hunted'

By contrast, our closest relatives - chimpanzees - have been shown not to come to the aid of others, even when it would pose no cost to themselves.

"Our intelligence, co-operation and many other features we have as modern humans developed from our attempts to out-smart the predator," said Robert Sussman of Washington University in St Louis.

According to the theory espoused by Professor Sussman, early humans evolved not as hunters but as prey for animals such as wild dogs, cats, hyenas, eagles and crocodiles.

He points to the example of one ape-like species thought to be ancestral to humans, Australopithecus afarensis.

A. afarensis was what is known as an "edge species"; it could live in trees and on the ground, and could take advantage of both.

"Primates that are edge species, even today, are basically prey species, not predators," Professor Sussman explained.

Hard target

Dr Agustin Fuentes at the University of Notre Dame agrees with the predation hypothesis.

He believes early humans were subject to several evolutionary pressures, including predation.

But he also thinks they were expending more energy at this time and that child-rearing became more demanding.

All these factors contributed to an emergence of sociable behaviour in hominids that made them harder targets for predators.

Dr Fuentes points to fossil evidence of predation in two different groups of humanlike species: Australopithecus and Paranthropus.

The latter group, it appears, could not adapt to pressures such as predation, and became extinct between one and 1.2 million years ago.

The scientists outlined their work at the American Association for the Advancement of Science annual meeting in St Louis,


TOPICS: News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: drove; evolution; godsgravesglyphs; human; predators
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To: blam; FairOpinion; Ernest_at_the_Beach; StayAt HomeMother; 24Karet; 3AngelaD; asp1; ...
Thanks Blam. I agree.

To all -- please ping me to other topics which are appropriate for the GGG list. Thanks.
Please FREEPMAIL me if you want on or off the
Gods, Graves, Glyphs PING list or GGG weekly digest
-- Archaeology/Anthropology/Ancient Cultures/Artifacts/Antiquities, etc.
Gods, Graves, Glyphs (alpha order)

61 posted on 02/19/2006 6:40:02 PM PST by SunkenCiv (It's a big planet. We're willing to share. They're not. Out they go.)
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To: Eclectica

I believe the French survived because they left a bad taste in the mouth of major predators.


62 posted on 02/19/2006 6:46:23 PM PST by HP8753 (My cat said he always knew Mark Dayton was a flake)
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To: A. Goodwin
Like this FreeRepublic post from a few years back

When People Fled Hyenas

63 posted on 02/19/2006 6:49:26 PM PST by HP8753 (My cat said he always knew Mark Dayton was a flake)
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To: RichInOC
Not nearly as embarrassing as getting eaten by a giant beaver.

So far, in my experience, it's always been the other way around...

64 posted on 02/19/2006 6:58:47 PM PST by null and void (That 12 jurors can overturn the leviathan of "The Law" strikes fear into statists across this nation)
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To: A. Goodwin
It was a movie quote (and it turned out that the ROUS existed in the movie, too).

I missed that movie. A remake of Food of the Gods, perhaps?

65 posted on 02/19/2006 7:02:45 PM PST by null and void (That 12 jurors can overturn the leviathan of "The Law" strikes fear into statists across this nation)
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To: blam

Well, we eventually became able to kill crocodile, but we have not succeeded in making them fearful of us. But for purposes of this exercise in imagination, I was assuming a small, weak hominid and wondering why they would let themselves be crocodile food except as a very occasional accident. It's not like 40,000 people have to migrate they herd across the river to get to the wintering grounds, and they are willing to lose a few along the way. We are talking about small bands of people, and even if they have very rudimentary brains, they ought to be smart enough to stay away from the crocodile hole.


66 posted on 02/19/2006 7:07:58 PM PST by Defiant (DhUmmitude: A simultaneous fear of Bush spying and offending Islamic fanatics.)
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To: HP8753

That's a really interesting article (although I think you may have meant that reply for the OP rather than for me).


67 posted on 02/19/2006 7:08:00 PM PST by A. Goodwin
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To: null and void
Not even close - it was The Princess Bride; perhaps a bit sappy, but a nearly inexhaustible mine of quotable lines...
68 posted on 02/19/2006 7:14:32 PM PST by A. Goodwin
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To: csense
"I'm not trying to be disrespectful here, but I find it highly unlikely that one could even begin to ascertain such things from a skull that has been exposed to the elements, and God knows what else, for two million years."

I've read and seen the documents. Convinced me.

69 posted on 02/19/2006 7:20:51 PM PST by blam
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To: A. Goodwin

Ah! Thanks!


70 posted on 02/19/2006 7:24:05 PM PST by null and void (That 12 jurors can overturn the leviathan of "The Law" strikes fear into statists across this nation)
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To: csense
Taung Child's Death Puzzle Finally Solved

"The case of who killed the single most important human ancestor has finally been laid to rest after more than 80 years of debate and scientific investigation. The announcement that the Taung child was killed by an eagle was made on Thursday by Professor Lee Berger at an international conference held at the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits) in Johannesburg."

71 posted on 02/19/2006 7:34:25 PM PST by blam
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To: Dustbunny
it is not possible to be "unarmed with defensive weapons."

if you are with defensive weapons, you are armed. i am kidding with you, of course. but your point is taken. humans have only one real weapon: a highly developed brain. we do not have huge teeth or claws or the speed of predators. this theory seems like a no-brainer. pun intended.

72 posted on 02/19/2006 7:34:46 PM PST by thefactor
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To: blam; Pharmboy

i remember studying the Taung Child in college. mostly in my human osteology class. my professors believed it was death by a large cat of some sort. great new evidence of death by raptor.


73 posted on 02/19/2006 7:43:02 PM PST by thefactor
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To: edcoil

"With the exception of horses, more humans are killed by dogs then any other animal."

Depends on how you look at it.

If you except humans, and limit yourself to large animals, that's probably true. More humans are killed by other humans than by any other large animal.

If you consider indirect effects of small animal attacks, though, the biggest animal killer of humans is the mosquito, by far. One might say that it's really the Malaria, but then, one might say that the dog or bear doesn't kill anyone; what kills an animal attack victim is oxygen deprivation to the brain. What deprives the brain of oxygen is loss of blood or cutting of the airway. What causes the loss of blood or cuts off the airway is the dog bites.
Likewise, what causes death is the malaria but what causes the malaria to be there is the mosquito bite.


74 posted on 02/19/2006 7:43:16 PM PST by Vicomte13 (Une Foi, une Loi, un Dieu, un Roi!)
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To: Sam the Sham

"Lions charge into herd of wildebeest. Once they have singled out a victim the other wildebeest ignore it and relax. They make no effort to help their fellow."

One of those nature shows had an episode where the cape buffalo came to the aid of one of the herd, driving off the lions. The lions regrouped and the buffalo gave up.

Elephants won't tolerate lions around the water hole and will chase them off. I think they can get up to 25 mph, which is useful here.


75 posted on 02/19/2006 7:48:01 PM PST by Tymesup
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To: Tymesup
"One of those nature shows had an episode where the cape buffalo came to the aid of one of the herd, driving off the lions. The lions regrouped and the buffalo gave up."

I just saw that last week. The lions killing a buffalo is not 'a slam-dunk.'

76 posted on 02/19/2006 8:26:16 PM PST by blam
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To: blam
I've read and seen the documents. Convinced me.

Well, you're certainy entitled to believe whatever you want. I however, remain highly skeptical.

77 posted on 02/19/2006 9:49:12 PM PST by csense
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To: edcoil
With the exception of horses, more humans are killed by dogs then any other animal.

So much for 'man's best friend' huh?

78 posted on 02/19/2006 10:10:25 PM PST by YoungHickey
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To: bikepacker67

bump for later scrutiny.


79 posted on 02/20/2006 5:10:25 AM PST by Renfield (If Gene Tracy was the entertainment at your senior prom, YOU might be a redneck...)
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To: blam
I don't know of anyone who didn't/doesn't think that humans were also prey.

And still are...

80 posted on 02/20/2006 5:38:32 AM PST by Junior (Identical fecal matter, alternate diurnal period)
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