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Jetavan
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« on: January 03, 2011, 12:23:29 PM » |
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"When it comes to brain size, bigger doesn't always mean better. As humans continue to evolve, scientists say our brains are actually getting smaller.
The downsizing of human brains is an evolutionary fact that took science writer Kathleen McAuliffe by surprise.
"I said, 'What? I thought it was getting bigger!'" she tells NPR's Jacki Lyden. That was the story up to 20,000 years ago, she learned. Then, the brains of our ancestors reversed course and started getting smaller — and they've been shrinking ever since.
Cro-Magnon man, who lived in Europe 20,000 to 30,000 years ago, had the biggest brains of any human species. In comparison, today's human brain is about 10 percent smaller. It's a chunk of brain matter "roughly equivalent to a tennis ball in size," McAuliffe says."Uh...Cro-Magnon is of the same human species as all modern humans. 
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« Last Edit: January 03, 2011, 12:26:43 PM by Jetavan »
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If you will, you can become all flame.
Extra caritatem nulla salus.
In order to become whole, take the "I" out of "holiness".
I'm not a witch.
Ἄνω σχῶμεν τὰς καρδίας
"Those who say religion has nothing to do with politics do not know what religion is." -- Mohandas Gandhi
Y dduw bo'r diolch.
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Aindriú
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« Reply #1 on: January 03, 2011, 12:44:35 PM » |
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Uh...Cro-Magnon is of the same human species as all modern humans. Speak for yourself. I'm a Neanderthal. All of this depends on what a person means by evolution. If by evolution, certain traits become dominant through multiple generations like breeding foxes for domestication, then yes. If however you mean the changing of one species into a completely new species, I'll disagree with that. |
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« Last Edit: January 03, 2011, 12:48:25 PM by Azurestone »
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 I'm going to need this. |
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KBN1
Sr. Member
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Faith: EO
Jurisdiction: OCA
Posts: 802
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« Reply #2 on: January 03, 2011, 01:23:22 PM » |
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We certainly aren't getting smarter. We know more "stuff", but we still aren't very smart.
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Punch
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« Reply #3 on: January 03, 2011, 05:18:48 PM » |
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The sum intelligence of the World is constant. It is the population that is increasing.
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God did not create man equal. Samuel Colt made man equal. Blessed be the Peacemaker.
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KBN1
Sr. Member
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Faith: EO
Jurisdiction: OCA
Posts: 802
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« Reply #4 on: January 03, 2011, 05:24:04 PM » |
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The sum intelligence of the World is constant. It is the population that is increasing.
hahahahaha. |
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Marc1152
Hoplitarches
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Faith: Orthodox
Jurisdiction: Rocor
Posts: 9,160
Let There Be Light
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« Reply #5 on: January 03, 2011, 05:29:26 PM » |
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Cro-Magnon is just a catch all term for early man. People's size would change according to the climate. Taller and leaner when it was warm and shorter and stockier where it was cold. Brain size that was larger was probably only relevant to when people were larger.
Size has also changed due to our poor western diet. Hunter Gatherers were actually much taller and more robust than people eating the typical western diet today.
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\"Why were so many Civil War battles fought in National Parks? \"
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Ortho_cat
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« Reply #6 on: January 03, 2011, 05:30:23 PM » |
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The sum intelligence of the World is constant. It is the population that is increasing.
^This!  |
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Shanghaiski
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« Reply #7 on: January 03, 2011, 06:43:12 PM » |
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The sum intelligence of the World is constant. It is the population that is increasing.
Some may have taken leave of intelligence and left it for others, hence, Jersey Shore. |
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Not to be flippantly dismissive, but something of such a personal nature as this is best addressed by your priest, not by anonymous yahoos on an Internet discussion forum.
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Ortho_cat
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« Reply #8 on: January 03, 2011, 07:15:56 PM » |
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I think it would be safe to say that our attention spans are getting shorter.
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Asteriktos
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« Reply #9 on: January 03, 2011, 10:20:04 PM » |
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We're definitely getting smarter, it's just that we haven't had the motivation to use it yet...
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"The mind is not a vessel to be filled but a fire to be kindled." - Plutarch
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Punch
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« Reply #10 on: January 04, 2011, 01:46:52 PM » |
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The sum intelligence of the World is constant. It is the population that is increasing.
Some may have taken leave of intelligence and left it for others, hence, Jersey Shore. Amen to that! I watched that for about three minutes once and I could feel my IQ dropping. |
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God did not create man equal. Samuel Colt made man equal. Blessed be the Peacemaker.
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