Recent Evolution in Man and Dog

Even if you would rather not agree with the experts in believing in evolution why not consider the following evidence of history before it was written as we can imagine it. I like to start when some humanoid creatures spent most of their time in the trees. Some few might find a source of food on the ground and benefit by it. After thousands of years some may have spent half their time in the forest trees and the others on the ground. Eventually enough found the offerings of food in difficult times to be found far from the safety of the forest and survived living on the ground while others remained tree-bound.

That period would be during millions of years. I like to think of the next periods to be considered in tens of thousands of years. Today in Africa in a course of study about present day African peoples I learned there are over 150 groups scattered over that continent each containing 100 to 200 individuals. Those present day groups may have been due to geographical features such as rivers, oceans and mountains with valleys and plains offering modes of diet and shelter present even today. Today each of the groups have their own language and not until outsiders arrived to do business did the occupants find a second language was important for trading. The slave traders found one language, Swahili to be understood by many tribes. So be it.

During the hundreds of thousands of years our ancestors lived on the African Continent a few individuals would wander north to find areas where humans could survive in spite of preditors
and climatic conditions. The wanders would return and convince a few group members to follow them to the better opportunities. Some wanders must have gradually headed toward what we think of as Eurasia, some around the Mediterranean, some toward China and India but the spread was on and here we are today as a result.

Now we come to thousands of years of speculation as to what traits, both anatomical and emotional those ancestors living under the varied conditions brought with them. I like to make lists. Of the anatomical ones they are obvious as to our features and our arms and legs and our ability to reproduce as well as to the nutritional ability to survive. On such a list is the ability to run for distances that is my hobby.

When it comes to the emotional ones and the mental attributes the overlapping takes place. We inherit the desire to save as with food for times when food is scarce perhaps resulting in those among us who take that feature to extremes with amassing more than is necessary. Is selfishness one? When we see some one in great pain we all feel about it and so empathy is a given trait. Bonding as a mother with child is another trait. How many others can you mention? Enjoyment of music and beauty. Love? Then there are many traits that do not show such as ability to go without food for long lengths of time and to be immune to many diseases. Of course our early ancestors knew nothing about vitamins, minerals, sanitation but fear was entrenched and such as fear of snakes and spiders may be inherited.

In all the tribal societies there must have been some sort of government and they would have each invented some sort of religion to answer so any of the problems and pleasures of nature. Thunder, lightening, rain, snow and floods for example and somewhere along the line the reason for sex and its results became understood rather than from Storks.

For me I like to think of what we are exposed to today that our ancestors could not have been exposed to. When I learn about so many problems of mankind with no answers such as Alzheimer's, ALS and on and on I wonder haw many may be caused by food ingredients about which humans could not have been exposed some of which could be even today as so many new chemicals are produced daily. A serious problem appears with new chemicals that affect say one out of a thousand births.
I shall continue this line of thought in my next blog.