On Humans How Climate Crafted Humanity (Or Did It?) ~ Jessica Thompson
Jul 7, 2025
Jessica Thompson, a Yale professor and researcher at the Peabody Museum, unravels the intricate link between climate and human evolution. She discusses how ancient climate changes may have driven our ancestors from jungles to savannas, contributing to the development of tool use and meat-eating. The episode dives into the importance of fire, the nutritional benefits of bone marrow for brain development, and the impact of cultural adaptations in shaping modern humanity. It’s a thrilling exploration of resilience and the unpredictable nature of climate in our evolutionary journey.
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Last Common Ancestor's Intelligence
- The last common ancestor of humans and chimpanzees likely had a large brain relative to body size, signifying early intelligence.
- This ancestor probably lived in diverse environments, not only dense tropical rainforests as traditionally thought.
Miocene Ape Diversity and Habitat
- Fossils show diverse ape populations across Eurasia in the Miocene, indicating apes lived in more varied habitats than today.
- This complicates pinpointing the exact environment of the last common ancestor beyond just tropical rainforests.
Beyond the Classic Savannah Hypothesis
- The classic savannah hypothesis is oversimplified; savannahs vary greatly with woodland pockets influencing hominin adaptations.
- Humans evolved flexibility to exploit many habitats, not just open savannah plains.