Ten Things We Don't Know About Humans

Gosh... why does that whole article read like something written by someone with poor science literacy?

Even Darwin struggled to explain why we would evolve a response that lets others know that we have cheated or lied
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Darwin didn't know a lot of things. Darwin did not know how the eye could evolve. Today we do. Darwin did not know the structure of genes. Now we do.

Modern science moved way beyond him, long ago. Why mention his name in such a way?

It's like saying: "Even Newton struggled to work out gravitational effects of three or more bodies at a time", as if that justifies calling it a mystery, today.

But, then the article answers its own question:
Noting that women blush more than men, neuroscientist V. S. Ramachandran of the University of California, San Diego, suggests that blushing might have evolved as a way for women to demonstrate their honesty to men and so enlist their help in rearing offspring.
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I don't know if that is true, or not. But, now that we have a testable idea, why keep it on the list?


The emergence of Altruism has been well understood for a long time, as a way to maximize payoff in a group of seemingly selfish actors. The author clearly has not read anything on the subject since the 1950's or so.

The urge to kiss is not brought about by genes, so why do we find it so pleasurable to share saliva?
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I bet genes does have something to do with it. Any isolated culture of humans will eventually converge on the act of kissing to show affection, demonstrating that genes will make a species more prone or less prone to do so. The author seems to be speaking from the point of view of someone who has done jack-squat research on the subject.

There can be legitimate discussion on things we do not, yet, understand about humans. But, it is difficult to do so, when one is writing like a middle school student with no school library to borrow books from.
 
Wowbagger said:
... Darwin did not know how the eye could evolve. ..
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Hopefully, you're not buying in to a creationists quote out of context. Darwin laid out a lot of potential candidates for intermediate steps in eye evolution based on simple eyes and light sensitivities present in extant creatures. It's true he didn't know all the details, but that's still the case.
 
RecoveringYuppy said:
Darwin laid out a lot of potential candidates for intermediate steps in eye evolution based on simple eyes and light sensitivities present in extant creatures.
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Ah, looks like I picked a bad example. But, I'm sure the list of things Darwin didn't understand was still quite extensive.

My point is that real scientific journalism wouldn't use that kind of argument. There's no reason why scientists, today, couldn't understand all those things.
 
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Wowbagger said:
Gosh... why does that whole article read like something written by someone with poor science literacy?
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Well, Bikewer did say it was in New Scientist. It doesn't have the reputation it once did. :(
 
Here is my understanding (may be wrong or incomplete)
2. Laughter - Is needed to create a social bond. If someone tells a joke and everyone laughs then that tells the person telling the joke that everyone is in the same social group. It is very embarrassing for the joker not to laugh at a joke.

4. Teenagers - Well it takes a long time for a human to become an adult. Far longer than in most other species, both in absolute terms and as a percentage of life. Plus teenagers are still dependent on their parents, yet are near adults. You work the rest out.

6. Altruism - We are a social species. That means we depend on one another to get what we need. Altruism is just an extension of this.

8. Superstition - Covered to death in this forum. Seeing patterns when none exist. Or clinging to false hope.

10. Nose picking - Some people like me need to do it to remove an object that is causing an irritation in the nose.

Edit. 2. Laughter - Also to indicate there is no danger, despite the appearance of danger.
 
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Wowbagger said:
Humans are, generally, covered with hair. Just not all of it is as visible to us, as other patches. But, I guess the writers of New Scientist didn't realize that, for some reason. :rolleyes:
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I said fur, not hair and what about the dicks?
 
Teenagerism is a cultural invention, not an inherent trait of the species. It's not their fault that out culture pretends that young adults are still children.
 
rjh01 said:
6. Altruism - We are a social species. That means we depend on one another to get what we need. Altruism is just an extension of this.
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This one certainly doesn't belong on the list and is well understood from an evolutionary stand point. It has explanatory and predictive power. Social animals are likely to be altruistic as that is the best evolutionary stable strategy.

8. Superstition - Covered to death in this forum. Seeing patterns when none exist. Or clinging to false hope.
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Also, seeing causal relations where there are none and confirmation bias.

10. Nose picking - Some people like me need to do it to remove an object that is causing an irritation in the nose.
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I just don't get this one.

Bob: Why do you scratch your arm?
Ted: Because it itches.

Oh, BTW: I don't pick my nose, burp or fart. And when I defecate it smells like roses.

Edit. 2. Laughter - Also to indicate there is no danger, despite the appearance of danger.
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The importance of recognizing danger and acting are tied to some very intense emotions. It is perhaps just a bi-product that the recognition that there is no danger also results in intense emotions congruent with relief and well being and these are expressed in laughter for the reason you stated earlier that it is a signal to others that you recognize there is no danger and that you yourself do not represent a threat.
 
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rjh01 said:
2. Laughter - Is needed to create a social bond. If someone tells a joke and everyone laughs then that tells the person telling the joke that everyone is in the same social group. It is very embarrassing for the joker not to laugh at a joke.
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I suspect laughter started out as something else, that eventually evolved into something useful for social bonds. Though, I can't remember what that "something else" was. It might have been related to muscle spasms after the brain sees or hears something unexpected and believed NOT to be dangerous (though not necessarily "funny", in the beginning. The concept of "funny" emerged over time, as well).

I don't think laughter had much to do with the appearance of danger, except perhaps as a coping mechanism in some people.

rjh01 said:
4. Teenagers - Well it takes a long time for a human to become an adult. Far longer than in most other species, both in absolute terms and as a percentage of life. Plus teenagers are still dependent on their parents, yet are near adults. You work the rest out.
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In the days when humans only lived to be about 30 or 40 or something, teenagers would basically be the adults. Today, they still live with their parents. So we have a situation where an animal evolved to be wild, but is now kept in a cage....

RandFan said:
This one certainly doesn't belong on the list and is well understood from an evolutionary stand point. It has explanatory and predictive power. Social animals are likely to be altruistic as that is the best evolutionary stable strategy.
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Like I said, the author(s) probably weren't very literate in the field of science.

They seem to be confused over the roles of genes and phenotypic effects. Perhaps the average person, on the street, would also be confused about such things. But, science magazine writers are expected to be better informed than that.
 
RandFan said:
The importance of recognizing danger and acting are tied to some very intense emotions. It is perhaps just a bi-product that the recognition that there is no danger also results in intense emotions congruent with relief and well being and these are expressed in laughter for the reason you stated earlier that it is a signal to others that you recognize there is no danger and that you yourself do not represent a threat.
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Yeah I have a feeling it relates to the scouts of the troop - most primates I have seen moving in a group have out riders checking on things. Perhaps laughter was orginally a signal for a mis indentified danger and a way to signal "Sorry guys my bad, thats not a lion, its a log"
 
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