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Language May Have Evolved Earlier Than Supposed
Science News reports on research suggesting that humans' language ability may have developed earlier than we thought. Scientists used CT scanning of H. heidelbergensis skulls, more than 530,000 years old, to reconstruct the structure of the ear canal of this Neanderthal ancestor. They found evidence that the ears of these early hominids would have had a sensitivity peak in the same 2-4 KHz range that the ears of modern humans do — the range in which most information is carried in language. Sensory systems are neurologically expensive, and it's unlikely that the body would invest the resources in maintaining such a system if it didn't serve a purpose. Quoting: "It may be time to rethink the stereotype of grunting, wordless Neanderthals. The prehistoric humans may have been quite chatty — at least if the ear canals of their ancestors are any indication. The findings suggest human speech may have originated earlier than some researchers contend. Anthropologists disagree about whether language sprang up rapidly around 50,000 years ago or emerged more gradually over a longer period of time..."
So easy a caveman could do it.
With that kind of evolutionary pressure, first posters may have evolved earlier than supposed.
...they're pseudo-code block diagrams!
Actually, this makes sense with the Biblical story of the Tower of Babel. At one time in history, all programmers used and understood the one true language - LISP. Great things were accomplished, and man reached for programming godhood. However the Great Architect In The Sky took offense at the introduction of strings, vectors, arrays and streams and the creation of Common LISP and sought to punish the arrogant and make them understand proper syntax. He cursed their tongues and begat Fortran, Cobol, Algol and BASIC.
Today some strive for the light with Python and Ruby, while others walk the darkest of paths -- Visual Basic.
Learning HOW to think is more important than learning WHAT to think.
But can he sell car insurance?
Get thee glass eyes, and, like a scurvy politician, seem to see things thou dost not.--King Lear
o rly? omg!
Laughter is the Spackle of the Soul.
I think they haven't evolved at all.
My first thought was, how could we speak before we could think? But that was before I read the comments . . .
This side up.
Don't you know [yadayada] I know that 1+1=2, and many other facts that I can prove
Show a man some news, distract him for an hour. Show a man some mod points, distract him for the rest of his life.
I can quite believe that my wife has been talking for 530,000 years, and is showing no sign of stopping yet!
Smivs on the intertubes!