[News] What Happened to the Hominids Who May Have Been Smarter Than Us?

[Moontanman]

What Happened to the Hominids Who May Have Been Smarter Than Us?

 

In the autumn of 1913, two farmers were arguing about hominid skull fragments they had uncovered while digging a drainage ditch. The location was Boskop, a small town about 200 miles inland from the east coast of South Africa.

 

What Happened to the Hominids Who May Have Been Smarter Than Us? | Human Origins | DISCOVER Magazine

[Boerseun]

Interesting link!

 

However, the author seem to jump to conclusions regarding the inferred intelligence of the Boskop species. He only mentions the physical brain size, and draws all conclusions on the species' intelligence from that one point. He should make mention of the brain folds which greatly increase the surface area of the cortex without requiring an increase in brain size. If the Boskops have 49% bigger brains than us but only half as many brain folds, then homo sapiens will kick its butt, mentally speaking. Besides, Neanderthals also had bigger brain cavities than homo sapiens.

 

The other possibility about the Boskop's demise that the author does not mention is the hypothesis that they starved to death. Brains are notorious for high energy consumption - in humans the brain consume something like 80% of energy intake. If the brain is 49% bigger (as in the case of the Boskop species), it will have a marked effect on the nutritional requirements of the species. Southern Africa regularly falls victim to severe and seemingly endless droughts, and it could simply be that the species with the lowest dietary needs survived.

 

But a cool read, nonetheless!