Prehistoric autopsy -

[observer]

Been an interesting prog on TV(Beeb2) over the past three nights, taking a close look at our ancestors as far back as 3.5million years ago. What I found particularly interesting, given the current focus on "the enviroment", was the suggestion that our major leap forward to walking on two feet, was basically caused by climate change, from jungle to savanah. Other progs have supported the idea, that step changes in our evolution have been ignited by cataclysmic events.

[Davy51]

Yes i thought it was a very good programme Obs ,but i think it is a subject that would benefit from more than just 3 episodes .

[algy]

Perhaps with the onset of global climate change and the ice caps melting we shall start evolving gills and webbed feet and take to the water reverting back from where we came from.

[Cleopatra]

Perhaps with the onset of global climate change and the ice caps melting we shall start evolving gills and webbed feet and take to the water reverting back from where we came from.

 

 

I've instructed two of my sons that if either of them find you on the end of their fishing line they must unhook you and throw you back into the water.

[observer]

Wavy, that DR Alice (thingy?) did a prog some time ago about the "out of Africa" population of the Earth, which was good too. The first wave was Homo Erectus which populated Asia and the far East, and some Chinese accademics actually claim direct ancestory from them. The second wave was Hiedelbergensis, who mainly colonised Europe for half a million years and became Neanderthals. The third was Homo Sapian (us), who went on to colonise every corner of the planet, arguably inter-breeding with Neanderthals, giving none Africans a 2-3% quota of Neanderthal DNA! Makes one realise that nothing is permanent and species come and go, so no doubt we'll, one way or another, give way to something else.

[Davy51]

Yes Obs, i am back off holiday now & like you say Alice did a very good previous series on what is an interesting subject that is more varied than a black & white sketch in an old schoolbook .This is one subject that has benefitted from modern technology.

[observer]

The way of presenting these types of progs, has certainly improved, with re-enactments etc; surprised the film makers havn't exploited the wealth of possibilities it presents - make a change from "One million years BC"! Been watching Andrew Marr's "a history of the world", gives a new insight into the ways some events, not identified at the time, influence the future of mankind.

[Davy51]

Amazing what a different perspective Andrew Marr has put on some of our understanding of history by looking at it from a different angle & filling in some of the blanks. The bit about the Belgian Congo was horrific & just to satisfy the whim of a megalomaniac king.

[observer]

Yep Dave, and what was amazing; we here about the 6million holocaust; but they estimate that 10 million were wiped out in the Congo - half the population.