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| gib65 |
 Posted: Mon Jun 23, 2008 6:56 pm Post subject: What prompted primitive man to become bipedal? |
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| What prompted primitive man to become bipedal? I mean, what were the environmental pressures that made it necessary to stop swinging from trees and start walking upright? Note I'm not asking what advantage it gave us (freeing our hands to use tools), I'm asking what prompted it. |
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| free radical |
| Posted: Mon Jun 23, 2008 8:39 pm Post subject: |
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| But using tools could well have come first, and thus prompted it. |
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| paralith |
| Posted: Mon Jun 23, 2008 9:05 pm Post subject: |
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That's a good question. To which there are many viable answers, none of which have been completely supported at this point.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biped
Go to the Evolution - Human section for a review of the various, most prevalent theories.
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| marnixR |
| Posted: Tue Jun 24, 2008 12:31 am Post subject: |
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| free radical wrote: |
| But using tools could well have come first, and thus prompted it. |
that is contradicted by the fossil record : oldest recognisable tools 2.5MYA, oldest signs of bipedalism at least 4MYA
i'd say hominids became bipedal (at least to some degree) prior to leaving the forests, otherwise they would have been forced to retreat with the forests like the chimps had to do
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| spuriousmonkey |
| Posted: Tue Jun 24, 2008 1:25 am Post subject: |
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I think they became bipedal so they could wear pants.
(except for the women of course. They preferred skirts. But then again, the original question was on primitive man).
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| marnixR |
| Posted: Tue Jun 24, 2008 4:01 am Post subject: |
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you know spurious, that's a really pants idea 
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| spuriousmonkey |
| Posted: Tue Jun 24, 2008 4:43 am Post subject: |
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I know, I know.
Apparently the pants were invented to facilitate horse riding. Although not all horse-riding people managed to think of the obvious idea of pants.
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| BumFluff |
| Posted: Tue Jun 24, 2008 6:10 am Post subject: |
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Africa, the area where our ancestors lived, was once very fertile and completely full of vegetation. Then desertification took control. The vegetation started dieing and the trees where scarce. Our ancestors needed to live in caves and such instead of living amongst the trees.
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| spuriousmonkey |
| Posted: Tue Jun 24, 2008 6:11 am Post subject: |
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so they lost their eyesight and pigmentation? 
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| marnixR |
| Posted: Tue Jun 24, 2008 9:03 am Post subject: |
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although bones HAVE been found in caves, there's preciously little evidence that australopithecines actually LIVED in caves
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| free radical |
| Posted: Tue Jun 24, 2008 9:47 am Post subject: |
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| When did fire pits appear in caves? |
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| BumFluff |
| Posted: Tue Jun 24, 2008 12:13 pm Post subject: |
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| marnixR wrote: |
| although bones HAVE been found in caves, there's preciously little evidence that australopithecines actually LIVED in caves |
Caves, dens, whatever they use to live in it wasn't in trees due to desertification. They had to find elsewhere to spend the majority of their time. It is well known that during this time desertification took place in that region.
As to them losing their eyesight and pigmentation. Where do you get that they lost their eyesight? And they most likely lost their pigmentation when they moved out of Africa northward. Due to the more intense radiation and the non ability to take in the right amounts of vitamin D from the sun with dark skin is when they lost thier pigmentation.
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| Pong |
| Posted: Tue Jun 24, 2008 12:17 pm Post subject: |
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| marnixR wrote: |
| free radical wrote: |
| But using tools could well have come first, and thus prompted it. |
that is contradicted by the fossil record : oldest recognisable tools 2.5MYA, oldest signs of bipedalism at least 4MYA |
You mean crafted tools. But any nice stick or stone picked up can be a tool.
We carry objects to bring them from one place to another. So, I think our spacial memory must be tied to this. One must connect a problem in one location with the objects in another. "Now where did I leave that hammer..." |
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| free radical |
| Posted: Tue Jun 24, 2008 12:25 pm Post subject: |
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| Other apes use tools and are not fully bipedal. It is curious to consider how one influences the other. |
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| BumFluff |
| Posted: Tue Jun 24, 2008 12:35 pm Post subject: |
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| paralith wrote: |
That's a good question. To which there are many viable answers, none of which have been completely supported at this point.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biped
Go to the Evolution - Human section for a review of the various, most prevalent theories. |
Ok I change my mind as to how it occured. As given by your link I agree with teh following:
"And it has even been suggested (e.g. Tanner 1981:165) that male phallic display could have been the initial incentive."
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