Did language begin 2.5 million years ago?

[Digit]

Something on that line I would think.

Roy.

[Ishtar]

So in other words, digging up fossils are not going to help to unravel this particular mystery.

[Digit]

Not as such Ish, no! But many things can be inferred from skeletons even if not proven. Rickets would show a decline in diet, teeth yield a lot of info. Grave goods must infer some form of religious belief.
Some time in the future after we've gone an alien archaeologist might dig up the remains of a motor car, from that the physical size of our race could be inferred, a certain level of intelligence likewise, the existence of roads would be suggested, etc etc
It's when people go off on their pet hobby horse or allow their prejudices to overrule common sense that it breaks down.
What I would like to know is this. Does an Elephant's brain contain more neurons than ours?
If so it has to be connections, the means of processing info that makes for intelligence.

Roy.

[Ishtar]

What I would like to know is this. Does an Elephant's brain contain more neurons than ours?
If so it has to be connections, the means of processing info that makes for intelligence.
Roy.

It's really more about the synapses between the neurons, and how successfully and how many neurotransmitters successfully make the leap across these synapes.

Think of them as miniature Evil Knievels. Miniature because each one is less than one thousandth of an inch in mass. Their sub atomic size means, therefore, that to understand their properties, we have to leave the safe and dependable world of Newtonian physics and enter the much less predictable (well, to us anyway) world of quantum physics.

Intelligence is related to how many times our own miniature Evil Knievels make it over these synoptic Grand Canyons, and also how open we are to building new roads for them to cross into the Great Unknown. Usually, as we age, we tend to lose our appetite for the latter challenge.



But we don't know the elephant's attitude to risk nor how good the elephants' Evil Knievels are at this - for all we know, their Harley Davidsons might run out of fuel halfway across.



PS One thing we do know about the world of quantum physics is that the outcome is affected by intention.

[Digit]

Quite Ish, I simply chose the more general 'connections' that is in both a physical and neurological sense.
I assume that a small brain with a high connectivity would be more able to process info than a large brain with a low connectivity. Does anybody know?

Roy.

[rich]

Here's a website about the study of the brain in regards to studies on speech and cognition 'n' stuff -

http://docartemis.com/brainsciencepodcast/

and a link to a book written on it:

http://astore.amazon.com/docartemis-bra ... 72-2211269

Part of the review on the book:

an evolutionary adaptation that is partly "hard-wired" into the brain and partly learned.

I should also add these are theories and research.

[Digit]

Thanks Rich. But I still can find nothing that answers my questions.

Roy.

[Ishtar]

Agreed ... it was a general overview of stating the bleedin' obvious.

[rich]

Maybe not fully, but they can tell which parts of the brains were more developed by doing skull comparisons. Still may not be the full answer but at least it would be a pointer.

Also - a link to atmospheric sprites - which kinda makes me wonder if in a sense the planet - - - nah that's crazy Anyways - here's a link:

http://environment.newscientist.com/cha ... etail.html

Sort of reminds me of neural pathways.

[Digit]

Skull deformation due to uneven brain development often shows the existance of Broca's Bump, supposedly a precursor for speech.

Roy.