National Geographic

Post by **Minimalist** » Wed Feb 28, 2007 10:23 pm

ran a show on the Toba eruption c 75,000 BC. I recorded it and if anyone's interested I'll edit it and send it out.

The genetic bottleneck is interesting but there is one...or maybe two... questions which sprang instantly to my humble mind.

Digit · Post by **Digit** » Thu Mar 01, 2007 6:26 am

Well what are they Min? The supense is killing me!

Beagle · Post by **Beagle** » Thu Mar 01, 2007 7:15 am

Yeah Min, I'd like it. Thanks.

Charlie Hatchett · Post by **Charlie Hatchett** » Thu Mar 01, 2007 7:24 am

I'd love a copy.

You da' man.

Forum Monk · Post by **Forum Monk** » Thu Mar 01, 2007 7:37 am

I just uninstalled Pando, because it was driving my firewall nuts. That thing's trying to hit the net every few minutes, even after you disable it as an Internet Explorer Add-on.

What do you think, Min, is it a good program? What are your questions?

Post by **Minimalist** » Thu Mar 01, 2007 8:57 am

The premise of the show is that of all the humans living when Toba exploded only a relative handful ( a few thousand ) in East Africa survived, due to direct blast effects and the ensuing 'nuclear winter' (for want of a better word.)

The questions are - How come the Neanderthals, who supposedly perished 50,000 years later to much milder climate changes, managed to get through it. For that matter, why was there no mass extinction of animals at that time?

Then - there are those damned head lice. How did they manage to survive if their hosts were killed?

I'll encode it and send it out.

Monk, even I had to uninstall parts of my AV program because it interfered with Pando.

Digit · Post by **Digit** » Thu Mar 01, 2007 9:10 am

Good questions Min. The idea of man's near extinction of course came up in the early days of DNA testing etc when the geneticists suddenly put the wind up the grave diggers and said that man had only been around for 75000yrs.
The near extinction idea was then dragged up to explain the conflicts.
Does the programme offer any evidense in support?

marduk · Post by **marduk** » Thu Mar 01, 2007 9:12 am

The questions are - How come the Neanderthals, who supposedly perished 50,000 years later to much milder climate changes, managed to get through it. For that matter, why was there no mass extinction of animals at that time?

Then - there are those damned head lice. How did they manage to survive if their hosts were killed?

animals and head lice have a great advantage over humans
they breed much faster
neanderthals unlike us poor saps were adapted to eating meat where we were adapted to eating vegetables
plant life was affected much more than the wildlife
the result
close extinction

Forum Monk · Post by **Forum Monk** » Thu Mar 01, 2007 9:23 am

Except for one thing, Marduk:

Meat eaters do not generally eat predators. They eat prey. And prey animals eat plants. The same plants that are affected by 'nuclear' winter.

Digit · Post by **Digit** » Thu Mar 01, 2007 9:26 am

Thank you Monk, you just saved me some ink!

Post by **Minimalist** » Thu Mar 01, 2007 9:28 am

Does the programme offer any evidense in support?

The lack of genetic diversity seems to be their evidence. From there they theorize that the survivors had to learn to communicate and cooperate.
History tells us that in times of scarcity people tend to fight over resources rather than cooperate so that one may be wishful thinking.

Digit · Post by **Digit** » Thu Mar 01, 2007 9:37 am

I bet you'd be a Wow! at a convention Min. I think they would throw you out on your ear with logical points like that.

But a PS.
As far as I know that theory was only advanced so that the grave diggers and the geneticists could both dance to the same tune.
Anyone seen any evidence.

Post by **Minimalist** » Thu Mar 01, 2007 9:47 am

The Club always wants to kill alternative messengers, Digit.

marduk · Post by **marduk** » Thu Mar 01, 2007 10:03 am

Meat eaters do not generally eat predators. They eat prey. And prey animals eat plants. The same plants that are affected by 'nuclear' winter.

the meat eaters will happily eat any meat when its scarce
predatory animal meat is higher in protein
besides which
there werent that many neanderthals around
and they were living fecking miles away from indonesia
so most of the deforestation would have driven animals away from Toba in search of food
right into the waiting neanderthals
it would have been paradise for them
they didnt have to walk far from the cave and they got herds of animals walking past all of which have no natural fear of them

Post by **Minimalist** » Thu Mar 01, 2007 10:06 am

On its way, lads.