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Course: Big History Project > Unit 6
Lesson 1: How Our Ancestors Evolved | 6.0- ACTIVITY: Vocab Tracking
- WATCH: Unit 6 Overview
- ACTIVITY: Early Ancestors
- ACTIVITY: Threshold Card — Threshold 6 Collective Learning
- WATCH: Threshold 6 — Humans and Collective Learning
- WATCH: Human Evolution
- READ: Lucy and the Leakeys
- READ: Jane Goodall
- READ: Gallery — Human Ancestors
- Quiz: How Our Ancestors Evolved
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WATCH: Threshold 6 — Humans and Collective Learning
About 200,000 years ago, humans evolved to become the most important force for change on the Earth's surface. What makes our species so different from other living things? Learn how our ancestors' development of symbolic language and collective learning set us apart, transforming us into a powerful force shaping the planet. Created by Big History Project.
Want to join the conversation?
- how many years can we back track humans??(7 votes)
- I think about 2 million years(1 vote)
- At1:57, can't other animals communicate like humans as well? Not in our language, but can they?(5 votes)
- Yes. Many animals do communicate verbally through sounds, and some also use gestures or other forms of non-verbal communication. However, human languages are unique in their complexity and structure. We use highly developed syntax and grammar, allowing us to express a wide range of abstract concepts and thoughts. Additionally, humans use symbolic language, including writing, which can represent ideas independently of spoken words. While some animals demonstrate basic elements of these features, such as using specific sounds or gestures in specific contexts, none exhibit the full range of language capabilities that humans do.(1 vote)
- but why did we get smarter and why are we the new age then we were earlier in ower lives like awere ansesters(4 votes)
- We are the "new" age, but only to our ancestors. Our brains evolved into something.... more...(4 votes)
- after the dinosaurs, early animals developed and had a brain also developed a language.(1 vote)
- if were supposed to be evolved from apes why do apes today not evolve(1 vote)
- Apes are indeed evolving, but evolutionary changes occur over such long time spans that they are not easily observable within a human lifetime. It’s important to understand that evolution doesn’t follow a predetermined path towards a specific form, like becoming human. Instead, each species evolves traits that help it survive and reproduce in its own environment. So, while apes are evolving, they are adapting in ways that are beneficial to their specific circumstances, not necessarily evolving into humans.(1 vote)
- what is the difference between our brain and our ansisters brain(0 votes)
- The primary difference between our brains and those of our ancestors is size and complexity. Modern human brains are larger, particularly in regions like the frontal lobe, which is crucial for higher-order functions such as reasoning, planning, and social interaction. This enlargement of the frontal lobe supports advanced cognitive abilities and is associated with enhanced executive functions and complex social skills. I’m also sure there are other structural and functional changes that occurred over time that have contributed to our capacity for language, problem solving, and abstract thinking.(1 vote)
Video transcript
NARRATOR: The first living
organisms appeared on Earth at least 3.5 billion
years ago. To us they would have seemed
tiny and insignificant, yet they were extraordinarily
complex compared to anything else
that had ever existed. Over the next 3.5 billion years
they would diversify and evolve. About 600 million years ago,
some started to combine. Over time, they formed
multicellular organisms like trees, mushrooms,
frogs, dinosaurs, or even the first small mammals,
which probably looked a bit like mice. When the dinosaurs
were wiped out by an asteroid, mammals prospered, evolving into a great range
of new species. One group lived
in trees and ate fruit. They had hands,
stereoscopic vision and unusually large brains. These were our
ancestors, the primates. Our own species, Homo sapiens,
evolved about 200,000 years ago. Now, we treat the
appearance of humans as a new threshold
because we would eventually create entirely new
forms of complexity. Today, we have become
the most important force for change on
the Earth's surface. We are the first species
in 3.5 billion years that has had such power. What makes us so different? For this threshold,
powerful brains are one ingredient, but it's not just
a matter of brains. Many other brainy
species exist. They include dolphins
and chimpanzees and crows. The other critical ingredient
was the development of symbolic language. This enabled humans
to share their ideas with each other
very efficiently. Human communities
grew and interacted, creating the perfect
conditions for something new, the ability
to learn collectively instead of just as individuals. Ideas and knowledge accumulated
generation after generation, and human technologies became
more and more powerful. As knowledge
accumulated over time, our control of resources
and the environment increased and accelerated,
leading humans towards two new thresholds
that would have a huge impact on our planet.