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5. THE THREE LEAPS IN THE HUMAN EVOLUTION

THE THREE LEAPS IN THE HUMAN EVOLUTION

Kaynak Oktay

Independent Researcher, Izmir, Turkey

Kaynak Oktay, e-mail: oktaykaynak@hotmail.com.

Abstract

Human are very special and very different. These are the only living being on earth endeavoring in self investigation. Then one can ask if the evolution processes regarding human are specific to this species only, or not. My answer is “yes”. This species had to experience three consecutive and important leaps before becoming modern human. 1. The Leap of Bipedalism. 6–7 mya as a result of Rift and plateau formation in east Africa, a primate made an adaptive response to that formation. This adaptive response was hunting and gathering food in shallow waters on two legs. This shallow water made a selective pressure on that primate to walk bipedally. 2. The Leap of Mental Overturning. When about 2 mya the body erection reached a certain angle, the embryo made an adaptive response to this vertical body posture. The embryo turned upside down. This is the mental overturning that started the growth of the cranium as well as the brain. 3. The Leap of Mental Threshold. After chasing its enemy, the chimp throws the stick and does not say to itself: “This stick has served me effectively; I better keep it for another occasion”. If the chimp had a brain of 500 cc, would it say: “I better keep this stick and even improve it”. The chimp may not think so with 500 cc brain, not even with a 550 cc or even a 600 cc brain. But there will be a time and a brain capacity that such a thought will occur. I call that point “Mental Threshold”. Once this mental threshold was transcended, the hominid that held a stone in one hand and a stick in the other; had the courage to intrude into the hunting zone of any animal including the worst predator.

Keywords

mentis eversionis, bipedalism, mental overturning, mental threshold, human evolution

Цит.: Kaynak Oktay THE THREE LEAPS IN THE HUMAN EVOLUTION // Moscow University Anthropology Bulletin (Vestnik Moskovskogo Universiteta. Seria XXIII. Antropologia), 2014; 3/2014; с. 91-91