The transmission of knowledge is what allowed humans to succeed as a society
We learned and grew as a species
New discoveries quickly became wide spread due to our communication
Animals tend to learn through mimicry:
Apes watch others use tools and learn how to use the tools by proxy
As seen earlier with the cods the other cods figured out how to use the tag by watching the innovative fish
In this way animal knowledge can be spread around a localized area
However some species show a capacity for true teaching
Apes have been observed sharing tools with their young, especially when the tool was more complex
Cheetahs have been observed teaching their young to hunt by capturing a young prey animal and letting the cubs attempt to hunt it
Meerkats teach their young how to destinger a scorpion by handing it an incapacitated one and progressively hand them more and more lively scorpions
Another species with the capacity for teaching is the Rock Ant
When a rock ant finds a new food source it returns to the nest and then proceeds to guide other ants to said food source
It does this using a method known as tandem running
The two ants run together with the teacher ant leading the way at a slower pace while the student ant follows
The teacher ant lets the student ant survey the environment and explore before receiving a cue from the student to keep moving
Culture
What we have as humans that makes us unique is our advanced culture
Other animals do have cultures, they:
Form societies and bands
Spread techniques and innovations
Demonstrate teamwork
Have politics
However we are currently the only species to create a written language
As demonstrated by the image our ancestors had a sense of culture
They developed a written language
They created works for other people to learn from
Maps
Spiritual art
While other animals can teach and learn and invent and communicate and problem solve
It is only humans that have created such a rich and sophisticated culture of written knowledge and works and that is one of the few things that still make us unique
Citations
The Human Spark
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What Makes Humans Unique and Why Humans Aren't as Unique as You Think
Tool Making and Use
Tools were extremely important in our development as a species.
Many other species today have been observed to make and modify parts of their environment in order to make tools. These include:
Crows and Ravens
Octopuses
Apes such as chimps
Certain species of fish have been observed to use tools
Can smash hard shelled prey against rocks to break them open (as shown in the above video)
Use precise shots of water to knock prey off of leaves
Use sand to clean or hide objects
Tool-making and use use to be the key defining feature of humans that separated us from other animals
We know now that it is not a trait exclusive to humans or even primates.
Invention and Problem Solving
Problem solving is another trait originally thought to be uniquely human
Many animals are unable to spontaneously invent a new way to do things or refine age old techniques
As shown in the video, some birds such as crows and Ravens, have the ability to solve problems
They can fashion and modify tools
Understand cause and effect
Adapt to solve problems
Apes have also demonstrated problem solving skills, so have some fish
Once in a controlled environment, cod were taught to pull on a string to receive food
A cod figured out that it could loop the string around its identification tag and pull it by swimming
This allowed it to gain access to the food slightly faster
Soon all the other cods in the tank were doing it too
This demonstrates a capacity for flexibility and innovation
Jack of all Trades
Homo sapiens and or ancestors were never really specialists
We evolved in a way that ensured we could always adapt to new threats
Becoming a specialist can lead to evolutionary dead ends and overreliance on a certain climate or condition
The P. Boisei was an example of a specialist
Strong teeth
Powerful stomach
Capable of eating dry roots during droughts
However they became too specialized and stopped evolving, leading to their extinction when the climate changed.
Homo Sapiens's ancestors never dominated in a particular area, but there continued evolution allowed them to grow and adapt to any threat they faced.
Struggle leads to adaptation and adaptation leads to success
Mental Adaptability
Humans have the most complex brain of any animal on earth
To deal with struggles and new environments, primitive humans had to evolve their brain
As shown in the image, we progressively developed bigger skulls to house our brains
As we grew smarter and gained access to better foods we were able to support bigger brains
Having bigger and more complex brains enabled us to adapt to new environments and solve problems more effectively
In addition it gave us longer memories which ensured that we could function better both socially and in new environments
Better brains also enabled us to form more complex social groups, invent better and more effective tools and coo-operate and communicate more effectively
Studies have shown that our brain size increased fastest when the world was most unpredictable
Natural selection left only the smartest primitive humans alive, so it was those that were most fit to reproduce.
Supple Language
One of Humanity's key defining features is our complex and full language
Enables us to transmit information more effectively
Function better in groups
As mentioned in the image, human words can be used to string together infinite sentences and ideas (some more nonsensical than others)
Other animals have languages with various degrees of complexity
Chimps can communicate simple commands and feelings using both physical gestures and calls
Dolphins are a species with an extremely complex language
Like humans they are able to string together words to form sentences
They use various pulses and hums to transmit messages
Complex Social Structures
Humans form many meaningful relationships in our lifetime
Our relationships are all part of a complex social structure which was developed over many generations
Group power dynamics and political relationships enabled us to survive more effectively as a species
As our brains evolved we became able to communicate better and develop our language
This helped us to form bands and teams and function as societies, which was key to surviving in a rapidly changing climate.
I chose this image as it is a recreation of a primitive human band gathering around a fire, it shows them conversing and working together to survive.
All sorts of animals today are able to form complex social structures and power dynamics
Chimpanzees demonstrate group politics and political thinking
Chimps have been observed to form coalitions to increase power within groups
They understand the importance of forming relationships to increase one's survival and power and reproductive fitness
Cooperation and Altruism
Cooperation was key to the survival of early humans
Many of our evolutions, such as language, good memory and expressive eyes help us succeed in social and group settings
Being able to cooperate helped us:
Share information hunt and gather food more effectively
Increase individual powers within a group
This image shows an example of early humans teaming up to kill a bigger animal which I thought was a good example of primitive teamwork
Many animals especially pack animals demonstrate teamwork, some examples are:
Wolves
Lions
Hyenas
Meerkats
Altruism is another important social power humans developed
Acting altruistically increased ones standing within the group and demonstrated good character
Forming alliances and using favors contributed to the complex groups primitive humans developed and gave one advantages in power struggles
Demonstrating good altruism and social skills made one more reproductively fit and increased the likelihood of getting a mate (pretty sure it still does)
Once again Chimpanzees can demonstrate altruism to improve political power and personal appeal
Imagination
The most unique thing about humans is our imagination
We have an ability to imagine the world we cannot see and believe in concepts like dying of the afterlife
This imagination helps us to invent new tools and ideas and helps us prepare for future scenarios
However we are not the only animal with the ability to do so
Certain animals such as chimpanzees have demonstrated a capacity for imagination
The video mentions how chimpanzees care for "rock dolls"
They treat these dolls like baby chimps, despite the fact that they are rocks
This demonstrates a capacity for imagination and fantasy
Conceptual Understanding
Humans can understand and theorize about non-physical concepts such as gravity and time, our ancestors were able to too.
Being able to understand these concepts helped us develop new technologies and predict environmental changes as well as cause and effect.
In addition these concepts helped us to hunt food in unorthodox ways, such as pushing rocks onto large animals like mammoths
Studies have also shown that certain animals, like apes. Are able to understand the concept of gravity
As shown in the linked article, apes are able to infer from the weight of objects their contents
From a survival perspective this helps them tell which food items contain more food than others
But it also demonstrates a small understanding of the concept of weight and gravity
Archerfish are another animal that understand metaphysical concepts
They know how to aim their controlled jets of water to hit pray in motion
In addition they shoot more water for bigger targets showing an understanding of weight
In the video we can observe how the archerfish adjusts its shot to account for further away targets
They understand optical distortion and can account for it
