- 1718 - The Detrick Genealogy. 5 million years of good luck.
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----------------- 1718 - The Detrick Genealogy.
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- For my birthday I thought I would document our Detrick Genealogy.
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- This genealogy starts pretty far back. We were called “Hominins” in the beginning. We were later called “ Homos”. Before that we were called “ primates”.
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- For 5,000,000 years we hominins evolved very much like any successful primate. Our family “ tree” was a “ bush” of numerous species occurring at the same time. Our evolution started as we came down out of the trees with long arms and walking on short legs. We began as knuckle draggers.. Averaging 20 years per generation we have had 250,000 great grandfathers. I am the latest grandfather in that line.
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- 2,000,000 years ago Homo species evolved. Stone tools became prevalent, some dated in Africa at 2,600,000 years old. With stone flakes to butcher animals the hominin’s diets expanded beyond fruits and vegetables into meats. Animal fats, and proteins were a richer diet. I still favor this diet, meat and potatoes.
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- The earliest Homo had brains only somewhat larger than the early bibeds, which were apes walking upright. In a million years their brains doubled in size. And, by 200,000 years ago they had doubled again. To:
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---------------- Homo Neanderthalensis in Europe
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---------------- Homo Erectus in Asia
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---------------- Homo Sapiens in Africa
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- Homos became the most dangerous predators competing for the most economy in gathering resources. They still are today. Completion was fearsome. Still is today.
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- Bigger brained individuals survived across successive generations. Homo predecessors became more intelligent and their behavior more complex.
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- About 1,400,000 years ago climate changes became more pronounced. Swings from warmer then to dramatically colder conditions ( ice ages ) occurred several times. Homos had to react to their environmental changes. 77,000 years ago Homo Sapiens evolved with breakthroughs of intellectual advancement.
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- Small, isolated populations advanced in different cycles. Hominins were mobile hunter -gathers and were thinly spread across the Old World. They were constantly buffeted by climate change.
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- Some 1,000,000 to 500,000 years ago hominins were expert tool makers, cooking food, building shelters. Exceptionally fast evolution occurred from that point.
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- We homos stand alone the serendipitous beneficiaries of cognitive advances and cultural innovation. If you think this is just luck, without Devine intervention, you have overcome tremendous odds to date. Only He knows if you can keep it up.
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- We scheme and plan in unprecedented ways. Language (and later typing) was one of the inventions. I get to type this Review thanks to many, many successful grandparents.
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- So ,we see our amazing species as an evolutionary accident fitted to our environment and tailored to a purpose of survival. We evolved a free will and the ability to make choices. Our continued survival still depends on the choices we make. Stay tuned, it ain’t over yet.
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Let me summarize: ( “ya” means “years ago“):
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----------- 4,000,000 ya --------------- Bipeds walked on 2 feet but could still climb trees.
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----------- 2,600,000 ya -------------- First use of stone tools
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----------- 2,000,000 ya --------------- Homo genus appears walking in striding gait.
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----------- 1,500,000 ya --------------- hand axes were used, brain size doubled.
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----------- 700,000 ya ---------------- Hominins used fire, clothing, shelters
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----------- 200,000 ya --------------- Brain size doubled again
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-------------80,000 ya ---------------- symbolic behavior writing and language.
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RSVP, with comments, suggestions, corrections. Index of reviews available ---
--- Some reviews are at: -------------------- http://jdetrick.blogspot.com -----
---- email request for copies to: ------- jamesdetrick@comcast.net ---------
---- https://plus.google.com/u/0/ , “Jim Detrick” ----- www.facebook.com ---
---- www.twitter.com , --- 707-536-3272 ---- Tuesday, January 6, 2015 ---
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