Gracilization: evidence of humans domesticating themselves

by magimike | October 16, 2009 at 05:20 am
2292 views | 0 Recommendations | 2 comments
"gracilization" -- that is, "a worldwide thinning of the human skull" starting around 40,000 years ago. Why was it that, millenniums before the agricultural revolution, our ancestors became progressively lighter-boned and smaller? A crucial clue: The fossil record and contemporary breeding experiments alike confirm that domestication, whether accidental -- as in the evolution of the dog from the wolf -- or deliberate, induces pedomorphism, or the retention of juvenile features into adulthood. "Gracilization . . . occurred because early modern humans were becoming tamer," Wade writes. "And who, exactly, was domesticating them? The answer is obvious: people were domesticating themselves.
Advertisement
recommend This comment thread is now closed
0
Hugh Askew

ppppphhffffttttt.



0
Amy Judd

do you have any of your own words you want to add to this story? We encourage our members to add original material to any highlight.

This story was created over 3 months ago, the comment thread is now closed.

closeSign in to NowPublic

is reporting from