Waking with Cavemen

[alva]

No, it's not a matter of offense -- it's just a fact -- the word cavemen is inaccruate, isn't it?

You call an orange an orange, because it's an orange -- you don't call it an apple, right?

The program is targeted at the general (ignorant?) interested public, that makes the title correct imo.

BTW, no people ever actually lived in caves. Sometimes they'd hide there from a thunderstorm (and make their funny drawings), but actually living there was never possible, due to cold, humidity and beasts living there.

Hmmm? even today in Spain for example some people are still living in caves.

[Proteus_MST]

Originally posted by reds4ever


Since were the best studied species ( by a long way) maybe, maybe not.

Theres more 'species' of human because we're very picky on what we call human. In another animal, Erectus to Homo Sapien might be considered one species,let alone Homo Sapien and Homo Homo Sapien being considered distinct (as is the case)

Yup,
there is also the big question if Neandertals belong to our own species or not.
Some scientists have the Opinion that it should be "Homo neandertalensis" which would mean that Neandertals are of a different human species, other argue that Neandertals are much closer linked to humans and should be called "Homo sapiens neandertalensis".
It is closely linked to the question if Neandertals contributed to the Gene-Material of our own species (if they are of a different human species it is unlikely that they could do it) or if they were exterminated by the Cro Magnon.

[CerberusIV]

It seems we are not related to Neanderthals.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/3023685.stm

As for rates of evolution, they vary a lot. After a mass extinction there is a burst of evolutionary development for a few million years, then it all more or less settles down again. The earth's climate has been very variable for the last few Ma so rapid changes in the available habitats mean rapid extinction and evolution.

At such periods the species such as homo sapiens that are adaptable generalists do well and specialist species die out. Once the climate settles down then the specialists do better. The difference is that for the last few thousand years we have been changing our environment to suit us, rather than just changing to suit our environment.

They showed the series here in the UK a few months ago. It wasn't bad but a bit too populist for my liking. Also I don't like Robert Winston as a presenter, far too much insincere sentimentality and anthropomorphising.