They left something behind
to be remembered by
but we’re three million years too late
to meet them face to face.
Fifty four steps across the cinders of time;
a couple walking side by side. She hesitates,
perhaps a predator – or the volcano
which preserves her doubt. Down from the trees
to start towards the radiant light.
Note: In 1976 Mary Leakey discovered a set of hominid footprints preserved in pumice in Northern Tanzania. Known as the Laetoli footprints, dated at around 3.5 million years, whatever creatures made them, they definitely walked upright.
I am retired and live in the NE of England. I try and keep active and interested and involved in a variety of activities: yoga, walking, writing and, since Sept 2019, taking groups round art galleries. We discuss what we have seen and share thoughts about how the works of art have affected us personally. Hopefully I can set up another blog/website about this latter subject before the New Year. My reading includes poetry, fiction, philosophy and other non-fiction. My writing reflects my interests, as you can see if you browse my blog-posts. A number of my poems and other writings have been published online.
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5 thoughts on “Almost human”
I’m amazed that today’s arrogant modern humans have so little respect for the species that paved the way for our existence. Asperger: The Hyposocial Human – Thanks for stopping by.
Hi, thanks for checking out. I was meaning to ask what is the present thinking on the sequence and time scales of our hominid evolution? I know I could get this info from google but I’m a lazy hominid sometimes!
It’s a mess! The genome people launched a media blitz that convinced the public that their OOA (out of Africa Theory) is a slam dunk, but not so fast! It’s based on mathematical models that are being challenged by actual evidence. The bottom line is that the definition of species has to be updated – scientists from different fields are using different criteria, so comparing their work can be impossible! I’m a geologist who finds this chaos disturbing! The public is getting a bizarre array of conflicting “news” about human evolution, much of it junk.
Thanks. I got a copy of Ape Man by Robin Mckie (BBC) from a charity shop which has re-sparked my interest and fascination! It may be a bit out of date (2000) ? but has some great photos of fossil finds, flint tools etc.
Sometimes I wish I’d never started on this quest – it’s monumental, but fascinating. It has taught me about where we acquired ideas about ‘who we are’ and how humans are hoarders and keep on believing and applying ideas that should have died millennia ago!
All Things Creative 
I’m amazed that today’s arrogant modern humans have so little respect for the species that paved the way for our existence. Asperger: The Hyposocial Human – Thanks for stopping by.
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Hi, thanks for checking out. I was meaning to ask what is the present thinking on the sequence and time scales of our hominid evolution? I know I could get this info from google but I’m a lazy hominid sometimes!
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It’s a mess! The genome people launched a media blitz that convinced the public that their OOA (out of Africa Theory) is a slam dunk, but not so fast! It’s based on mathematical models that are being challenged by actual evidence. The bottom line is that the definition of species has to be updated – scientists from different fields are using different criteria, so comparing their work can be impossible! I’m a geologist who finds this chaos disturbing! The public is getting a bizarre array of conflicting “news” about human evolution, much of it junk.
I blog about these issues, because as an Asperger, I have an interest in archaic humans. http://aspergerhuman.wordpress.com
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Thanks. I got a copy of Ape Man by Robin Mckie (BBC) from a charity shop which has re-sparked my interest and fascination! It may be a bit out of date (2000) ? but has some great photos of fossil finds, flint tools etc.
LikeLike
Sometimes I wish I’d never started on this quest – it’s monumental, but fascinating. It has taught me about where we acquired ideas about ‘who we are’ and how humans are hoarders and keep on believing and applying ideas that should have died millennia ago!
LikeLike