Re: Evidence is King

on 7 Jul 2006 14:28:25 -0700, Jim McGinn <jimmcginn@xxxxxxxxx> sez:

` Rich Travsky wrote:

` > http://www.mc.maricopa.edu/~reffland/anthropology/anthro2003/origins/hominid_journey/optional3.html

` >(This first segment has been taken from Carl Sagan and Ann Druyan's
` >Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors while the second segment has been taken
` >from Richard Leakey's book Origins Reconsidered.)
` >
` > Chimpanzee Tool Use
` > (Pages 391-399)
` > ...

` >Chimps have stunned or killed by throwing stones. The directionality
` >of their throwing is good. Where they're deficient is in range: In
` >tense confrontations with prey or hostile peers, thrown rocks hit
` >their targets only a few percent of the time.

` Excellent quotes. I think your quotes, especially as it is summed up
` in this last sentence, make my point for me. If one is to theorize the
` ape to hominid transition involving the throwing of stones and wielding
` of sticks sticks then they really only have one option with respect to
` the associated behavior: collective threat displays.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

You've misspelled "improve their throwing technique"

` Evidence is King.

As distinct from grandiose and profusely detailed fantasies based on
nothing but a fervent imagination, and a fondness for proclaiming
the "self-evident veracity" of behaviours which could never be
demonstrated by fossil evidence, even in the unlikely event they
were true.

--
==========================================================================
vincent@triumf[munge].ca Pete Vincent
Disclaimer: all I know I learned from reading Usenet.
.