Curiously, in the past a link was available for the full post. Not seeing that here. Is this a DU4 issue or something else? Thanks.

Or,
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/two-million-years-ago-homo-erectus-likely-lived-in-cool-high-altitude-environments-180983073/

of humanity.

the image in the article actually falls under child pornography laws in some states in the US. The depiction of , even an imaginary child, naked, is considered a form of obscenity. A man in Japan was arrested and charged for creating anime "porn" of non-existent children, imaginary ones in fact. As an image maker, I find this very dangerous for 1A rights and I am mentioning it because, technically, the artist is in violation of the law. The depiction claims the child is female...

consider this aspect.

Folks can visit the Smithsonian link to see the first pic.

Thanks.

I appreciate it when someone reminds me that I left out the link.

and traveled Africa, Eurasia, the Indian subcontinent. No remains have been found yet in the Americas, but that might just be a matter of looking in the right place for them.

Because of their small brain size and undeveloped frontal lobes, they have often been characterized as not having planning skills or the ability to create their own culture, often dismissed as pack hunting "wolves with knives.*" Still, they were well adapted to their environment, had the use of fire, made appropriate tools, and had remarkable species longevity.

IOW, they couldn't have been that dumb. They obviously communicated with each other, and spread technologies, adapting to a wide variety of climates and able to support themselves in each of them.

*"wolves with knives" is an actual quote, can't remember where it originated, but it did them a disservice, IMO.

Early members of our species might have thought they were funny looking, but they were recognizably human.

Ororin tugenensis pushed our likely ancestors all the way back to when our DNA tells us we most likely split off from what became chimps and bonobos.

for example, in crows et al.

Chimpanzees seem to have conversations composed of gestures, blowing, and lip smacking. Perhaps someone will put it together and decode that as a language. Science has already decoded part of the prairie dog language.

I have an acquaintance of an acquaintance who is studying ancient fire in Africa to try to determine just when our ancestors started to harvest fire from lightning strikes and keep it going. There is some evidence of pre human use of fire, but even H. erectus, whose use of fire is well documented, didn't use it to cook his meat, he liked it raw and bloody (studies of scuzz on his teeth showed his diet).

Now thayt we've finally moved on from freak show, exhibition, and treasure hunting, archaeology and anthropology are starting to give us some tantalizing clues about how and where we came from.

sources. Watching evolution work it's way through all of our connections is quite the trip. Love reading from those who understand the big picture and seeking the clues of explanation. Archimedes knew the ratio of pi will never be answered, but that it has its place in the quest for understanding. We will never get to the ultimate truth, but I'm okay with that. It's opening the doors where we find the excitement.

The intellectual challenge comes from finding ways to pick the locks. When we open the door, we're usually quite surprised by what's really there, and it always leads to new questions to be excited about.

Unless you are talking extremely high altitude, above 12,000 feet.

I currently live in Santa Fe, NM, at 7,000 feet. I love it. I feel good. When I go to sea level I initially feel as if the air is too thick, but within a day or so adjust. Humans are for the most part endlessly adaptable. As would have been our not quite yet homo sapien ancestors. As will be our homo whatever descendants, should they get to exist.