Humans (Intelligence)

ELI5 - Why has no other species on the planet, living or extinct managed to get anywhere near the intelligence level humans have in terms of building/talking/inventing etc.?

Our brains use a lot of energy, which is why babies are born small and need lots of care. Intelligence is good if it doesn't make life too hard. To use our brains well, we need to talk, work together, and use our hands to make things. Cooking food with fire helped too, and humans are the first to balance these to benefit from intelligence.

Other human-like beings who were smart disappeared long ago, and finding evidence of them is difficult. Smartness is only useful if it helps have more children who survive.

Our early ancestors had good eyesight and hands for picking fruit, and later adapted to hunt for food when the earth changed. These skills helped them use their brains to survive tough times, which is rare.

By drollparadox7655 1 year ago

Humans (Intelligence)

ELI5 - Why has no other species on the planet, living or extinct managed to get anywhere near the intelligence level humans have in terms of building/talking/inventing etc.?

Until not long ago, other human species lived on Earth; they used fire, made tools, and buried their dead. Modern humans outlived these species, but finding evidence of their existence is hard, leaving our family tree unclear. Intelligence develops when it helps beings have more offspring, but it needs the right conditions, like those after the dinosaurs when our ancestors ate fruit. Later, the African Savannah required humans to adapt, using intelligence to thrive in tougher conditions—apparently a unique and rare sequence of events.

By Alex 1 year ago