How modern humans beat the neanderthals | Richard Wrangham and Lex Fridman

Lex Fridman Podcast full episode: • Richard Wrangham: Viol...
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GUEST BIO:
Richard Wrangham is a biological anthropologist at Harvard, specializing in the study of primates and the evolution of violence, sex, cooking, culture, and other aspects of ape and human behavior.
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[@5050YT]

Can we all take a second and realize how blessed we are to have the internet and to be able to learn this information.

[@hmq9052]

You'd know all this already if you read books

[@5050YT]

@@hmq9052 Says the one who can’t formulate a sentence.

[@hmq9052]

@@5050YT That is a perfectly formulated sentence.

[@daveinpublic]

@@hmq9052 ‘you’d know all this’

[@hmq9052]

@@daveinpublic Correct it. Don't repeat it

[@dalton4035]

I'm consistently amazed by both the variety and quality of guests.

[@sotcmultimediagroup6784]

Was thinking the same thing 👌

[@evans9951]

Best podcast on yt

[@dustinhellberg3606]

It boggles the mind how.

[@richardpearce2186]

You expect less from pugilists, generally!

[@KeyserSoze23]

It's just that Lex is such a boring talker. His monotonous voice zones me out.

[@anonony9081]

I've noticed that infighting within species seems to be worse if the possibility of fatal wounding is lower. This is why you often see big animals like bears get in each other's face but they rarely hurt each other because the cost of engaging in a fight is potentially too high. It makes me wonder if humans naturally became less aggressive and learn to cooperate as our weaponry got better and the chance of dying in a conflict became almost certain

[@aSSGoblin1488]

no longer does evolution control human behavior. human culture does

[@matttracy1115]

👍

[@aesir1ases64]

thats a question worth of a paper

[@rasmus5341]

Or, as the chicken & the egg goes, did bears develop a more robust body due to more aggressive mentalities. My guess would be this

[@brianhill2171]

Chimpanzees can rip each other apart with their bare hands and are notorious infighters

[@aktivwurm]

Lex is one of the few actually smart Podcasters. It's such a gift

[@fern7306]

🙄

[@Allworldsk1]

Joe Rogan thinks he is smart. 😂

[@jonny-dp2qr]

@@Allworldsk1 he offers his perspective … we listen. he says he’s an idiot 10 times a show

[@kless001]

@@Allworldsk1 no he doesn’t he repeatedly says he isn’t. He’s still managed to help educate countless people.

[@devonnelson3383]

You know you've made it as s podcaster when you're used by government officials

[@nancyrobertson9256]

Fascinating discussion. Off to watch the whole interview.

[@ivanarepas4883]

Haha - same 👍🏼

[@JamesZeroSix]

Very fascinating. And really makes you contemplate a lot about our history.

[@scorchogrey2385]

For real. It ended on a fascinating tidbit.

[@he_is_a_GOOBER_dont_disrespect]

That we live in a time where these kinds of gents get more recognition can only be a great thing for humanity

[@godslittleman5451]

The “theory” of evolution is one of the most unscientifically sound debacles ever entertained by men. Darwin himself said that his theory could not hold true if concurring evidence of transitional forms was not found. The fossil record shows no transitional forms supporting his theory. Here again, the hypocrisy of liberal unbelievers is evident in that Darwin was clearly a racist and included the term “favored races” in his book. There is much more evidence supporting a worldwide flood, including the main process for fossilization, which is “fossilization through the gradual settling of sediment in water.

[@godslittleman5451]

If you want to study the true history of mankind, start with the fossil record of human giants. There are thousands of remains of these all over the earth. They prove the Genesis account in the Bible, (mainly Genesis 6:4), which is why governments, the jesuits, and the Smithsonian Institute have made great strides in hiding, suppressing, and destroying this evidence. Your not doing humanity any favors by speculating upon a bad theory that categorically denies the truth contained in God’s Word. BTW, it is the oldest writing in antiquity and was verified again by the finding of the Dead Sea scrolls.

[@balsham137]

@@godslittleman5451 bedommit

[@mangomoon]

oh, the irony

[@MellyVerse]

The evolution of our relationship with fire and the evolution of our relationship with the sun present so many questions and it excites me to have people like you exploring these questions.

[@HomelessNinjaKennedy]

This is one of the best guests he's ever had on here.

[@patd2]

brilliant learner and it seems to both intrigue him in all subjects and provide a fantastic tool for his personal evolution. So fun to watch, thank you 🙏

[@JohnCorrUK]

Brilliant guest, Lex a brilliant interviewer .. asks excellent questions and then gives space to expert guests like Richard Wrangham to answer

[@klardfarkus3891]

They ignore the cross mating of the species which would have resulted in a degree of assimilation of the Neanderthal.

[@montgomeryx3852]

Definitely not as intelligent as they bolster!!!!!!

[@xXxXLoneWolf103XxXx]

He mentioned it in another clip and alluded that the females were likely captured and let’s say had a one sided relationship. I think he mentioned it could’ve been two sided too

[@Ryan-eu3kp]

@@xXxXLoneWolf103XxXx and then theres the theory on that's why we have minimal body hair. Because women would mate with less hairy men due to inbreeding of neanderthal/human. No evidence to suggest this but I heard some guy say it and found it interesting. Also that since childhood we have stories of being afraid of the dark/boogyman, mainly because that's when Neanderthals used to grab us. Most of it has been debunked and this guy isn't a scientist, however you might find it interesting, I know I did :) m.kzbin.info/www/bejne/o4vFnqytr6x0jNU Predation Theory

[@YOSSI22T.B]

Look up nikolai valuev. Boxer. Tell me hes not from the stock of neanderthals haha

[@pablom-f8762]

@@Ryan-eu3kp Danny Vendramini. I'm still to be convinced he is wrong.

[@phobowl]

Fascinating stuff. Nice job Lex

[@tonyosime9380]

Great discussion. It answered many curiosities I had and opened new questions. Thank you for sharing. You are an increasingly important asset to the world. Please strive to do more and become better at asking the questions your listeners would ask.

[@jostewart554]

What are you doing to research your own questions?

[@daddybaker1586]

I could listen to this guy talk about his field all day

[@audiofunkdialect]

I’m glad the algorithm sent me this I just listen to the whole interview and it was really great.

[@lnc-to4ku]

This topic is unbelievably fascinating, can't wait to watch the full podcast!!

[@jonhall2274]

Full podcast has been out for a long while now.

[@hmq9052]

Or maybe read one of the hundreds of books on this subject! Just a thought

[@samuelmecham3025]

It would be interesting to look back at us in say 20 - 30 thousand years and see what kind of effect our modern diets with high sugar content, high calorie, easy digestion, vitamins, other supplements, etc and easy living had on us.

[@Alexander-ii7wy]

We would all evolve to having micro penises because of it

[@randomdude7345]

Definitly physicily weak and fragile.

[@samuelmecham3025]

@@Alexander-ii7wy You might have a point. I guess I'll redouble my efforts to introduce my oversized trouser trout to as many women as I can. I'll use the fact that men in the future will have micro penises so they better get a big one while the getting is good.

[@jasperhenderson3002]

@@randomdude7345 not weak because we have easier access to food

[@randomdude7345]

@@jasperhenderson3002 food is one thing, but physical exercise is key.

[@jonathancrichlow5123]

One thing he only half mentions here that I saw in a documentary is that the jaw muscles needed for biting and tearing apart raw food were much larger in our early ancestors, and therefore took up way more space as they were attached around the brain. This was one thing that limited our brain size. Once we started cooking our food, our jaw muscles did not need to be nearly as strong and large and this freed up a lot of space for a bigger brain

[@vincentvega5686]

as opposed to just growing a bigger skull to accomodate a larger brain or bigger jaw muscles? all these theories are just guesses. nobody knows why sapiens brains got bigger than other homo species or great apes for that matter.

[@jasonalexander845]

Human brains have become smaller in the last 10,000 to 20,000 years.

[@John-eg2ct]

I think this is a topic that many are interested in but not many people know a lot about. This guy knows it like the back of his hand, which made this a great video. I've taken a college anthropology class, but this talk was more informative than the class.

[@MRTylerSalley]

A single anthropology class wouldn't give you the full scope there are specific courses dedicated to conflict

[@johnpaik9156]

Lex asks the best questions of any podcaster

[@joereilly8890]

That part about the cooked food is so true, I’ve noticed it in my dog (he literally just said your dogs and cats prefer cooked food as I was typing that) I’ve noticed my dog reacts differently when we’re prepping her food, prepping raw meat for ourselves, and when the meat is being cooked/plated. She’ll watch you pretty closely when you get her food ready and follow you to her bowl, sometimes she pops into the kitchen when she smells the raw meat come out of the fridge, but once you start cooking the meat and sit down to eat she goes NUTS. Edit: he mentions a correlation between cooked food and an increase in brain function and size. I wonder if you bread generations of dogs and only fed them cooked meals if you’d eventually start to produce smarter and smarter dogs 🤔

[@mzyil]

don't think so. there should be a selection criteria for bigger brain size too. in our ancestor's case bigger brains meant higher survival rates, however for a domesticated animal's case it does not matter if it is smarter or not. unless you introduce that to your experiment as an "artifical selection"

[@joshuablair252]

@@mzyil Damn. I was about to cook meals for my dog all summer then put him in a suit, and schedule a job interview for him so he can work and I can quit my job

[@kincaidwolf5184]

Dogs are actually significantly less smarter then Wolfs because they no longer need to be smart to surivive. Becoming domesticated and understanding Humans emotions and vocals isn't the same as intelligence. Domesticated animals are less smart then their wild cousins.

[@radezzientertainment501]

Also would destroy jaw strength over the generations

[@chronic2001n]

"We are one of the worst killing machine species that's ever existed". No, we are the best.

[@hadjesti]

So true

[@hmq9052]

On your own though you're one of the worst

[@johola]

Until we wipe ourselves out🤣

[@marcfitzhenry7581]

I enjoyed this interview!!

[@williamdrijver4141]

Very interesting guest and a highly informative subject!

[@bobpowers9637]

The meek shall inherit the earth And thanks to Jordan Peterson there’s the interpretation that meek is those with swords that keep them sheathed (potential for being capable and dangerous)

[@slapshot1x]

Absolutely fascinating. So much to learn. Love learning from lex and his amazing guests.

[@hmq9052]

Sure. If you're an unread dunce, everything seems amazing

[@slapshot1x]

@@hmq9052 Tell me about your contributions to Anthropology....

[@hmq9052]

@@slapshot1x I've read hundreds of books on anthropology either directly or indirectly through literature, fiction and non fiction, or essays on the human condition. I'm not sure why I singled you out for criticism. What you said was perfectly reasonable. Accept my apologies.

[@graduatecoach5336]

Lex, this is a first class podcast. Richard Wrangham is a wonderful speaker. Well done both. 👌👌👌👌👌

[@kylekissack4633]

Loved this conversation a smile the entire Time 😂 thank you gentlemen 🎩

[@mogheen]

Lex is killing it 👊

[@arjunkrishna5790]

loved this podcast!

[@elbaumg]

I can't believe this content is free. Thanks so much.

[@dichebach]

Richard Wrangham is one of the greatest minds ever.

[@sda3082]

Ever?

[@dichebach]

@@sda3082 I did not stutter did I?

[@primus711]

Guy is wrong and a beta lol

[@ColbyBlack]

I’ve always thought it would be more likely that cooking food was discovered by defrosting frozen food. It would be obvious that things near the fire melts, you have frozen food, you hold it up next to the fire and that would obviously lead to different lengths of exposures being experimented with.

[@thedonofthsht76-58]

What if they didnt live in cold areas? Not like that had freezers lol and Tesla said he thought he was being sent thoughts from a different universe. The first humans might have just had the intuition to do eventually

[@jaboris2536]

@@thedonofthsht76-58 the templars were called templars because they thought the body were temples. 90% of the Haiti population try to go under demonic possession. Demonology is under the rug shit in the same pool as black magic that nobody wants to give attention too, especially In the university settings.

[@thedonofthsht76-58]

@@jaboris2536 huh I'll have to look that up.

[@SerPapus]

Ummmm no… most likely a Forrest fire and some animals got burned in the process and it smelled good.

[@ColbyBlack]

@@SerPapus - You have obviously never been around Forrest fires lol. Ain’t no slow roasted animals in a Forrest fire 🤣

[@SB-xt5jk]

Really great guest. I'll have to check out his books.

[@syd411]

Cooking is simply outsourcing the digestion process. Genius.

[@normanholmes11]

Such and easy interview wish more ppl did this. If u invite a very smart person to your show ask good questions and just let them speak

[@AimForTheBushes908]

Exactly 💯

[@jostewart554]

Yes true. You have to be a great investigative researcher into your interviewee's books and subject matter. Lex is a very intelligent man. He works at MIT as a teacher so he has to have an incredible IQ and some great mind too.

[@SB-yf6tu]

Be interesting to know if there’s been any attempts or studies trying to teach other animals to use fire 🤔

[@richardhollis2530]

Maybe a dolphin or killer whale would be intelligent enough. I don’t think you should use fire

[@b-roll]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/fYLGf2qifbh3a7s

[@king1k463]

put down the weed

[@sat31415]

I hypothesize primates might be able to learn.

[@SB-yf6tu]

@@king1k463 how did you know 😂

[@kimmjones7167]

I would like to see let's staff. They do a great job of helping him put this podcasts together

[@jeffl4896]

This was a very informative and logical discussion

[@benjaminramos873]

Soo... Basically what you're saying is, teamwork makes the dream work??

[@Grayto]

teamwork with teeth.

[@lolmouf]

@@Grayto neanderthals didnt have teeth?

[@monsterous289]

Imagine the number of "Einsteins" that created fire over 100s of thousands of years only for everyone else to get scared and kill them (like they were witches)

[@RSCALES11]

Damn- that’s really sad to think about.

[@monsterous289]

@@RAPEDBYBLACKS What television tropes? Twilight Zone or generic Salem witch trials?

[@malinko35]

The witch hunt was not fueled by people doing supernatural things, it was fueled by moldy bread making people act crazy.

[@monsterous289]

@@malinko35 Yeah, definitely in part. But I'd say it would be very easy for wild animals and humans to instinctively know that fire is bad. You make fire. Therefore you bad.

[@eeddssoonn1989]

I learned so much with this short clip

[@Paul-ou1rx]

Language is our most powerful tool. We have a greater ability to negotiate, bargain, lie and at times, recognize a lie.

[@jedielder7970]

Very interesting conversation... especially the important of controlling fire and most animals, including apes, prefer cooked food. Personally, I've always thought that less time eating equated to more time thinking and inventing.

[@Shatamx]

While yes I agree some did tinker and think. I honestly think we just did more mating and killing after eating.

[@wildtwindad]

An interesting take on the anthropological record is that the neanderthal genus were canabalistic and night hunters. It would explain why it was an us vs. them interaction post diaspora....

[@rican_921]

Thats wild and scary, imagine you being an homo sapien back then were all you had to defend yourself was a stick and fire against a bigger stronger more ferocious humanoid that also could eat you?

[@mangomoon]

You seek to explain something that never happened.

[@user-vp5xf6fm5p]

@@mangomoon huh?

[@mangomoon]

@@user-vp5xf6fm5p There is no evidence it was an 'us vs them interaction' or that 'humans beat neanderthals'. There is, however, evidence of interbreeding between the two species and transfer of knowledge and technologies, such as the use of red ochre in cave art or the process of hand stencilling by blowing red ochre onto a surface partially obscured by a hand. These comments are akin to speculating about the great 'man vs dinosaur' war of prehistory.

[@2DReanimation]

@@mangomoon oh, lol, well yeah. But by your first response you might as well have been a young Earth creationist.

[@MrEdlgar]

This discussion had me at full ear.

[@johnaugsburger6192]

Thanks so much

[@jaydanroseboro4939]

I learned so much. Thank you for the lessons.

[@iiOryx]

I think it’s very important he says the controlling almost as in taming instead of creation of fire. Fire is demonstrated In nature and is a result of energy I believe so our ability to harness energy is what allowed us to advance which is a general principle of how we evolve to this day. It’s fascinating. I wonder if we continue to think along these lines as kardashev did. I’ve always thought that controlling or taming gravity would be one of the most important things humans ever do and maybe it’s possible in this line of thinking.

[@4kdefinition70]

we already do control magnetics which is what gravity is , the problem we face is not the knowledge but the resources to test and implement.

[@barryallen871]

Isn't aviation in general a form of taming or controlling gravity?

[@4kdefinition70]

@@barryallen871 yeah if you choose to look at it that way, really its controlled gliding and using engines to reach and maintain altitude for quicker trips. don't know how much gravity control that maintains, but its an interesting topic. Gravity in its entirety is magnetics, look at a magnetic train that propels itself via magnetism, that's more anti gravity than a plane, but one could argue its only controlling magnetism and not gravity.

[@dessertstorm7476]

I don't think it's that important

[@JacrostheWHite]

It wouldn't be that hard to comprehend how to tame - for example - oh a burning branch from a bush fire, oh I can carry it and create more. I don't think its that amazing.

[@jamesnation9889]

great interview.

[@Mathswart]

"Proactive violence high, reactive violence low" - this sounds similar to what Rene Girard talks about in the scapegoat mechanism

[@tribalypredisposed]

"Are we naturally corrupt, or are we naturally kind..." I wish Wrangham would think about this a lot more carefully here and in general. The general populace does not go off to war because they are corrupt, they go off to war because they are altruistic and want to defend their group and/or punish the bad group for the wrong things they have done. This wild mashing of terms together that he sometimes engages in is not helpful or productive. The leaders may have corrupt motives, but that has nothing to do with the motivations of the people marching off. Violence at the individual level may be motivated by corruption, yes, and also by jealousy and many other things.

[@selectiveeye4370]

Children figuring out how to manipulate at such early ages should be a pretty good indicator of this. Violence and altruism are just unavoidable byproducts of how we as a species cope with and survive our environments.

[@philippriestman8516]

Kropotkin was of a mind that we succeeded as a species through cooperation. We as groups will and did sort out ways of overcoming the trials and tribulations of life. Government came later.

[@nathanbruce1992]

Interesting point

[@oddmanout7755]

I'm gonna call BS on this take. You need look no further than the Holocaust to refute the notion that citizens are detached from their leaders decisions. The German people knew thier neighbors were being herded onto trains in the middle of the night and did nothing. That was not altruism, it was opportunistic violence for the purpose of avoiding personal discomfort.

[@tribalypredisposed]

@@oddmanout7755 thanks for your uninformed opinion. I suppose all of those millions of German men matched off to fight and die because they were corrupt? Have you thought about this at all, or do you prefer to just have strong opinions for no good reason?

[@guitarmusic524]

My last dog, a mongrel mix of beagle, terrier, etc, wouldn't eat a small piece of raw deer meat. I was surprised. He LOVED a broiled T-bone or pork chop. The dog of my childhood, a 30-something lbs mix of Cocker Spaniel, terrier, collie, would kill a rabbit and devour every piece of matter from head to tail, guts and all. But she mostly ate table scraps.

[@liltreefort2804]

by this point weve bred out the wild in the wolf... that one dog would eventually eat raw meat if he was on his own starving one day but he knows that cook tbone with all that juice and spices is GOOOOOD lol... your cocker mix still had a little wolf in her... i used to have a girl cocker they are pretty smart for being on smaller side of dog breeds and she was super loyal to me because i would always sneak her extra food or snacks. my mom and brother took her when they moved and i went off to college and new city for work so it had been 5-6 years since she had seen me and the look of WTF on her face when i came in the house and called her name she could not believe it... then instant zoomies and tail wagging, she would not leave my side for days and spent the night in my bed even tho she loved sleeping on the couch over anything. damn i miss her... RIP ZOE

[@mvfc7637]

John Hawking wrote about how human’s evolved to be less reactive due to practising settled agriculture and living in large communities in his book “The 10,000 Year Explosion”, prior to this, modern humans were quite reactive.

[@PlayafromtheHimalayas]

When my man is saying cooked food, he's not talking about BBQ bananas. Eating meat, cooked meat, was one of the catalyst for us to enter into an age of progression. Farming is what enabled society to propel forward.

[@caesars7hills892]

I think that humans are inherently territorial. The culture that you are born into will tell you what to covet. Unfortunately, I also believe that humans suffer from group think.

[@rockyevans1584]

I think what you think is well accepted science, not exactly a hot take

[@puffpuffpass3214]

My favorite theory is the giant war between the two species. There has been plenty of evidence to show fighting was happening between them everywhere so we might of just wiped them out

[@potomac2445]

No there isn’t monkeys never turned into monkeys or there would be monkeys still turning into humans you have to be a brain dead to believe this crap!

[@haydnrogan6789]

Our Dna says they are us.

[@fabulamcafee]

@@potomac2445 communication is about sending and receiving. your job is now to explain me so i can understand what you mean. I'm not him, but let me support his theory. there was a time when the early humans were nearly wiped out. scientist believe only 50ooo survived. at that time the bow was invented too. so there might be that we lost a war till our species has established the most creative psychopaths

[@rileysmall4317]

@@fabulamcafee pretty sure this fool doesnt believe in evolution.

[@anon2414]

Crazy how 1 to 2% of European and Asian people have Neanderthal DNA still. There was also interbreeding

[@joeyp6056]

Tremendous work Lex

[@daivonclark5151]

I would argue that homo erectus's body form arose mostly out of an evolutionary pressure selecting for running adaptations, while fire enabled the digestive and encephalizing adaptations

[@danmac6185]

I wonder if thats why people, especially children, are afraid of the dark. Stray from the fire = eaten.

[@harrylime5715]

This man has never been on twitter if he thinks betas are non violent!

[@artofexistance]

Or witnessed Antifa lol

[@cameronparkes6629]

Our superpower is adaptability. No matter the situation we can adapt

[@CornyBum]

Really interesting stuff that reminded me of my anthropology class several years ago. Whoever edited this probably could've cut the end better, though, heh.

[@cosmicninja6924]

The fact that multiple types of hominids roamed the earth at the same time, and us sapiens just happened to be the evolutionary winners, really throws a wrench into the Biblical version of reality.

[@visionaryvalley4347]

No. Humans devolved from etheric beings. Evolution is a fraud. And I'm not even a "Christian"

[@joseribeiro5894]

@@visionaryvalley4347 Your point goes against the great majority of the scientific community. I hope (for the argument's sake) that you have some very good reasons to say that.

[@visionaryvalley4347]

@@joseribeiro5894 exactly.

[@joseribeiro5894]

@@visionaryvalley4347 lmao You got me. You re a troller right?

[@faxenmacher4633]

Agreed, and so I prefer a more Masonic interpretation: Existence had not been made devoid of potentials, out of respect to life. Now you might ask: what does that mean exactly... Well, how else do we measure the value of a thing, but by how much it contributes to a better existence? If solving a problem (such as world hunger) is inherently glorious, then problems (such as starvation) are entirely necessary in order to improve upon some aspect of existence: therefore also, for meaning, glory and in this case; survival. If we were born flawless into a perfect world, then "God" would have failed to bestow any significant meaning unto his creations. Like an inventor whose invention failed improve upon anything - a solution for a problem that didn't need solving. I suppose however, that is all rooted in the concept that life is inherently a meaningful thing - and to some degree, that is what separates religion from philosophy. That difference is why some atheists might not adhere to any specified religion and yet hold a sacred reverence for the idea at the innermost core of all religion.

[@boreopithecus]

We don’t know nearly enough about Neanderthals to make these types of claims, but our advantage probably wasn’t huge or it wouldn’t have taken 30 000 years to replace them.

[@Dreamin995]

Maybe we introduced a disease(s) they were unable to overcome

[@YesBruv105]

@@Dreamin995 yeah it's called social aggression.

[@root5th732]

Man that was absolutely fascinating.

[@Unknown-th8hx]

Great clip

[@Pkjitarwal]

Really a great conversation💭💬🗯 thanks man

[@iBreakAnkles4Fun]

It always amazes me as to what percentage of people are oblivious to how violent and the potential for violence that's in every individual. Look no further than the Ukrainian famine in the 30s when parents were eating their own kids, if humans had to compete for food, there would be no such thing as "civilized behavior".

[@matrix2297]

WHAT that's wild....real life hunger games

[@edwardsanchez3708]

My dogs and cats be plotting on eating me I caught one of the lil ones rubbing bbq sauce and meat tenderizer on my face while I was asleep

[@joshuablair252]

@@matrix2297 it was the biggest event of human cannibalism in human history. We are talking millions of people forced into cannibalism. It’s called the holodemer. I know I spelled it wrong. But I have met people from the USSR that have talked about the “mystery meat”. People didn’t question it, they were just happy they had meat.

[@joshuablair252]

Look it up

[@aesir1ases64]

@@joshuablair252 Communism at its finest

[@holzkiewuf]

Anyone know if Neanderthals had similar language skills as Sapiens? Thinking about why Sapiens would be better cooperators than Neanderthals. I've seen that Neanderthals did have similar voice/hearing apparatus to Sapiens, but I can't find any theories about complexity/type of language.

[@saerain]

Well, just judging from their lives as small, distant groups, it seems likely that any language was less likely to be similar to other groups, limiting its development and usefulness quite a bit.

[@ChrisStavros]

We don't know anything about their language, or anything about their brains, except that they were larger than those of Homo Sapiens. All our theories about the Neanderthal are based on our ego: "oh, they had larger brains? Well they were probably smooth and less effective than ours. Yeah their languages were probably shit. We were just such good co-operators". None of these are hard facts. The real explanation is probably far more simple. Homo Sapiens came in more numerous and more aggressive, and we just killed them all due to our small-brained aggression. End of story.

[@mattBLACKpunk]

@@ChrisStavros that plus larger brains consume more calories

[@aquilae1670]

humanity first, raaaah@@ChrisStavros

[@j.m.s.5901]

Lex Fridman is the single most amazing interviewer in the world today. Attentive, interested, lets his guests speak and develop their ideas, and always comes up with insightful questions which make the conversation even more interesting. Fascinating.

[@HieronymousLex]

Is this sarcasm? He’s genuinely a bad interviewer. He’s monotonous, he mumbles, he asks very surface level questions and is clearly very impressed with himself. His guests are good, so I can see why you might enjoy it and mistakenly think Lex is good. But the “most amazing interviewer in the world today”? That’s nuts to say

[@byronm4737]

Sean Evans is the best

[@j.m.s.5901]

​@@HieronymousLex I´d love to know your opinion on who the best interviewer is. Or name some so I can expand my knowledge. No sarcasm here. Be well fellow human.

[@Rctdcttecededtef]

This conversation always has me wonder whether it was all just a coincidence or if it was an inevitability

[@PaulHigginbothamSr]

I grew up in a small town in Oregon. My people thought all the surrounding towns were moral degenerates. I am talking of high school students. Anything wrong was in these other communities. I am really sincere with these feelings. So any other is suspect. These are just a few generations removed from Europe. It showed me we murdered Neanderthals wherever we found them would be my guess.

[@schultemeister6975]

Stuff like believing other people were barbaric or uncivilized happened a lot in ancient societies

[@joenobudie328]

Nah oregons just full of degenerates

[@WWoggins]

@@schultemeister6975 In ancient societies? Listen today to anyone (politician and regular folks alike) talk about foreign policy, and all you hear is how every other nation is barbaric and terrible and if only everyone else were like us, the world would be a better more civilized place.

[@donelmore2540]

A lot of this is based on tons of speculation-lack of cooperation of Neanderthals, etc.. In gorillas, there is an alpha male and a relatively peaceful existence per Mr. Wrangham’s opinion in another video.

[@strahaironscale571]

well doh..we are talking about 40k years ago, of course there will be speculation

[@silviuflorin744]

More like everything is bullshit. To think primitive man was less agressive to allow "cooperation" than neanderthals is bad speculation. They keep trying to justify why humans prevailed by downplaying neanderthal's capabilities. "They were agressive dumb and couldn't cooperate" "they couldn't throw very well" Maybe a combibation of factors wiped them out like plagues environment changes etc and not the awsomeness of humans. And maybe humans survived by sheer luck.

[@usemythirdarm]

@@silviuflorin744 You do realise neanderthals are humans, right?

[@dr2377]

Most of it is. I started realising that years ago, but you want to keep hearing more. It's strange.

[@oddmanout7755]

Someone fancies himself and Alpha and got triggered by the big brain dude.

[@sexymexijesse]

There's a great book called Story of the Human Body. It mentions despite Neanderthals having Slightly bigger brains, Homo Sapiens were more *Socially Development,* creating bigger Tribes that basically outnumbered them... (Oh he did mention it.. good)

[@user-vp5xf6fm5p]

Bigger brains doesn't mean smarter brains

[@dessertstorm7476]

I think I need a definition of reactive vs proactive aggression in the context he is using them as online I found conflicting definitions. If someone hits me or declares war on me and I fight back is that not reactive aggression normal to a human?

[@whengooddogsdobadthings9156]

If squirrels could learn to start fires we would be in REAL trouble

[@fukemnukem1525]

So would they....

[@guitarmusic524]

Middle school teachers deal with these daily.

[@TheBruceKeller]

Neanderthals lived in the north, and life up there must have been pretty darn rough during the worst parts of the ice age. Makes sense most of them would have died off, with the survivors interbreeding out of existence with migrating humans as the ice age eased. Also a lot of the extremely quick and huge floods during the deglaciation especially hit hard in the north, so many of their coastal population may have gotten wiped out in practically an instant.

[@meritorioustechnate9455]

Neanderthals originated from Africa and migrated with humans to Europe and Asia.

[@kylekissack4633]

@@meritorioustechnate9455 wrong

[@meritorioustechnate9455]

@@kylekissack4633 You’ve come to be educated. Should we begin with Neanderthal, Denisovans or the unidentified subspecies linked to both?

[@user-vp5xf6fm5p]

@@meritorioustechnate9455 I'm confused. Are these people denying the existence of Neanderthals?

[@thecircumcisedheartofricha7344]

4:30 the good ol' "whatever it was" supports my claim

[@lazloholyfield9902]

My thoughts on why we out competed Neanderthals, we are able to form super groups/super tribes/civilization versus neanderthal was always only able to form in local small tribes.

[@fukemnukem1525]

Love this episode Lex. Thank You.

[@Dan.50]

"Humans can kill all other animals on earth with a sharp stick." -I heard that somewhere

[@alex84621]

The creation of fire AND the perfecting of it, with oil and combustion engine and further. That was and is the key to evolving.

[@danielplantagenet8385]

Amazing! 🙌

[@barryallen871]

Cooking meat increasing the calories, depends on how it is cooked. Prehistoric humans were mostly cooking over an open fire, losing a lot of those calories to the fire. A grilled burger has less calories than a raw burger. Although, I do believe cooking certain vegetables could have promoted brain development in early humans.

[@rileysmall4317]

Cooking meat changes its chemical makup to a different material/substance. Sure there are less calories but eating cooked meat is almost the sole reason why humans developed a frontal lobe of the brain.

[@Hot4Thot]

Cooked meat requires less digestive work for the calories gained. This allowed human guts to shrink and brains to grow. A cooked burger might have fewer calories, but a raw burger will provide fewer calories than a cooked burger because you have to expend more calories to consume it

[@SicFromTheKush]

Same reason you dont put snow right in your mouth for water, just collect it and let it melt

[@brandonwilson9101]

Vegetation was equivalent to psychedelics in that time..that allowed the prehistoric humans to mentally develop and create daily concepts that we abide by today

[@venelinvishnin8341]

Can any of you recommend some books on this topic ?

[@tomgazebobob1503]

A part of the reason for the natural ostracisation of Neanderthals from Homo Sapiens could be the less developed vocal range. Try to imagine being in full voice with colleagues in either sadness or elation and being thrown out of kilter by a neighbour who can't express.!Has there not been tests which prove that the fox gene hadn't developed in Neanderthals? It's very difficult in Eire to get room at the bar if you don't have that certain timbre.

[@MjolnirMarks]

Imagine learning how to control fire. Mind-blowing.

[@SurfingSilver472]

Very insightful

[@patrick6213]

I can’t stop watching what Richard is doing with his hands lol

[@patrick6213]

Specifically around 9:47

[@stanw909]

I'd like this gentleman to examine the current situation in America's big cities where the beta males and females won't allow the alpha males and females (police) to do their jobs. The effect has been the rise in lower thinking alpha males wreaking havoc in said cities.

[@jasono.1629]

Interesting and so true.

[@RunOfTheTrill]

Police are collectively one of the biggest groups of betas on the planet lmao

[@Forheavenssake1ify]

“While mountain gorillas nest almost exclusively on the ground, the other types of gorillas as well as other great apes generally make their nests high in the treetops and off the ground from potential predators,” according to the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund.

[@xonious9031]

I noticed a few factual inaccuracies as well... He seems to be out on a limb a little bit on a lot of his thinking

[@erikdayne5429]

Cooking food allowed our ancestors to begin the digestion process before they started eating. This meant our bodies didn’t need to dedicate as much energy to the digestive process, and they were therefore able to dedicate more energy to their brains. The cultivation of the cooking process led directly to an increase in brain size in our hominid ancestors.

[@nobodysfool2232]

Reminds me of the beginning chapters of Yuval’s Sapiens.

[@felipetejeda7545]

Great book

[@bluev7427]

Don’t let Joe Rogan hear about the alpha male thing

[@Austinhelm]

Lex gonna be the new JRE one day

[@cruzc5frc]

Lex "Your going to get eaten." Richard "Your going to get terrified and your going to get eaten."

[@liquormikeandhismom4051]

We ate them all.

[@john12152]

We actually absorbed them...a lot of the human race today have a tiny bit of neanderthal DNA...yep, we jumped them outta existence

[@john12152]

*humped not jumped...my autocorrect is a prude

[@scottydog9997]

No we didn't, we had heavenly copulation with them.

[@sciencefliestothemoon2305]

@@john12152 there is a calculation that roughly 40% of the neanderthal genome is spread out in our genome, 1% here and there in different population

[@altergreenhorn]

5:00 He forgot to add environment of both species in equation, namely Neanderthal lived in a harsh environment like today Alaska where was thoroughly planing a base for surviving it couldn't have a lot of offsprings because of scared resources. Homosapiens on the other hand came from a rich environment where a planning wasn't necessary for surviving and could live in a large groups with a lot of offsprings. Those two philosophies how to live are seen even today if compared Africa as a home ground for the Homosapiens and Europe as home ground of Neanderthal. Not to forget Homosapiens come from much warmer Africa probably with some diseases which could be lethal for Neanderthal.

[@anthonyhewitt9397]

This clip gets 5 thumbs up. Awsome topic so informative.

[@electric7309]

🎯 Key Takeaways for quick navigation: 00:02 📚 Richard Wrangham discusses the main ideas in his book "The Goodness Paradox." - Humans exhibit extremes in violence and non-violence. - We excel in proactive violence, unlike most animals. - Our societies are remarkably peaceful, despite our violent capabilities. 05:06 🧐 Wrangham discusses the significance of removing alpha males and promoting cooperation in societies. - Removing alpha males fosters more tolerant, less reactive aggression. - Cooperation becomes central in human societies. - This greater cooperation likely contributed to the expansion of Homo sapiens over Neanderthals. 07:11 🍳 The central idea in Wrangham's book "Catching Fire: How Cooking Made Us Human." - The emergence of Homo erectus was linked to the control of fire. - Cooking with fire transformed human evolution. - Fire control reduced the difficulty of growing a larger brain. 11:09 🤖 Wrangham explains how cooking allowed for a larger brain and provided a significant evolutionary advantage. - Cooking made food more digestible, supplying more energy. - It drastically reduced the time spent on chewing and digestion. - This enabled the growth of a larger brain in Homo erectus. Made with HARPA AI

[@warrenny]

Around 13:45 talking about humans "discovering cooked meat after learning how to make fire". Seems odd they would both draw same conclusion. It would be more likely that before learning how to make fire, they would have found cooked meat after brush fires which occur naturally. I'm guessing that being able to cook meat was one of the stronger motivators for them to learn how to make fire.