The Secrets of the Oldest Footprints Ever Found

[@jaywilliams8386]

I've been a student of this subject since childhood, and I'm an old lady now and a retired primate caretaker. This is an excellent talk and it's great to see that interest in our human origins and what we are as a species has never died but progressed. Thank you.

[@SeanRCope]

We have learned so much in my lifetime. I remember one of my first crushes was with Dame Jane Goodall DBE after watching a documentary in school. Khaki shorts do it every time lol.

[@danidavis7912]

Agreed! I went from wanting to be a geologist and paleontologist in HS and college to wanting a career as an paleo-anthropologist. Sadly I achieved none of those goals, but I never lost my curiosity and desire to learn more about our origins. Fascinating stuff.

[@laszlozoltan5021]

looking back, with all the revelations from discoveries, analyses with more advanced tech etc, it must have been quite an adventure....Im certain our ancient ancestors would be greatly proud of you. I hope that puts a smile on your face.

[@jinstinky501]

Oh sure, that's what they all say. Who isn't a primate caretaker? Just kidding.

[@liamgross7217]

@@danidavis7912 one of the true benefits of the web is we can all learn although we may work in totally unrelated fields. People just need to be somewhat selective in the sources they learn from.

[@earthknight60]

It's worth noting that gorillas and chimpanzees knuckle-walk in different ways, indicating that they evolved 3-legged walking independently from each other and that it's not an ancestral trait. This is part of what's been leading more and more people to consider that some level of bipedalism may be the ancestral trait of apes and that we are the only ones who retained it.

[@Brad-fm2uo]

This is the best comment here...and yes they dirved from a form of us...even there monkey babies look more like us when born...

[@Thor-Orion]

I think the knuckle walking being different is indicative of an arboreal ancestor who would have been upright in the trees and may have walked on two legs to get from tree grouping to tree grouping. I think this is the most plausible explanation for the differences, which are very distinctive and obviously evolved independently. Gibbons walk on two legs regularly when they aren’t in the trees, you should look into them. I work with gorillas mostly but I like the gibbons a lot too, as well as the orangutans. I won’t work with the chimps because I like my face being attached to the front of my skull.

[@cubearthx]

The idea that Australopithecus was making tools over 3mil years ago is mind blowing!

[@derekmendoza5965]

I wouldn't doubt it if they had little huts an villages too.

[@brownnoise357]

How about humanoid bipeds, with modern human feet, having Scissors and possibly nailfiles to neatly trim their toenails, about 65 million years ago - the age ofvthe slate seam I had pallets of roofing slates from, with a lot of modern footprints in. It was really stunning to see them, and even more stunning that my feet fitted perfectly into both left and right footprint, almost as though they were moulded around my feet. Size 43 European. Seems we may have De evolved this past 65 million years or so ? 🤔

[@eddybrevet6816]

Bipedal walking began in trees with horizontal branches, been saying that since before Ardy,

[@jamesmedina2062]

There is a book I have somewhere regarding tool use by animals. it is fairly common for animals to use tools but this book states that all the tool uses are opportunistic whereas humans are more future visionary regarding making tools from raw ingredients. Communication and learning just got stronger and stronger over time as we developed. By communication we made tools better over time.

[@cubearthx]

It isn't just the tool usage that is incredible but how many generations of our evolutionary line have been slowly and painstakingly fighting to overcome the limitations of our physical biology and the natural world (although we are part of the natural world). It's humbling and sad that they never got to see what we have achieved from their humble beginnings. Also to imagine how puzzled and afraid they must have been to have limited intelligence (and I'll assume consciousness) trying to figure out the world they have been thrown into and the possibility that my consciousness could have instantiated at any point in the 3myr lineage. Damn, I'm grateful to live here and now when we have a good foundational understanding of our origins and our place in the universe.

[@kori228]

0:36 "Gorillas have been taught to use sign language" yeah, unfortunately not actually. If you look at Koko's "speech" linguistically, they're not structured or complex, just simple words in usually no consistent word order. Most of the communication was a huge deal of interpretation by the researcher, not actual communication by sign language.

[@catelynh1020]

Gutsick gibbon has mentioned in a few videos how there are "languages" that exist in other primates. I can't remember which one specifically, but there was an alarm call for danger, then another as a modifier for location. It's not as developed/massive as ours, but also doesn't need to be. And without a cultural context, apes using sign language may be using is differently than we would expect, but makes perfect sense to them. There's an island that doesn't differentiate between animals like most other places, it's either a sea creature or a land creature. Word order could imply emphasis. _I_ never said that. I never _said_ that. It's also difficult to know if they understand the word the same way we do. When you're teaching a dog "potty" but you say it when you are letting them out into the yard, you can't be sure they understand it as anything other than being let out into the yard.

[@kori228]

@@catelynh1020 no doubt there are proto/almost languages in many animals, but they aren't Language in the way humans use them; long and complex, recursive, etc. Koko definitely learned some of the basic signs, but likely didn't understand what they meant-only that certain signs elicit certain responses from the researchers. She couldn't actually put them into use. Gutsick Gibbons is a PhD in Biological Anthropology, not Linguistics. Same issue as the original researchers that worked with Koko: they underestimate the complexity of human languages and interpret the sparse output into a language, when the output is not actually at that level

[@thysonsacclaim]

Exactly.

[@valiroime]

Human arrogance.

[@chrysopylaedesign]

Exactly. The Gorilla named "Koko" was literally Aping-Back actions (signs) that it had learned would result in a reward for it (i.e.: food, attention), from it's handlers. The Gorilla had no "conscious" understanding of "communication" other than in the most base animal reciprocation of actions & signs.

[@Fantastic_Mr_Fox]

9:36 "one small step for an ape, but a great step towards humanity" -Neil Armstrongalis, 3 000 000 BC

[@alicethegrinsecatz6011]

I much appreciate your videos for how easy they're to understand. I'm from East Germany, and so, I was taught by teachers, who had actually studied Russian and had either studied English only as a minor subject without passion or only later had English as a further education, for the most of my school time. Just in the last 3 years, I got a teacher who only studied Russian to be allowed to study English. This is why I'm struggling with English, but some creators like you make it so easy that often when I wanna share it with other people, I stopped for a moment because I'm not sure if they understand it, too. Sometimes, I wanna share it with people who may not understand Englisch, and then, I realize I totally forgot it was English content. Sometimes, I wanna share it with English speaking people, and my first thought is that it would be dumb to share German content. So, try to imagine exactly what I saw and heard, and this is the point when I realize the magic. I remember the complete side, even the advertising at the borders. I remember the text, not in English but in German. I remember the voice in the video, even yours, but they don't speak English in my head, but German. So, I go back, and I am confused by realizing it never was on German. This is every time again when I stop thinking it only could be German because I didn't struggle to understand it, and start thinking I'm not that bad in English as I think. The problem is rather that I built up a barrier every time when I'm forced to speak or understand English because I wanna stay in my comfort zone. I really appreciate this because this is a source of motivation to practice English, which is something I completely missed in my entire school life. I'm on the one hand sad about to have missed so much over these years, but I'm much more happy about to enjoy another cool language and so much more interesting stuff now. So, thank you so much for your work! 🥹

[@sabrinamyrick6902]

You’re doing great Alice!!!

[@rizkyadiyanto7922]

you talk a bit too much

[@christyblue5963]

Englisch kommt durchs benutzen, der Versuch ist der erste Schritt und so wie du/sie schreibst/schreiben funktioniert es doch hervorragend! Ich bin mit sicher das es immer besser wird, nicht aufgeben!

[@alicethegrinsecatz6011]

@@rizkyadiyanto7922 tja 🤷‍♀️

[@FLPhotoCatcher]

Your English is very good. There are a few mistakes, but you will get there soon!

[@someonewhoisgreek6186]

The fact that modern humans as a species have existed for more than 150,000 years really puts in perspective the timescale of the progress of evolution. The first civilizations only appeared a couple thousand years ago. For me it is fascinating to think about how we will at some point have become a new different species I don't understand why so many people got triggered because I said "a couple thousand years ago". I obviously did not mean just 2000 years (look at my damn username lol). So, for all the people that chose do ignore my point and focus on this, let me at least make it clear: The earliest civilization is thought to be Mesopotamia which is estimated to have formed in 5000BC so 7000 thousand years ago. Going back to my point, 7000 is not a lot compared to 150000 years!! (Pollock, Susan, and Pollock Susan. Ancient mesopotamia. Vol. 1. Cambridge University Press, 1999.)

[@taboovsknowledge1603]

"Only a couple thousand years ago"? That's not correct. There's kobecla tepe. It dates 12,000. Intentionally buried. The 12,900 years ago cataclysm may have set humanity back and erased evidence of a global web of civilization.

[@VadulTharys]

Evidence now indicates a time as far back as 300k years ago if not more. In recent years many discoveries have destroyed all the previous believed ancestors of humans. At this time no legitimate anthropologist will say we evolved from any of the other hominids, interbreeding with them yes but not evolving from them.

[@saratonnan]

A couple of thousand years ago? That would be the time of Jesus, soooooo......no. besides, the civilization timeline has been updated even from the previously believed estimate of 6,000 years ago Google Gobekli Tepi.

[@olas16k]

@@saratonnan I thought that was closer to 12,000 years?

[@kellydalstok8900]

@@saratonnan compared to 150,000 years, 6,000 years is just a couple of thousand.

[@atharvapawar.99]

Biology is Beauty !!

[@PVAR1983]

Yes..Biology is not story like your Ramayanam and Mahabharatham.. Its true based on scientific evidence..

[@meruemsama7770]

And therefore you are beauty

[@ThePlayfarer]

Ah yes, the original feet pics.

[@LuisSierra42]

Homo Fetishismus

[@NicholasLeeson]

My readings into this subject indicate the ancestors of Australopithecus were most likely Shore-Based, in which case, they would have walked through shallow ponds / rivers, which in turn would have reduced the weight on their hips... which would have allowed them to walk upright for longer periods. Generations upon Generations of this behaviour would have pre-selected for more appropriate hips, to extend the amount of time walking upright in the water that was possible. This then would have translated to walking on dry land too. For example, Chimps can walk upright now, on dry land, but not for very long, since their hips are not designed for that; but when they walk through water, they can walk upright for a much longer time, before it starts to hurt. Trouble is they rarely walk through water, so there's no evolutionary pressure for their hips to change. If the ancestors of Australopithecus were indeed shore based, they may have been gathering mollusks for food, which would have provided them with more DHA-Omega3, which would have been another first step to increasing the brain size. With the Hips now evolved for better upright walking, the foot was now in a better position to start evolving for larger weight too, but also for fore-foot running. And when we started to do Persistent Hunts, the long distance running had the benefit of producing Brain Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF), which also would have had a positive influence on increasing our brain size. There's also the thinking that mushrooms additionally played a big role in creating new connections within the brain, i.e. the stoned ape hypothesis.

[@the_whetherman]

The shot of a gorilla punching a termite mound at 13:52 is amazing. Kudos to whomever captured that footage.

[@ikawba00]

I wanna bet the termites came after them somehow for that.

[@the_whetherman]

@@ikawba00 My money is on the silverback.

[@ian4846]

This definitely checks out. A lot of what causes foot pain for me is the way that my foot distributes weight very poorly

[@1Pararegiment]

plantar facitious, perhaps?

[@Fantastic_Mr_Fox]

Nah it's those Counter Terrorist boots they'e bad for your feet

[@cmbaz1140]

You should walk barefoot once in a while... that really helps...

[@ian4846]

@@Fantastic_Mr_Fox lmfao

[@ian4846]

@@1Pararegiment probably. I’m on my feet a lot between work and everything

[@harrietharlow9929]

As a member of the great apes, I am endlessly fascinated by all things primate. And that includes all of our ancestors. After all, they helped to make us what we are. I find it particularly interesting that bipedalism evolved before the bigger brain. We were taught the opposite when I was in high school. This is what I like about studying human evolution--always something new to earn.

[@daytonmorehead7330]

A small oddity at 3:25. The map of Germany shown is a World War 2 period map. It shows Germany after the annexation of Austria and Czechoslovakia.

[@Bbbuddy]

I’ve seen adults in the Amazon area who have almost never worn shoes, and their feet look much different from my North American feet.

[@ole9421]

Agreed. I recall about ten years ago watching a National Geographic special on the tribes of the Amazon. They were following a small group of tribesmen as they snuck through the jungle hunting monkeys with poison darts. At one point the camera man panned down to their feet and I was shocked to see that they bore a striking resemblance to primate feet.

[@MayTheSchwartzBeWithYou]

If you haven't already, look into barefoot shoes. After wearing barefoot shoes, I only wear conventional shoes to look stylish for special occasions. Otherwise, barefoot shoes are so much more comfortable.

[@danidavis7912]

Good video - only one very minor correction - the co-discoverer of Lucy was Donald "Johanson", not "Johnson" as stated in the narration. Minor yes, but names are important.

[@tarynrila-smith392]

That, and the brief mention of gorillas being taught sign language has been shown to be dubious for multiple reasons. Always gotta try and correct misinformation, no matter how minor or widespread it is. 👍

[@rafaelverolla7276]

Since we are here: when they say that there are several theories trying to explain why humans walk upright, it it wrong, there are several hypothesis. Theory is a proven hypothesis.

[@danidavis7912]

@@rafaelverolla7276 The predominant theory I was taught was that as the forests in parts of Africa started thinning and changing into grasslands, the primates had to come down from the trees and make their way across the open spaces to find other food sources. Those that could stand more fully erect above the tops of the tall grasses for longer periods of time were able to spot danger in the area from further away, thus giving more time to reach the safety of a tree and ultimately, more of a lifespan to pass on their genes. I don't recall the narrator mentioning that in this presentation.

[@lonniewild9277]

a bit less 'nitpicky' is @ 9:52 she indicates that footprints are not fossils - footprints are TRACE FOSSILS She does it again @ 10:54

[@lonniewild9277]

the March of Progress graphic @ 13:27 is mostly double plus ungood

[@DrBernon]

These documentaries are amazing! I've already watched them on nebula, but they are so good I watched this again here on KZbin. With ads and all!

[@ryanreedgibson]

Your content is a credit to KZbin. Another great video! It explains why my German Shephard becomes more fatigued that me during our walks. I thought it was just due to her less-efficient way of cooling through paw pads, nose, and mouth.

[@Sean2002FU]

Dogs are built to run, not walk. that's why some farmers shoot loose dogs on thier property, because dogs can literally run down deer. A dog can run deer to the point of exhaustion, then they kill the deer.

[@helenamcginty4920]

​​@@Sean2002FUdogs only run when theres a reason. Adults dont run when can walk and dont walk when they can lie down. 😅 I live in the countryside and there are lanes and areas where mine can safely be off the lead. They will run 10 or 20 feet to an interesting smell and then sniff for ages. Even when young their idea of exercise was moving from one smell to the next. Getting every molecule. The little terrier will run further if I get ahead but only to catch up. The larger terrier rarely runs at all. I get better exercise when I'm walking without them.

[@pedrofromrio645]

Evolution is such a fascinating and beautiful subject. The incremental improvement over time is just amazing to watch unfold.

[@jesipohl6717]

Kevin Hunt does work on ape positional behavioural choices, usually based on cultural practices related to carrying, display, or tool innovation. this can lead to huge differences in hip-leg growth, e.g.

[@seleuf]

2:15 I take umbrage at "feeling" being in this list. Wecould debate back and forth on the other things, but humans dotend to come out on top in those categories. But feeling? You cannot tell me other apes don't have deep and profound feelings on par with our own.

[@the_fitness_doc]

Thanks for the high quality content as always. Great channel, goals for me tbh.

[@joaovfm]

I have read a book that blew my mind: Who asked the First Question... So walking on 2 feet may be the start point, I really feel that the development of language and the capacity of making questions is what really differs us from other animals

[@Miamcoline]

Absolutely excellent video and breakdown of the topic. Never been so clear for me. Excellent plug too. Little correction though: thats a 200,000 year difference between those possible footstep dates. Not 20,000.

[@wheelchair_charlie]

Im writing this before seeing the video but I just wanted to say I got giddy when I saw that you were doing one on the oldest footprints and what information you were going to dig up on those amazing prints. I'll come back and edit after I see the video... Always amazed at the info packed into a 15min video! I love all the reasons you gave for why we started standing up since those prints were made and how they were made over 3.5 million years ago!! I feel smarter than I was 15mins ago! ;) Thank you RS!

[@SlimStarCraft]

uhhh ok

[@neclark08]

...SIGH... This video uncritically repeats the Rubric that the 'arch' found in the human foot evolved to serve as a "shock-absorber...since the foot is supporting So Much Of the body's weight."(t=10:30sec~10:40sec). 2nd claim first; when we're standing unaided (not holding- & leaning on a cane, etc.) 100% (NOT 'much') of our bodyweight is borne by the structures of our feet. As for the 'arch' claim, the animation showing central loading is deceptive; when stationary, our ankles joint to the heels BEHIND the 'arch' -- gaining ZERO 'shock absorption' from the arch. And arches are also present in the feet of apes - helping the foot curve-'round/conform to features grasped by the opposed big toe.

[@slimnubbins5366]

@@neclark08 What do you believe supports lifting you when you walk, run, and jump? They say, "[...] when you walk bipedally." They are not just talking about standing still... SIGH...

[@dominiqueelgin3770]

I laughed too even before I watched it.

[@lore.keeper]

Learning about our origins and how we progressed is so humbling yet so inspiring. I wonder how future evolved humans will look like and be capable of

[@noname-wo9yy]

Well natrual evolution is probably going to take a back seat to gene editing

[@dannyhernandez265]

Tall and slender? Or like the humans from Wall-e? 😂

[@japeri171]

The history of our ancestors is fascinating.We are a species that was shaped to change the environment around us. Greetings from Brazil!

[@valiroime]

Evidence is mounting that this wasn’t necessarily a good thing.

[@boredhobbyguy]

I believe that we started walking probably because of tool use. As we became more dependent on tools we would need our hands free more often. It would also explain our brain growth. As our tools became more complex we had to be smarter.

[@astrophysicslair1445]

This brain growth idea works in theory, but so does the reverse. It might have been we could only make more complex tools because our brains evolved first and the more complex tools followed after. Seeing as walking seemingly developed before bigger brains, this logic would conclude tool use had nothing to do with walking. I'm not saying you're wrong, it's just not exactly an uncontested slam-dunk theory.

[@voidisyinyangvoidisyinyang885]

Lucy had a body that made her male companions walk upright

[@zeff8820]

But Ardiphitecus fossil says the other way

[@donnacsuti4980]

In one book by the guy who studied Lucy his theory had to do with climate change. It got drier and few trees widely separated remained. So we were in savanna and forced to the ground to go from tree to tree or find food and water. Probably still slept in a tree if possible. Sounds plausible

[@paintedwings74]

@Gr Mo exactly. Bored_Hobby_Guy offers an opinion based on the fact that he can understand part of what someone told him. Then states his opinion as if he deserves a gold star for being sure he's right.

[@dadisacek]

Insanely well documented. It should be presented at school as a lecture

[@Whistlewalk]

Although some of this info has been alluded for some time now, it was good to see it all put together in a linear way that most people (especially those in denial) can understand. Thx.

[@theflyingdutchguy9870]

very probable we where already bipedal before we even left the trees. gorilla's and chimps also likely evolved knuckle walking seperately as they do it differently to each other. and it happened after we diverged from them. plus gibbon's (the only extant lesser apes) are bipedal in the trees, and stay bipedal when on the ground. australopithicus was also bipedal and semi-arboreal.

[@davidedavidedav]

Yea we need more fossils but if you know Sahelanthropus, Orrorin etc. it’s probable that our common ancestor was bipedal and living in trees

[@Samuel_LeBaron]

Why is nobody talking about the visuals in this video? They are absolutely stunning in how everything transitions.

[@carloscanet9056]

While it is true that Lucy was found in Ethiopia in 1974 by Tom Grey and Don Johanson. The photo that you show of the two men are actually Don Johanson and Tim White. Not Tom Grey. Tim White, of course, was the paleo anthropologist responsible for the discovery and description if Ardipithecus Ramidus, or "Ardi."

[@YangLeee]

I love your channel. So much work and dedication. You make sure to give as much information as possible, straight facts, and you dont mention any bs for click bait. Your videos are 100% related to the title unlike 99% of KZbinrs. I feel bad that I missed this when it was uploaded. Smh, I'm going to Nebula

[@Rapidly_]

I recently saw the jaw (the only piece ever found) of a Homo heidelbergensis in Germany, it's amazing to look at something so human and know that it's technically a different and now extinct species. Crazy to think about.

[@roqofort5110]

Could you do a story/essay on heat resistant snails that live around volcanos, sometime.

[@crocpantanal4225]

Bro! Seriously....!!!! This channel is the best! Thank you so much to everyone involved in the production of this video/channel! You guys rock 🙏🙏🙏

[@Emelefpi]

The idea that apes have been taught to communicate in sign language is highly suspect. The Soup Emporium channel has an eye-opening video on the subject that's well worth a watch and might shed some light on the subject

[@TheRunpoker]

Excellent presentation of this subject, and beautifully made video:)

[@drlegendre]

Donald Johnson..? No, he was the co-star of Miami Vice, alongside Philipp Michael Thomas. You're looking for Donald Johanson, he's the paleontologist.

[@Bettinasisrg]

The evidence is more important today than it has been in a long time thank you for a wonderful presentation

[@subhuman3408]

Miracles have always been what suppressed human thoughts

[@Tribuneoftheplebs]

I am obsessed with human evolution content so now I will finally try Nebula 😁

[@VadulTharys]

There is a better channel that dives DEEP into it and has been doing so for several years. History with Kayleigh. She is very exhaustive and not only shows one side but all sides including all dissenting arguments. Being hot educated and Dutch helps as well.

[@drewlovely2668]

Congratulations on being the most subscribed to female presenter on nebula. Good shit!

[@namenloss730]

Knowing Abigail Thorn is an important feature of nebula is the best argument against using nebula.

[@sebastiangrob4813]

Interesting choice of map for Germany at 3:25 😅

[@d.9511]

Exactly my thoughts

[@d.9511]

I had to go back and double check

[@moboxgraphics]

It's a map made for our sister production on Real Engineering called "Battle of Britain". Good eye but it's an Easter egg!

[@martijn9568]

​@@moboxgraphics Great idea, but you shouldn't have done so for Germany, because of its relatively recent history.

[@timothyupham1475]

This is a wonderful doc. Great job

[@timothypachonka8642]

Not only Koko, but Washoe, the chimp taught ASL, would also lie and make spontaneous sign combos to describe new things.

[@DruNature]

cause they didn't actually know ASL and it was all interpreted by the human, doing so to promote their belief. Gorilla sign language has been disproven unfortunately, or it could be scientifically verified if true.

[@Napalm93]

0:36 this statement requires a huge asterisk

[@xJabZz]

Footprints, the og footpics and I'm here for it

[@thepeff]

Bipedalism is an adaptation that allows you to catch these hands!

[@marshmellow6152]

You should really look into th3 whole gorillas learning sign language thing more, specifically koko, ita fairly obvious that she didn't really know at all.

[@HomesteadAce]

Quality content! Keep up the good work

[@Turdfergusen382]

Great content, as usual. Keep it up.

[@CausticLemons7]

That was really interesting. I definitely to need to finish this series.

[@daanv.m]

Love these videos and especially the awesome renders

[@GeoffryGifari]

huh... how does being bipedal lead to less energy expenditure? i would've thought that supporting a body on 4 legs is more stable, more passive

[@astrophysicslair1445]

I believe the basic idea is that it takes less energy to move two legs than four. I'd imagine it's a more complex answer though.

[@tylercoleman9218]

The energy saved by walking on 2 legs is minuscule but every calorie saved counts when it comes to survival. Consider just the energy exerted from the movement of leg muscles alone and then imagine having an extra pair of appendages constantly exerting energy to facilitate movement. While quadrupedal stability does save some energy it doesn’t beat bipedal locomotion.

[@skippy9214]

Bipedalism can be much more efficient if done right. But it also has other advantages. It frees up your hands for tools and lets you see farther because your head is higher up.

[@DakiniDream]

@@skippy9214 Extedned sight seems one of the first and principal reason to me, then only the others. Even animals will stand up to see more.

[@crystelds]

On 2 legs you "fall" into your next step, this means gravity helps you. It is one of the reasons going uphill is so much harder than walking on the flat.

[@geofflewis8599]

..we started walking upright so we could see the food..that freed the hands..

[@justaguy6216]

13:46 BOMBASTIC SIDE EYE

[@benjaminmllerjensen8705]

Really good! Great scientific integrity. Pleasant and articulate speaking voice. Thanks. Watched the whole thing on Nebula. Really interesting stuff, indeed! Cheers from Denmark.

[@Dragonblaster1]

We are not an offshoot of apes: we are apes.

[@BrandonEllJ]

Awesome video as always, thank you for your time.

[@VadulTharys]

To bad it is filled with now debunked information. The only good thing is the footprints everything else is pushing a narrative not science.

[@nem447]

So an eternal omnipotent omniscient supernatural universe spanning space wizard, without an origin, who finally got bored of floating in a dark vacuum, did not create us?

[@revolvermaster4939]

Why so bitter?

[@Skibbityboo0580]

@@revolvermaster4939 Probably was raised to believe that an eternal omnipotent omniscient supernatural universe spanning space wizard, without an origin, who finally got bored of floating in a dark vacuum, created us, and found out that there are better explanations out there that actually make sense.

[@revolvermaster4939]

@@Skibbityboo0580 I was raised in a completely secular household. Your bitterness paints you as a God hater as opposed to an atheist.

[@Skibbityboo0580]

@@revolvermaster4939 I'm not bitter, I am not the person you said was bitter. I was just saying that people raised religious, only to find out that it's mostly just a big lie, can be bitter about it. Also see all the awful events done in the name of gods, that could make someone bitter too.

[@revolvermaster4939]

@@Skibbityboo0580 I’m aware of history and atrocities committed in the name of God. I’m also aware of the history of communism/Marxism/fascism, the complete lack of religion, and the hundreds of millions exterminated in the last 150 years because of a lack of religion.

[@youtubeplsremovethenameupdate]

Biology is beauty !!

[@avielp]

The video and editing are superb

[@GoSouthGoodPeople]

What about the swamp ape hypothes? Bipedalism as an adaptation to a semi aquatic environment explains a lot including the lack of fossils as well as buoyancy decreasing the weight of the torso over the legs

[@spatrk6634]

its not that its bad hypothesis, its just that there isnt any evidence to support it, and it is designed in a way that its not disprovable. i think we were bipedal while we were still on a trees.

[@sturlamolden]

Bipedalism in humans need no explanation. Take our most distant relative among the apes, put it on the ground, and see how it walks. You can find videos of this on KZbin. Spoiler alert: It walks upright like humans. It does not knuckle walk like chimpanzees. We walk upright because we retain the gait of the common ancestor of all apes. We do not need a special theory to explain how bipedalism evolved. just pick a gibbon down from its tree, put it on the ground, and see what it does. We were bipedal before we came down from the trees. Rather, it is the other great apes that has evolved a new quadripedal gait.

[@rjwohlman]

New sub here! Great video and excellent narration.

[@AlldayisKrisday]

Best video I’ve seen! Even the graphics are excellent!

[@brownnoise357]

I had a consignment of natural slates from India, finest qualiry imagineable, and a lot of them had humanoid 3 dimensional footprints in them, Identical to the modern Human foot. my feet, size 43 european, or 8 and a half in other measures, fitted perfectly into both the left and right footprints. so fine, it must have been like waklking in talcum powder an inch to two inches deep. You could even tell thatvthe toenails were neatly trimmedvor manicured, and that there was no hair on the sides of the feet, each print had the triangular scuff mark behind the heel, that we get when strolling on damp sand at the beach. The Slate Seams these slates were cut from, apparently are aboutv65 million years old. The Slates were a nice silvery grey metallic colour, so the quarry should be easy to track down, andcthe number of footprints in three crates of slates were so numerous, they must be very common in that quarry. I showed them around local friends and neighbours , and left some at the local Museum with my business Card, but they never got back to me. Best Wishes. Bob in Wales. 👍

[@ianwarrior9001]

I’ve recently discovered multiple footprints in the Devonian shale rock bed, along with huge footprints that could have been from a primate or humanoid, that would mean they would be over 300 million years old

[@MSHNKTRL]

you peel bananas from the top down, I peel from the bottom up. *WE ARE NOT THE SAME.*

[@Anthony-qt3wm]

Foot print info starts @9:50

[@leitmotif7268]

THANK YOU

[@freefall9832]

This turned out to be click bait

[@williambunting803]

A bi product of bipedalism could also have been that it allowed the hands to become more dexterous and useful for the development of better tools and tool use. Hands and brain development are inter dependent. The complexity of hand function as an extension of the brain’s ability to express itself is orders of magnitude stronger than the brain and the feet, for instance. So bipedalism freed up the hands to become ever more useful and the Brain took full advantage of that.

[@zacsusskind9701]

ur channel is so informative n well written

[@AquaMarine1000]

The term fossil here is loosely used. Organic materal to become fossilised must go through a fossilising process by which the hydrocarbons are replaced with minerals. Persevered organic material like bones are not fossils just because they are old. For example, the turm fossil fuel is misplaced, coined by in the late 1800s at an international conference of mineralogists.

[@myblacklab7]

Interesting comment. I hadn't thought about how strange the phrase "fossil fuels" is - it's not like they're made out of fossils.

[@jayme3181]

1:52 Not my local one, the manager tore down my tent and called the police.

[@silentvoiceinthedark5665]

Everything we have ever known about our origins is based on knowledge derived from fossils. How many remains are found and how many remains are fossilized? We do not know that nor do we know what was not fossilized

[@Thor-Orion]

You should look up Nikolai Valuev. He was a heavyweight boxing champion, we called him Big Thal because his skull looks exactly like a Neanderthal’s.

[@charlessarver1637]

Thank you for another great episode

[@TheMontanafew]

The biggest question I have never had answered, is why all the other primates didn’t evolve alongside us

[@mhknfh3049]

War

[@catelynh1020]

Fun fact: they did. Humans have less evolved hands than (i think it was) bonobos or chimps. Knuckle walking likely came about after the splits, too. We've all continued to evolve from our ancestors but humans just took a different route. The thing that seems to make humans special come from our ability to just spread like a virus. Being omnivores with the ability to cook food (a study has suggested even homo erectus cooked when given the opportunity), we could have a wider diet. And we really do just eat anything, like using fermentation and spices and later on drinking other animals' milk. Many other animals don't experiment with their food as much that we're aware of. We'll also take things that are detterents from plants and *make* it edible (ie, nettle tea or hot peppers). There's also a lot to be said about human reliance on our ability to communicate. We have white scalera which helps to let others see the direction of our gaze. Women tend to have less facial hair which has been suggested to help communicate with children since they can see our faces better. As we needed more developed language for more abstract things (ie "i'll be done with this spear in 2 days, so 3 days from now we can go hunting again") which could coincide with group tool usage or cooking. It's not like other primates are like sharks and relatively unchanged for millenia. Or like crabs, where a lot of different groups all developed the same thing in order to best fit their niche independantly of each other.

[@catelynh1020]

Unless you're saying "why did only homo sapiens survive" in which case @mhknfh is likely right. There were many coexisting hominids but fighting, eating, or habitat destruction could have easily led to the other ones that lived in smaller groups being wiped out. Neanderthals was more like we slept with them a lot and they didn't win the race but we carried some of their genes to victory. There's suggestions that homo naledi existed in the same time and place as early homo sapien but they didn't survive.

[@mhknfh3049]

@@catelynh1020 So what we didn’t sleep with we killed or it just didn’t survive? I saw a video on the beings that were dwarfs that people just hunted for fun

[@catelynh1020]

@@mhknfh3049 Eh...kinda? Some modern humans still have a tendency to sleep with nonhumans and at the time of the neanderthals, there was a greater resemblance and the pairing produced viable children (or else there wouldn't be any neanderthal dna we could find in modern humans). Unlike horses and donkeys which produce mules that are unable to reproduce. But as with any creature, humans also would get rid of "pests" (anything that competed for the same resources, ruined resources, or was considered dangerous to humans). And like a fair number of relatively intelligent creatures, we do a lot of harm for fun (look up orcas vs seals, cats playing with mice, dolphins and blowfish, etc) like hunting for sport or trophy. But even with all of that, humans have a tendency to cause other species to go extinct or nearly so. And if you think about it, early humans evolved into a niche they were relatively suited for and the continual competition had to have a winner and loser if the two didn't find separate niches. And since humans had such a wide niche (from bipedality leading to greater distances able to be covered, different heat regulators from the ability to sweat to using fire and "clothes" for warmth, a mouth with teeth good for many types of food that's range can be extended by cooking, a very cooperative social structure where we cared for our sick injured and elderly, and other things like that) humans broadened their niche and so took over more areas that more specialized cousins may have had trouble sustaining themselves in (think if two populations had a diet of carrots. One population became able to eat corn as well but continued to eat carrots. When the available carrots became too little because both populations were eating it, the other population switched to corn for a bit while the other starved, then added carrots back in when they became available again)

[@MaikeVogtLueerssen]

I missed the mentioning of the first ape that walked upright, Danuvius guggenmosi, and our possibly oldest Human ancestor, Graecopithecus freybergi.

[@尼安德鲁-n6j]

The quality of this video is super

[@SuperMrHiggins]

There;s something so sweet when you see a chimp being held by a human, just the way they clutch the human... We truly are related. In spirit and genetics, which... would just be genetics i suppose, we are very genetically similar.

[@GorVala]

Foot care is extremely important and often neglected.

[@williewonka6694]

Our closest companion is now the dog. 30k years of evolving together as a team has changed them and us.

[@JoaquinVargas-h1g]

If walking up right goes so far back doesn't that mean knuckle walking and climbing trees could have evolved after?

[@Dejawolfs]

yes

[@terminator-from-another-planet]

no because monkeys and other apes were here for a lot longer than 6 million years

[@Theomardell-v1t]

This is true it is thought that knuckle walking evolved since our last common ancestor, and maybe twice separately between in gorillas and chimpanzees since they don't do it in the same way. Primates have climbed trees for millions of years though, but apes in general use bipedalism more than the other primates as the video shows despite also being arboreal. This could have arisen from having ancestors which were suspensory primates, who swing through the trees, changing our back and shoulder placement to sustain a more a more upright posture when swinging. Gibbons are a good present day example of this arboreal swinging and bipedalism since they get around mostly with swinging but also can run along on two legs.

[@characterblub]

Stefan Milo (I think his name is spelled like that) has a video on that exact theory. I happen to be of the belief that bipedalism came first.

[@ajrobbins368]

Thanks for this excellent video.

[@vitoradamos605]

The history and development of Humans is quite complex. It's not wether someone Believes in evolution, it's if they can grasp and understand it.

[@witext]

Assuming that bipedalism evolved alongside the climate becoming more dry and less forested, more efficient walking between the trees might have been favorable Before, the apes might have been able to quickly move to the next tree and climb up to avoid predators, but as the distance between trees grew larger and the less fruit was growing, moving between the trees over larger distances became more and more important and the more efficient bipedalism evolved As the trees grew even more sparse and the fruits became even fewer, we started hunting on feet more and more which required more social abilities and ability to handle tools When we got the gene which allowed us to speak it was game over for the rest, we were now able to tell others how to do things and work together in communities that way superseed the communities of other land animals

[@nesseihtgnay9419]

Religion made fun of Charles Darwin, but he was right about evolution and natural selection. While Charles was able to prove his theory, religion can't, all they say is "believe".

[@alimustafa7680]

Just think about a future species digging up your bones a million years later

[@drlegendre]

".. a form of radioactive potassium that has a very precise half-life." As if there are ANY radio isotopes *without* an "accurate" (well, as in predictable) half-life?

[@Helm-w1q]

Did those foot prints pass the sniff test.

[@orpheuscreativeco9236]

It was the moment we touched the monolith.

[@diagob7559]

BUEN TRABAJO. Felicitaciones

[@carenann918]

Oreopithicus was upright 6.5 million years ago, and as I understand it they were a hominin but not direct ancestors to humans as they were very slow and (sadly?) they died out when their isolated island habitat was breached by a land bridge which allowed large predators into their paradise.

[@charankumar389]

A video on the insane biology of the jaguar. PLEASE !!!!!

[@insederec]

Koko did not know sign language!

[@ayokai6119]

3:24 "Pivotal discovery in 1856" and yet, shows a map of Europe in 1939, following the invasion of Poland.

[@moboxgraphics]

It's a map made for our sister production on Real Engineering called "Battle of Britain". Good eye but it's an Easter egg!

[@ayokai6119]

@@moboxgraphics Interesting! Is it from an already existing video, or a teaser for a new one in the style of the D-Day one?

[@Seagull_House]

3:25 i have a very pedantic nitpick with this very amazing video, im sure you've already heard this, but i thought i'd join in. The map displayed here is inaccurate to the year 1856, since neither germany, yugoslavia, italy, hungary, bulgaria, romania, and albania existed as nations yer. the neanderthal bones were discovered in a place that would later become part of germany, but was at the time part of a tiny country which was part of the german confederacy. The displayed map is actually closer to what a map of europe in early 1940

[@naradaian]

No one cares - we now know where the valley is

[@Seagull_House]

@@naradaian what part of "i have a very pedantic nitpick" wasnt clear to the fact that i know that?

[@GeoffryGifari]

imagine if bipedalism (and eventually intelligence) evolved closer to orangutans instead of chimps