The Botanic Age | Dr. Dean Falk

In this talk, Dr. Dean Falk challenges the idea that stone tools and hunting were the driving forces behind early human brain evolution. Instead, she proposes that botanic inventions such as baskets, combined with the development of bipedalism, significantly shaped human cognition and culture over millions of years.
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The Botanic Age is brought to you by The Leakey Foundation and the Houston Museum of Natural Science and made possible by the generous support of the Ann and Gordon Getty Foundation, Camilla and George Smith, and the Joan and Arnold Travis Education Fund.

[@austinharris5346]

Incredible. I've been saying this for awhile, we need to stop calling it "the stone age", when it's in fact a "stone, and osseous, and wood, and fiber and other botanicals, probably hide and sinew, and so much else-age" And I really love the cognitive elements she discusses. Reminds me of classic wisdom, "man smart, woman smarter", which in turn, I do think is a real call of us to fundamentally reconceptualize our view of history.

[@innski]

Fascinating! From focusing on something other than stone tools, Dr. Falk brings the importance of weaving, bipedal bottlenecks, and the rhythm/language of mothers into focus.

[@TheLeakeyFoundation]

We're glad you enjoyed Dr. Falk's talk! It's amazing how much it covered.

[@staninjapan07]

Fascinating, thank you.

[@Lenanana]

Brilliant talk!

[@robertlohamm]

I wonder how long ago our ancestors began walking in cadence, especially when approaching predators or rival bands? Or when moving to a new foraging area when members might easily get seperated from the group. Rhythmic vocalizing would be a natural component of this. And especially if infants were already attuned to the rhythm of waking in the womb.

[@huwzebediahthomas9193]

It all started with single cells, p-something, I forget, first chlorophyll plant.