“Do ya feel lucky…Huh…well do ya?
“You know, this business is pure luck. It truly is. There is a tangible amount of luck that is necessary for a successful career, and the only way it happens is if you’re prepared for it and stick with it. If you drop out of the scene, your opportunity for luck diminishes greatly. No one’s going to say, Hey you’re an insurance salesman. Come do this movie.” – Bryan Cranston
In the vacuum of deep space, a silent nemesis is propelled at approximately 18 times the speed of a bullet. Its target, earth. This could be the beginning of a science fiction movie. But it isn’t. Back in time, 66 million years ago, an asteroid estimated to be 6 to 9 miles across and traveling at the speed of around 20 km per second or 45,000 miles per hour, slammed into our planet with the power of 100 trillion tons of TNT. In comparison, the atom bomb used in Hiroshima was the equivalent of 20,000 tons of TNT. Geological study around 1980 revealed the resulting collison created the Chicxulub (Cheek-sheh-loob) crater in Mexico with an estimated diameter of 180 km or 112 miles. In the aftermath of the impact, sulphureous minerals were vaporized and in turn released several hundred gigatons of sulphuric particles into the atmosphere. The ensuing haze created acid rain and blocked out the sun for several years and perhaps decades. This darkened cloak prevented photosynthesis resulting in massive amounts of vegetation dying. This was global catastrophe.1
Prior to the 1980’s the reason for the disappearance of the dinosaurs was a scientific unknown but the discovery of the impact crater solved this lingering mystery. It’s now believed that this extinction event eliminated 75 percent of the plant and animal species on earth including most notably, the dinosaurs that previously populated the earth for as many as 177 million years. As time progressed the eco system changed. The dominant conifers and ferns subsided and the more resilient pollen-producing angiosperms such as flowers evolved. With the extinction of the dominant reptilian dinosaurs, birds, insects and mammals grew in numbers. Evolution tells us a certain surviving genetic line of mammals eventually progressed into primates.
And here we all are. All of us having emerged from this one colossal, lucky event.
Humans Emerge
All living things have this innate ability to conform to the conditions of their environment in order to survive. Viruses and bacteria living among us continue to become more resilient and resist antibiotics in order to sustain their numbers. Everything that lives continues to adapt to change or they perish. For the first five or six million years, early primates were confined to Africa. As environmental conditions eventually changed lush rain forests transformed into grasslands and grasslands changed into arid desert. Early primates were forced to migrate to new areas. With the adaptation to new lands and different environmental conditions, they were faced with the need to solve complex problems for survival. To achieve this the cognitive power of the brain increased. Physical attributes such as increased dexterity in the hands enabled tool making to become more sophisticated. The transformation from walking on all fours to walking erect made travel more efficient. In the standing position, the higher vantagepoint allowed better protection and hunting skills. In time, the changes in the physical shape of the jaw and specific face muscles gave the ability to form speech patterns and through verbal communication intellectual rationalization increased. This gained mental acuity helped them to improve the way of life in many ways.
This became the genesis of human creativity.
An archaeologic find in 2013 lead to the discovery of a new species called Homo Naledi that lived between c.335,000 to c.236,000 years ago2. Although controversial, the find revealed what is thought by some to be the first sign of early burial. Why would this be important? It’s significant because burials show the capacity for abstract thinking in symbolic ways. Species such as elephants recognize the loss by death, but burials take intellectual thought that goes beyond.
Neanderthals emerged separately from Homo Naledi. Skeletal remains suggest they first appeared around 400,000 years ago. Up until recent times, they were largely regarded as having low intellect. Studies since have proven otherwise. Evidence shows the Neanderthals learned to adapt in harsh environments and are now believed to have been skilled, strategic hunters and toolmakers. In order to survive, archaic humans such as Neanderthals would have needed some form of communication. Predators were stronger and faster and social interaction would be essential for planning a hunt. It’s unknown when spoken language first emerged, but Charles Darwin wrote, “I cannot doubt that language owes its origin to the imitation and modification, aided by signs and gestures, of various natural sounds, the voices of animals, and man’s instinctive cries.”
With many of these ancient finds, there are usually some skeptics in the scientific community who dispute archeologic theories. There isn’t universal agreement here but many scholars believe Neanderthal gravesites show they not only buried their dead but unlike Homo Naledi, sometimes adorned the body with symbolic offerings There is also compelling evidence they had empathy and nurtured those that were sick or disabled. Skeletal remains identified as Neanderthals were found in a cave and among them, one had a traumatic injury, possibly caused by a high fall or the result of a hunt. This event wasn’t fatal enough to kill. The bones showed signs of healing but the injury was severe enough to compromise mobility and make it unable to fend for itself. This individual would have needed care to survive.
Fossils and genetic evidence indicate Neanderthals and Homo Sapiens (thinking man or wise man) evolved from a common ancestor between 700,00 and 300,00 years ago and all traces of Neanderthals disappeared about 40,000 years ago. Past theories suggest they were a separate species. Recent studies through DNA now contradict this and show there was considerable intermixing of the two species. To this day, there are very small genetic markings of Neanderthals found in all of our present-day genome.
As early primates developed self-awareness and the ability to perceive and feel emotion, their need to express their world through myth and symbols became necessary. Over many millennia, human self-expression became more sophisticated and visual art was the means to do so.
Art became a powerful entity.
1 britannica.com Chicxulub crater impact crater, Mexico
2 Smithsonian National Museum of Natural history Human evolution evidence /What does it mean to be human