Learning Points

  • Evolution is continuous and does not follow a planned path
  • Animals are not destined for an evolutionary fate
  • The underlying mechanisms of evolution such as natural selection and genetic drift
  • The perils of using modern day hunter-gatherers as models for ancient humans
  • Anatomically modern human’s connection to Neanderthals
  • Agriculture and animal domestication and its effects on human evolution
  • Evolution can actually be a rapid process
  • The true diets of paleolithics compared to modern humans
  • The physiological and anatomical underpinnings of human activity and exercise
  • Parenting systems of humans compared to our primate ancestors
  • Human history with polygamy and monogamy
  • Qualities of human infancy and child rearing compared to older humans
  • Our long history with cancer and diseases
  • Why we should relinquish paleofantasies