Evidence of mariners 130,000 years ago on Crete!

In Crete fossils from dwarf elefants has been found. They didn't build boats to get to the island. So why should human(oid)s use boats to get there?

Isn't it more probable that they (both) walked to Crete during times when the sea level was low. From time to time the Mediterrany was dried out completely and the bottom was exposed and savanna-like.

Originally posted by FabianFnas
In Crete fossils from dwarf elefants has been found. They didn't build boats to get to the island. So why should human(oid)s use boats to get there?

Isn't it more probable that they (both) walked to Crete during times when the sea level was low. From time to time the Mediterrany was dried out completely and the bottom was exposed and savanna-like.

I think (i.e. I did a quick google search) the Meditteranian hasn't been dry for more than 5 million years.

Originally posted by Palynka
I think (i.e. I did a quick google search) the Meditteranian hasn't been dry for more than 5 million years.

Oh, so long time ago? Okay... My theory went up in smoke.
So the elephants there was there as early as 5 million years ago...? Hmm...

Originally posted by FabianFnas
Oh, so long time ago? Okay... My theory went up in smoke.
So the elephants there was there as early as 5 million years ago...? Hmm...

Elephants can swim. Whether they regularly swim far in the sea I don't know.

Originally posted by twhitehead
Elephants can swim. Whether they regularly swim far in the sea I don't know.

Elephants are the best mammalian land animal swimmers, they can swim 50 miles and at a rather impressive rate.

Originally posted by sonhouse
Elephants are the best mammalian land animal swimmers, they can swim 50 miles and at a rather impressive rate.

It's all about the snorkel!

Originally posted by AThousandYoung
It's all about the snorkel!

That and the minor detail of about 5000 pounds of muscle!

Originally posted by sonhouse
That and the minor detail of about 5000 pounds of muscle!

More important is the fat. It helps you float.

Originally posted by twhitehead
More important is the fat. It helps you float.

They use their ears as sails/wings/fins too. Flap flap flap whoooooosh!

Originally posted by AThousandYoung
They use their ears as sails/wings/fins too. Flap flap flap whoooooosh!

I'll wait till they make it into a movie.....

Originally posted by Proper Knob
Are you 100% sure of that?

I'm currently reading Stephen Oppenheimers - Out of Eden - The Peopling of the World, in which there is a section on human skull sizes. And i quote -

Significantly, both Neanderthals and those modern humans living before the last ice age 20,000-30,000 years ago had rather bigger brains than do people living today.

It's not the brain sizes, but the expected ratios of brain sizes to body mass and size.

Originally posted by UzumakiAi
It's not the brain sizes, but the expected ratios of brain sizes to body mass and size.

Why should the ratio be more relevant than size? Do we really believe a fly with a brain as big as the rest of its body would be more intelligent? Of course not.

Sure, a larger number of muscles might require a larger brain to operate, but there's no reason to believe that the relationship between intelligence and such a ratio is linear. No reason, whatsoever.

Originally posted by Palynka
Why should the ratio be more relevant than size? Do we really believe a fly with a brain as big as the rest of its body would be more intelligent? Of course not.

Sure, a larger number of muscles might require a larger brain to operate, but there's no reason to believe that the relationship between intelligence and such a ratio is linear. No reason, whatsoever.

Take a look here:

The idea behind EQ is that the larger an organism is, the more brain weight is required for basic survival tasks, such as breathing, thermoregulation, senses, motor skill, etc. The larger the brain is relative to the body, the more brain weight might be available for more complex cognitive tasks. This method, as opposed to the method of simply measuring brain weight alone, puts humans closer to the top of the list.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brain-to-body_mass_ratio

If you want original research I can try to find it for you.

Originally posted by AThousandYoung
Take a look here:

The idea behind EQ is that the larger an organism is, the more brain weight is required for basic survival tasks, such as breathing, thermoregulation, senses, motor skill, etc. The larger the brain is relative to the body, the more brain weight might be available for more complex cognitive tasks. This method, as opposed to the ...[text shortened]... wiki/Brain-to-body_mass_ratio

If you want original research I can try to find it for you.

EQ=w(brain)/Ew(brain) where Ew(brain) = 0.12w(body)^(2/3)

This is hilarious. A standard straightforward ratio (the linear relationship I mention) would put birds on top of the scale. So let's find the parameters for an "expected weight" that puts us on top of the scale. Right.

BTW: Thin people are smarter than fat people. Proof!

Originally posted by Palynka
EQ=w(brain)/Ew(brain) where Ew(brain) = 0.12w(body)^(2/3)

This is hilarious. A standard straightforward ratio (the linear relationship I mention) would put birds on top of the scale. So let's find the parameters for an "expected weight" that puts us on top of the scale. Right.

BTW: Thin people are smarter than fat people. Proof!

It takes a lot of brain to manage fat! That's why fat people sweat so much from the head when exercising. They gotta cool off those overworked neurons.