Central features of human evolution may stop our species from resolving global environmental problems like climate change, says a recent study led by the University of Maine.

Central features of human evolution may stop our species from resolving global environmental problems like climate change, says a recent study led by the University of Maine.

Humans have come to dominate the planet with tools and systems to exploit natural resources that were refined over thousands of years through the process of cultural adaptation to the environment. University of Maine evolutionary biologist Tim Waring wanted to know how this process of cultural adaptation to the environment might influence the goal of solving global environmental problems. What he found was counterintuitive.

  • CarbonIceDragon@pawb.social
    4·
    11 months ago

    I mean, compared to what? If we don’t know of any smarter species out there to set some higher average baseline, how could we be below it?

    • riodoro1@lemmy.world
      131·
      11 months ago

      Compared to smart humans. We have scientists and artists but for every one of them we also have three aggressive, primitive, hairless monkeys.

    • GreyShuckOP
      1·
      11 months ago

      on the planet Earth, man had always assumed that he was more intelligent than dolphins because he had achieved so much—the wheel, New York, wars and so on—whilst all the dolphins had ever done was muck about in the water having a good time. But conversely, the dolphins had always believed that they were far more intelligent than man—for precisely the same reasons.

      - Douglas Adams - The Hitchhikers Guide To The Galaxy