jkaufman comments on Brain shrinkage in humans over past ~20 000 years - what did we lose? - Less Wrong

15 Post author: Dmytry 18 February 2012 10:17PM

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Comment author: jkaufman 24 February 2012 08:39:37PM 1 point [-]

couldn't even make fire (instead relying preserving existing flames)

Really? Wikipedia links to Cotton (1887) which is handwritten but says:

Many years ago an old settler showed him the Aborigines' method of obtaining fire by friction. He first found a dry log or dead trunk of she oak (casuariua) which had longitudinal cracks in the hard dry wood. He next collected from a gum (eucalyptus) or wattle (nuinosa) a quantity of the fine dust contained the the borings of grubs often found in these trees. With this finely powdered wood dust he filled up a crack in the log. He then chose a dry stick and shaped it a little at one end until it roughly fitted the crack. Inserting the stick in the crack he rubbed it firmly and rigorously up and down for some time. After continuing this process perseveringly the dust began to smoke and eventually took fire.

Comment author: gwern 24 February 2012 08:54:22PM *  3 points [-]

I did see that mentioned while reading Wikipedia, but I dismissed it. It is a third-hand report from decades (someone told someone who told me who tells you) previously about a method which may - like the Easter Island 'invention' of writing - simply have been copying foreigners either directly or indirectly and so even at face value doesn't establish the claim. I don't think such a dodgy source is enough to overcome all the reports and circumstances (eg. described cumbersome system of firekeeping seems to be less likely if knowledge of making fire had been retained).

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