gwern 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: 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).