the archerfish can accurately spit jets of water to hunt inscects … I’m sure there are much more examples of other species accurately throwing things around. we’re not that special …
This is a pretty big stretch. I wouldn’t say spitting and throwing are comparable.
I’m interested in hearing about the other examples of species accurately throwing things though.
This sounds fake
Nope, we are really fucking good at throwing. Basically we created a feadback loop due to how throwing with more accuracy and force was better for hunting and defense that it increased survival ratings. This in turn meant those who threw better got to breed while those who didnt died.
I wonder if the inherent ability to do the physics required to do an accurate throw fed into humanity’s ability to do maths?
Probably not. In calculus class, our teacher showed us a video showing a dog finding the quickest path to catch a ball using the trajectory of the ball to predict where the ball would land and its own knowledge of its swimming versus running speeds to predict the best place at which to enter the water the ball would land in. The human had thrown the projectile into a river, and the dog started running as soon as the human released the ball. The video was taken from above, and it had been edited to show the audience the calculus required to find the optimal path. The dog followed this path exactly.
But dogs aren’t good at math. I don’t know how you would get a dog to attempt an algebra problem, but they probably couldn’t do it. The calculation required to throw a ball accurately or decide when to cross into the river is probably more instinctual.
You’re begging the question – dogs are good at math! Even if they can’t read or write differential equations, they’re solving the problem posed to them!
Good problem-solvers, but not good at math bc they can’t show their work or write a proof or explain how they got to the result beyond “I don’t know, it just feels right”.
Isn’t math defined as the logical steps to get from axioms to theorems, followed by the application of theorems to specific problems? Dogs don’t do that, they just guess (and often guess correctly).
In addition to our ability to throw shit, humans also have some of the best endurance that mammals have to offer. An example of this is the Human V Horse race in Wales. The race is a 22-mile / 35-kilometer marathon that takes place in mountainous terrain. Normally, a horse would beat a human in a race without a problem. But in a marathon, humans actually stand a chance with an occasional victor in this specific annual race. All due to our exceptional endurance.
Put the projectiles and endurance together, and we make for a terrifying hunter. Imagine you’re some other animal out in the wild. Maybe you’re really fast or really strong. But if a determined human really wants to try and kill you, there’s no out-running it. It’ll catch up eventually. And if you choose to fight the human, they’ll get the first blow.
But if a determined human really wants to try and kill you, there’s no out-running it. It’ll catch up eventually.
We are the metaphorical snail that relentlessly pursues to kill.
A lot of horror stories rely on humans being persistence hunted in some way
Also, we can and do eat some mild poisons because they’re tasty somehow.
I have a love of chocolate, but smaller animals can’t eat as much without severe metabolic issues that might kill them.
And capsaicin is straight-up an anti-mammal deterrent. Birds might be able to eat it with no reaction at all. Meanwhile humans just deal with their temperature receptors being freaking hacked for seemingly no other reason than fun.
The poison thing is relative, there are animals that can eat things toxic to us and vice versa.
