According to Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution through natural selection, the modern man should be made up of advantageous genetic mutations, accumulated over time, producing the most superior beings thus far.
But it appears that somewhere along the line, we’ve managed to go backwards – deeming out caveman ancestors superior in many ways.
Palaeoanthropologist Peter McAllister joins the show to discuss the research he has conducted.
Drawing from archaeology, anthropology & evolutionary psychology, Peter insists that every man in history, back to the dawn of the species, did everything better, faster, stronger & smarter than any man today.
Why the modern man is no match for our ancestors
Comparison of bones show us that we are genetically almost exactly the same as homo erectus but ours are so much thinner on the shaft because there is much less muscular load placed on it. Effectively, we are so lazy that our bones never develop the strength that they did in ancient times. A Neanderthal woman would actually be able to beat Arnold Schwarzeneggar in an arm wrestle.
The weaker man – strength and intelligence
The evidence of footprints show that we're a good deal slower than Aboriginal man from 20,000 years ago – this includes even our top athletes like Ussain Bolt.
We seem to have less endurance....the ancient Greek trireme rowers were able to row at a speed of 7 knots for about 12 hours. An experiment was done some years ago and discovered that modern man was only able to reach that speed for a mere seconds.
Ultimately, we've advanced further now because there are so many of us & we work together. That's why we're so powerful. But unfortunately, when you look at humans individually our ancestors were still smarter. They had extremely difficult challenges to master everyday so they had to be very smart.
What can be done
Between the ages 8-14 years old are the most important time for forming bone strength – So, the less our kids are on the couch during this period of time, the better!
Highlights from Peter’s book, ‘Manthropology’:
- A biomechanical analysis proving that a Neanderthal woman would have beaten Arnold Schwarzenegger in an arm-wrestle;
- A philological investigation of why 50 Cent would bomb in a rap battle with the poet Homer;
- A comparison of injury rates between today's ultimate fighting and ancient Greek Pankration;
- Every modern claim to masculine fame is debunked, from terrorism (why wouldn't Osama Bin Laden have made Captain in Genghis Lhan's army?) to metrosexuality (why would David Beckham come last in a Fulani tribesmen's beauty pageant?);
- Even the modern male's bragging rights about parenting are shown up as fraud: Congo Pygmy men carry their sons & daughters for 47% percent of their working day, and some Pygmy dads even develop lactating breasts to nurse them. Now that's commitment!
To find out how you can purchase a copy of Peter’s book, ‘Manthropology’, go to www.hachette.com.au
