EVE General Discussion

Fun Homo facts:

- Homo ergaster may or may not have been the first species in the genus Homo to use what we would recognize as "human" speech, and were likely the "Philistines" described in the Christian and Catholic Bible, as well as the ancient Hebrew records.

- At present time, there are believed to have been 12 different species of intelligent Homo, throughout history. All capable of similar higher brain function to modern-day Homo sapiens, as well as varying forms of speech, society, and building tools and shelter.

- the only two genus of animal on the planet that are known to share the same level of intelligence and higher brain function to humans, are Tercinus (common dolphins) and Orcinus ("Killer" Whales). These animals have spoken language and culture, have been observed to use makeshift recreational drugs, and even name their offspring, and mourn (and seek revenge for) their dead. India has recently banned aquariums that house such creatures, based on anti-slavery laws.

- of all the known or speculated species within the genus Homo, only Homo sapiens is known to remain to this day, with no known extant species.

- there is currently a debate to reclassify Chimpanzees under the genus Homo.

- Chimpanzees are the most physically similar to humans of all the animals, however it was long thought that rats were most genetically similar. Although this has recently been overturned by new data from the nearly complete Human Genome Project, we still often use rats to test drugs and other products, because of ethical implications and the fact that rats are more FUNCTIONALLY similar to humans than nearly every other animal.

- Of the 12 known Homo species, it is believed that as many as 7 species, including sapiens, once existed at the same time as eachother. There is only evidence of sapiens interbreeding with neanderthalensis, however, others have not been ruled out.