• KombatWombat@lemmy.world
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    5 days ago

    We spec’d for stamina, which turned out to be a hard counter to the current meta. We also have a flexible diet, fine motor control, excellent heat regulation, intricate vocalizations, and arguably best-in-class intelligence (although neanderthals did have larger brains, and other apes have better working memory).

    But we are suffering from our success really. We were able to dominate even with an unoptimized build. So we have things like an appendix and other vestigial structures. Our spines are serviceable for bipedalism but are prone to developing issues and stress points. And our teeth don’t last nearly as long as much of the rest of our body without frequent external maintenance. And our young take a very long time to develop, to the point the actual birth happens basically as late as possible without being a guaranteed death sentence for the mother rather than when the child is ready for the world. Also, humans have a tremendously high ratio of penis to total body mass among primates, making you wonder what kind of freak was behind our character creation.

    • Shayeta@feddit.org
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      5 days ago

      I’m pretty sure I read somewhere the appendix actually functions as backup storage for gut microbes.

      • DahGangalang@infosec.pub
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        5 days ago

        I think thats a thesis that hasn’t been properly peer reviewed (though it does have some clinical evidence), which is to say its not widely accepted as a reason for it to exist (but that that may be changing).