How humans evolved to be intelligent | Michio Kaku

We are 99% genetically identical to chimpanzees. These are the three key traits that separate us.

“Only a handful of genes separate us from the chimps, and yet we live twice as long and we have thousands of words in our vocabulary.” Dr. Michio Kaku, the co-founder of string field theory, says that intelligence is not necessary for survival — after all, planet Earth did just fine during the first 4.5 billion years before humans existed.

So what propelled humans, above all other primates, to become intelligent creatures? And why aren’t there more intelligent creatures on Earth? You can thank opposable thumbs, predator eyesight, and language. 

While most living creatures have one of these traits, the combination of all three ingredients is limited solely to humans. If we could determine all the gene variants responsible for these traits, could we manipulate the genome of a chimpanzee, our closest animal relative, to become more human-like? Potentially, says Michio. But should we?

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[marz.]

So how do you become more intelligent?

[greginness]

Language being an ingredient was able to allow ancestors to find a way to leave a message so we can learn from the past therefore becoming more knowledgeable.

[KippWoodard]

One result of the intelligence developed in humans is that they/we have deliberately taken life beyond Earth and are determined to do so permanently. So, "nature" has produced a way to spread life as far as intelligent life can manage to do. The show has barely begun.

[philippedior]

As confident as this guy sounds and as well-presented as he seems, what he is affirming has a lot of gaps.

[quantomic]

Human intelligence accelerated when we started cooking our food. Our brain is power-hungry and consumes up to 25% of our body's energy despite only being 3% of our body mass. Cooking enabled us to extract more calories from our food and the process of cooking led us to socialize more among ourselves, and develop complex languages which led to groups, clans, tribes, and ultimately civilizations.

[rmigalla]

Well, I don't for a minute believe that nature evolved intelligence so that it would be used against itself, which humans seem to be particularly good at these days (using our intelligence against nature, that is). I hope nature evolves us to a new intelligence that dictates that our common welfare comes first. I hope it evolves us into cooperative, courteous, considerate "others" who care for one another, and I hope it does it pretty darned quick.

[AAA-tpnc]

Wouldn’t language be the result of us becoming intelligent, not the cause of it?

[g]

Komodo dragons are predators but have eyes on the side of their face. But Gorillas are herbivores and have eyes in the front of their face. So I’m not sure what exactly he is talking about because Gorillas are way more intelligent than a Komodo or even tigers and lions.

[Thunderguy]

I feel like birds would’ve been the next runner up. I can see them eventually harnessing the power of fire

[renegroulx]

2:50 "The Second Edition of the 20-volume Oxford English Dictionary contains full entries for 171, 476 words"

[eevee_themeanie]

MK is the MJ of theoretical physicists :)

[Unsolicitedbias]

But we are really mostly sort of half intelligent, and half emotional and we process reality based not on information and knowledge. But we like to evoke quick responses to immediate issues without thinking at all. We perceive something and we immediately evoke a fight of flight mode.

And that is how we progress from fight or flight to fight and fight and fight some more. Because in some events, we decided to impose will on each other and take advantage of one another's weaknesses. And by appearing dangerous, we evoke a flight response in those we seek to dominate.

The beginning of emotion leads to competition and aggression and beyond until we end up with war.

Only once we achieve a result we want or we mutually exhaust ourselves and our Prey/Adversary, do we go to war and then end war.

But we seem to do this often, over and over. And nothing really improves globally. In fact the opposite happens. We compete against ourselves into ever decreasing levels of stability and achieve more distress.

These Forever Wars we seem locked into, have tangible economic benefits for a few, but mostly are dangerous to many and environmentally destructive and very costly.

So, how is this intelligent?


At best we are collectively as a species Half Intelligent.

[poksnee]

That does not answer why humans became intelligent. Only effect, not cause.

[psicologiajoseh]

Talking about making chimpanzees more like humans... As I grow older and see the human potential for evil, I accept more easily the fact that not every research possiblity should be pursued.

[tommycarr]

Boy, he is the smartest scientist ever he knows everything. Oh my God he should be God how come, he is not God.

[arulvani]

Are we really intelligent in a way that it aids nature?

[OmegaWolf]

If we did genetically modify a chimpanzee to be more intelligent and human-like, wouldn't that raise some ethical questions?

[Lone_Star]

Why does intelligence at our human level exist at all? I mean the Universe created us so it must be a fundamental part of the Universe.

[maxparkin]

is learning language the feason humans were able to become intelligent, or was language a result of becoming intelligent

[austinharrison]

I think the real question is here will the smarter bunny survive longer than the dumb bunny? He is saying no they both will die at the same rate. Maybe that’s true but it doesn’t sound realistic.