Question: how DID WE ADAPT FROM CAVEMEN TO HUMANS

Jeremy Green answered on 17 Jun 2011:

We adapted from cavemen (and cavewomen!) to humans in the same way all evolution works:
1. Individuals (people in this case) in a population differ in many ways
2. Some of the differences enable them to have more children who survive long enough to have their own children
3. If the differences are in the genes (i.e. inherited from parent to child rather than learned later), then they are passed on to those children and grandchildren
5. As this is repeated over generations, the individuals with those “good” genes increasingly outnumber those with the “bad” genes
6. Finally almost all the individuals have only the “good” genes and the whole population is different enough from the ancestors to be a new species.

“Good” genes are those that enable more children to survive, and these can include not only genes for individual health but also for sociableness, since working with others and giving and receiving help enables you to have more children who survive long enough to have children themselves.