WDW152H1 Chapter Notes - Chapter 7: Alex Pentland, Bread Crumbs, Scientific American
12 May 2018
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Migration of homo sapiens across planet --> destruction of other species
and ecological changes
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Sophisticated brain, deal with challenges better?
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Development of technologies (hunting, etc.)?
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Climate change weakened other species?
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** Ability for unrelated individuals to cooperate --> created
advanced technologies, solved problems
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How were humans the one to dominate?
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Homo sapiens expanded out from Africa
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Had to build vessels to travel to Oceania
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Eventually expanded to Americas and dominated
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Many Ice Age animals went extinct / ecosystems ruined
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Collaboration
▪
Competitiveness
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2 major factors
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Neanderthals - did not posses these --> were dominated
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Hyperprosociality : proclivity for collaboration, genetically encoded trait
found in humans
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If there is competition between groups, the most social groups will
outcompete the lesser --> their descendants live
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Individuals act aggressively to attain certain goals that will maximize
their survival / reproduction
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Fight for important resources --> defend after attaining
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At first, people lived as nomads --> food grew wherever and they would
search for their next meal
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Human understanding grew - figured how to use the same land and
keep eating --> territoriality
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Development of weapons : more and more lethal
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Temporary balance between sapiens and Neanderthals - same
weapons, but Neanderthals used close-hand, homo sapiens developed
long-range spheres
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Ability to master any environment --> could dominate any place
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Homo sapiens killed Neanderthals --> saw as "others" and a threat
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Curtis W. Marean, “The Most Invasive Species of All,”Scientific American
(August 2015), 33-39.
http://www.nature.com.myaccess.library.utoronto.ca/scientificamerican/journa
l/v313/n2/full/scientificamerican0815-32.html
Kenneth C. Davis, “How Inventions Change History (For the Better and For
the Worse)” (5:15). http://ed.ted.com/lessons/how-inventions-change-history-
for-better-and-for-worse-kenneth-c-davis
Alex Sandy Pentland, “The Data-Driven Society,” Scientific American
(October 2013), 78-83. Available at:
Many issues in 21st century - can't be solved with theories of the
enlightenment
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Predictive Power of Digital Bread Crumbs
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http://www.nature.com.myaccess.library.utoronto.ca/scientificamerican/journa
l/v309/n4/full/scientificamerican1013-78.html
Reading 2.7: Innovation Past and Future: From
Writing to Big Data
March 1, 2017
7:08 PM
READINGS Page 1
Document Summary
Curtis w. marean, the most invasive species of all, scientific american (august 2015), 33-39. http://www. nature. com. myaccess. library. utoronto. ca/scientificamerican/journa l/v313/n2/full/scientificamerican0815-32. html. Migration of homo sapiens across planet --> destruction of other species and ecological changes. ** ability for unrelated individuals to cooperate --> created advanced technologies, solved problems. Had to build vessels to travel to oceania. Many ice age animals went extinct / ecosystems ruined. Neanderthals - did not posses these --> were dominated. Hyperprosociality : proclivity for collaboration, genetically encoded trait found in humans. If there is competition between groups, the most social groups will outcompete the lesser --> their descendants live. Individuals act aggressively to attain certain goals that will maximize their survival / reproduction. Fight for important resources --> defend after attaining. At first, people lived as nomads --> food grew wherever and they would search for their next meal. Human understanding grew - figured how to use the same land and keep eating --> territoriality.
