Tiago:

Email sent.

eddie, Octavian:

Thank you for the support.  These articles aren't sparking a lot of discussion, so it's good to know that my readers appreciate reading them.

Vizeet:

That's an excellent question.  I don't think we know their size at birth: fossil evidence is so thin that we're lucky to have any idea what the adults looked like!  Entire species are implied from jawbones, a few teeth, and part of a humerus (A. anamensis), which leaves a hole in the brain-size data since we have no cranial remains.

Wayne:

You're welcome.

Mary:

I'm glad you appreciate the science, because it's hard work!  I love the process of learning and teaching, but I understand why pot-stirring is so much more popular: it's easier by far. 

(Note to all: the best way to say "thank you" is to buy a copy of The Gnoll Credo or a T-shirt.)

Bodhi:

Glad you're back!  I hope you're well.

We don't know exactly which of nuts and tubers they were eating, because that sort of evidence doesn't fossilize…but palynological evidence (pollen) can at least tell us the type of biome they lived in and what sorts of plants were in it.  Then, dental and cranial analysis tells us what sort of foods they were adapted to eat, and dental wear analysis can sometimes tell us more about the dietary mix they actually ate.

tess:

Most history books start with "The Great Leap Forward", i.e. the Neolithic Revolution — as if nothing at all happened previous to agriculture.  The reality, of course, is that everything happened…

…we became human!

Jackie:

Much appreciated.

mark:

"Meat For The Mind" is now a trademark of J. Stanton 🙂

Nance:

Yes.  The mental process of imitation is very different than the mental process of discovery.

Terry:

Wonderful!  Please fact-check me, and suggest possible improvements if you see any.

pam:

Thanks for the kudo!  It was lonely at first, but then I got a couple more so they're all happy.

Vizeet:

Young chimps are better at problem-solving than young children, but they're not as good at learning by imitation.

There's so much fascinating speculation to be done about Neandertals…I'm sure one will be cloned up at some point.

Thanks, everyone, for your votes of confidence!  I'm glad you're willing to follow along with this deep and technical anthropology.  Paleo has progressed dramatically over the past two years, so in order to discover new knowledge, we must work harder than before.

JS