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From: mcguire@aero.ARPA (Rod McGuire)
Newsgroups: sci.bio
Subject: Re: Why are Humans as Smart as They Are?
Message-ID: <15231@aero.ARPA>
Date: Fri, 7-Aug-87 02:06:23 EDT
Article-I.D.: aero.15231
Posted: Fri Aug  7 02:06:23 1987
Date-Received: Sun, 9-Aug-87 08:22:34 EDT
References: <1041@ttidca.TTI.COM>
Reply-To: mcguire@aero.UUCP (Rod McGuire)
Distribution: world
Organization: The Aerospace Corporation, El Segundo, CA
Lines: 14

In article <1041@ttidca.TTI.COM> jackson@ttidcc.UUCP (Dick Jackson) writes:
>Assume that humans have succeeded in evolutionary terms by exploiting the
>"niche" of intelligence
....
>One theory that has been put forward is that, at some stage, our ancestors
>were not the only species specializing in being bright, and the two rival
>species "fought it out", each pushing the other to be cleverer.  Finally,
>WE WON and wiped out the other (Neanderthal?).  OK, I can't get too
>excited about this theory, but at least its a try.

Why assume that selection for intelligence was through competition between
homo and some other specie(s). When homo gene pools can be reproductively
isolated (as is almost the case for tribes, nations, and races) they can
fight out the genes among themselves.