On Tue, 27 Aug 2002 15:20:38 -0400, Todd Moody <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

>On Tue, 27 Aug 2002, Amadeus Schmidt wrote:
>
>> ..availability.
>>  So that's the argument what's left.
>
>I think that would depend on many factors: location, season, etc.
>Remember that tubers are an entire class of plant foods, while
>gazelles are only a single type of game animal.  When the hunters
>don't get a gazelle, they can try for a boar, a turtle, a duck, a
>crab, and so forth.

Yes, of course there are many different kind on animals and some of these
will be available most of the time. Particularly small ones.

Big animal prey could easily become rare in a certain area.
I've read estimations how many humans could live on the big animal prey in a
certain area. Like SW-Germany on a area of ~35,000 sq-km today live 10 mio
people and in the best warm time the most could have been 5000
huntergathering paleohumans. The animals use up a lot of biobroductivity for
themselves. Based on 4-5 big game animals per sq-km.

In the Wrangham article estimations go to many tons of tubers per sq-km and
they are a very reliable source during the whole year - they don't move.
That emphasises their importance in a very dry area like the ice age
savannah, when the woods became small.
I see a lot of good reasons for woodland-apes to develop into something
human-like based on the conditions of an emerging savannah.
Including brain enlargement, bipedalism, fire and tool usage.

>> How did you like my venus of Willendorf as a paleo-DHA-attractiveness
>> demonstration?
>
>I leave it to you to present the argument -- that men like big
>boobs because they symbolize big brains -- to the academic
>community.

Somewhat hard to stay serious on this topic. :-)

> I think it's an idea whose time has come.

Yes really. Should I call it the Big Boob Brain growth theory?
I don't think they just symbolize big brains. They make them.
Let's assume big breasts support brain growth and big brains were a
evolutionary advantage.
Such men who developped a (genetic) preferance for big breasts would have
selected preferrance for fitter offspring. And selected out better.
Even though big breasts would be somewhat hindering in a huntergathering
lifestyle. The big advantage seems to have outperformed the smaller
disadvantage. Chimps, gorillas, dogs, cats all had no improvement by larger
DHA amounts. But humans. Btw the more, the less scavenged brains were eaten.

Yes, Cheyenne, do men like your beautiful brains very much? ;-)
Ahm I mean your smart brained children of course.

Cheers

Amadeus