Dinosaurs grew stupid over time; humans as well??

Intro LO:

A 1 December 2024 SCMP article (see below) caught my immediate interest as I’ve had a similar idea mid 2022 that was based on an earlier idea in my 2018 blog:

• 2022: Is stupidity the flip side of beliefs?
• 2018: Knowledge = Power and the Great Filter in civilisations (5)

I prefer my 2022 diagram in this specific stupidity context.

I prefer my 2022 diagram (above) in this specific stupidity context.

My 2018 diagram (left) had and has a more generic context.

There’s still a reason why I suspect that the Great Filter in society can be bridged: extraterrestrial lifeforms.

Example: line 1 in the Sumerian King List strongly suggests that the Sumerian civilisation originated c.250,000 years ago from extraterrestrial astronauts: “After the kingship descended from heaven, the kingship was in Eridu.” 

The Sumerian civilisation was – subsequently – responsible for nearly every “human” invention, like: agriculture, mathematics, time, and writing (eg, History, National Geographic, World History Encyclopedia).

Will humans also grow stupid over time?? In my view, (human) stupidity is the flip side of (human) beliefs (eg, the 7 Belief systems). Hence, it can go both ways for humans.

Dinosaurs grew stupid over time – and the same could happen to humans: study (SCMP)

SCMP subtitle: A new Chinese-led study into the evolution of dinosaurs has offered a timely warning to our technology-reliant world
By: Holly Chik
Date: 1 December 2024

“Horned dinosaurs saw a decline in their intelligence, hearing and sense of smell as they grew larger over the course of 100 million years, according to a study by researchers in China and the United States.

And the scientists said human evolution could follow a similar trajectory if we become too reliant on technology.

“The sense of smell in early-diverging ceratopsians is more sensitive than in Protoceratops [a Late Cretaceous dinosaur in Asia] and late-diverging ceratopsids.

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“Early-diverging ceratopsians had higher hearing frequencies than ceratopsids and non-avian theropods,” the researchers wrote in an article published in the peer-reviewed journal Paleobiology in October.

“The early horned dinosaurs bear relatively large brain volumes, even higher than most extant reptiles.”

The scientists explained that while these functions helped the dinosaurs escape their predators when they were smaller, as they grew larger, they became less useful.

Ceratopsians, known for their frills and horns, were herbivorous dinosaurs that lived in the Jurassic and Cretaceous periods.

Early ceratopsians walked on two legs and measured one to two metres (3.3 to 6.6 feet) in length. For example, Psittacosaurus and Yinlong, meaning “hiding dragon” in Chinese. While Yinlong did not have large horns or frills, it had a raised and triangular-shaped skull common to ceratopsians.

But by the late Cretaceous period, after nearly 100 million years of evolution, ceratopsians walked on four legs and measured up to nine metres (29.5 feet) long. For example, Triceratops evolved to be able to fight Tyrannosaurus rex.

In the new study, the researchers from the China University of Geosciences, the Institute of Vertebrate Palaeontology and Paleoanthropology in Beijing, the Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, and George Washington University performed CAT scans to produce images and analyse brain cavities of dinosaur skull fossils, from which they could reconstruct brain sizes.

Study author Han Fenglu, an associate professor at the China University of Geosciences in Wuhan, said as ceratopsians grew in size, they also developed features such as armour-like coverings to defend themselves against carnivorous dinosaurs and other predators.

“As they grew bigger, the vulnerability of becoming prey decreased. The environment became safer for them than their smaller predecessors who were always alert to threats and relied on speed or agility to escape.

“When the functions that helped dinosaurs stay vigilant were not used as frequently, they degraded,” he said, adding that the sense of smell and hearing were essential for detecting approaching predators.

Using modern animals as examples, Han said carnivorous predators, particularly those that live in groups like lions, exhibit a relatively high level of intelligence to facilitate social coordination and hunting.

In contrast, herbivores, such as bison and zebras, may not require as much intelligence, as their survival primarily hinges on satisfying their hunger and evading predators. The survival odds for most group members during a hunt are high when only one or two animals are targeted, he said.

As for humans, Han said being too reliant on technology might degrade our abilities.

“We can hardly return to living in the jungle or savannah after adapting to modern society. We should consider how to maintain our sharpness in our senses and other capabilities as we evolve,” he said.

“People have become increasingly dependent on technologies with the rise of mechanisation and artificial intelligence. It may be difficult to adapt if we suddenly find ourselves without these tools.

“These findings of dinosaurs remind us not to become too dependent,” he said. “While dinosaurs had no control over their evolution, humans, with our advanced brains, should be able to manage our behaviours and choices.” “

Sources:

• SCMP, 1 december 2024, original source: https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3288492/dinosaurs-grew-stupid-over-time-and-same-could-happen-humans-study
• MSN, text source: https://www.msn.com/en-xl/news/other/dinosaurs-grew-stupid-over-time-and-the-same-could-happen-to-humans-study/ar-AA1v48AL