INTRODUCTION: THE GREATEST MYSTERY OF MANKIND
“Who are we? Where do we come from?” – questions that permeate religions, philosophy, and science. While 2001: A Space Odyssey depicts a monolith as a catalyst for consciousness, and von Däniken with proponents of ancient astronaut theory claim we were “created by aliens,” modern science offers a different story – slower, more complex, and more fascinating. Yet it too carries uncertainties…
FOSSIL RECORD: WHAT WE KNOW AND WHAT WE DON’T
Confirmed Facts:
- “The gap between apes and humans is closed”:
A series of fossils connects us to a common ancestor with chimpanzees:
Ardipithecus ramidus (4.4 mya) → Australopithecus afarensis (Lucy, 3.2 mya) → Homo habilis (tools, 2.8 mya) → Homo heidelbergensis (first hunters, 600,000 ya) → Homo sapiens (300,000 ya). - We weren’t the only “humans”:
Until 40,000 years ago, we shared the planet with Neanderthals and Denisovans (genetic traces in modern humans: 1-4%).
Unsolved Mysteries:
- Sudden Brain Volume Increase:
- A leap from 600cm³ to 1200cm³ 2 million years ago without clear “transitional forms”.
- Why isn’t this enough? Dolphins (1600cm³) and parrots (% of body size) possess intelligence – yet don’t build civilizations.
- Origin of Speech:
- FOXP2 gene existed in Neanderthals – why did only H. sapiens develop complex grammar?
- Disappearance of Neanderthals:
- Remains a great mystery with multiple theories:
• Genocide by H. sapiens
• Lack of immunity to our viruses
• Ecological inferiority
- Remains a great mystery with multiple theories:
“The fossil record is like a puzzle with missing pieces – not evidence for aliens.”
– Dr. Svante Pääbo, Nobel Laureate in Paleogenomics
GENETICS AND EPIGENETICS: HOW DO WE DIFFER?
DNA Differences:
- Only 1.2% of DNA separates us from chimpanzees.
- Key Areas:
- HARs (Human Accelerated Regions): 49 genes for brain development (e.g., HAR1 – cerebral cortex).
- Synapse Genes: SRGAP2 duplicated in humans – increases neuronal density.
Epigenetic “Software”:
- Stress Gene Methylation:
More intensely affects the amygdala (emotion center) in humans. - Inherited Patterns:
Ancestors’ experiences (famine, trauma) alter gene expression across 3-4 generations.
Key Finding:
Neanderthals had the same “intelligence gene” (ARHGAP11B) – but our epigenetic system used it more intensively.
CONSCIOUSNESS: THE SCIENTIFIC BOUNDARY BETWEEN BRAIN AND “SOUL”
What We Know:
- Consciousness Isn’t Uniquely Human:
- Elephants (mirror recognition), crows (wooden tools), dolphins (complex communication).
- Neural Correlate of Consciousness:
- Information integration in the thalamus-cortex network (Integrated Information Theory).
Open Questions:
- Quantum Consciousness?:
- Penrose-Hameroff hypothesis (microtubules) lacks solid evidence.
- “Hard Problem” of Consciousness:
- Why does neural activity create subjective experience?
- But science cannot prove the non-existence of the soul: a subtle energetic structure preserving experiences after death – a concept present in religions and works of:
• Ian Stevenson (reincarnation research)
• Michael Newton (soul “matrices” between lives)
ALIEN MYTHS: WHY DO THEY ARISE?
Pseudoscientific theories fill three scientific gaps:
- Lack of fossils for key transitions.
- Explosive brain development without clear selective advantage.
- Universality of creation myths.
Scientific Explanation:
- Cognitive Need: The human mind seeks a causal agent for complex phenomena (e.g., a “creator”).
- Existential Therapy: Myths alleviate anxiety through “higher meaning”.
“When Prometheus seeks ‘Engineers,’ it metaphorically depicts our quest for creators – while the answer lies in nature’s evolutionary creativity.”
WHERE IS THE BOUNDARY? WHAT MAKES US “HUMAN”?
| Aspect | Animals | Humans |
|---|---|---|
| Tools | Simple (stick, stone) | Complex (AI, Hadron Collider) |
| Communication | Signaling (danger) | Abstract symbols (language, art) |
| Time Perception | Present | Past/future (planning) |
| Morality | Limited empathy | Universal ethical systems |
| Organized Violence | Territorial conflicts | Wars, genocides, systematic cannibalism |
Decisive Difference:
Collective Learning – the ability to accumulate knowledge across generations (cumulative culture).
CONCLUSION: HUMANS – PRODUCT OF EVOLUTION OR COSMIC EXPERIMENT?
Much scientific evidence supports natural evolution:
- Genes connect us to all life.
- The fossil sequence (though fragmented) shows continuity.
- Consciousness is a product of the brain.
But three mysteries remain:
➜ Why did only Homo sapiens develop high culture?
➜ Does a “quantum level” of consciousness exist?
➜ What makes us existentially alone in the universe?
“We may be an ‘evolutionary misunderstanding’ – a species that gained consciousness before it was ready for it.”
– Inspired by Heinlein’s “Stranger in a Strange Land”
CALL TO ACTION
“What do you think? Are we just evolved apes or bearers of something eternal? Can the scientific story of our origin explain human spirituality? Share your vision!”
Leave a Reply to NFL live streams Cancel reply