From Humans To Hobbits

More evidence that Blobbiness really does matter. Apart from the obvious health and well-being factors, the consumption of the world resources by large people (Bigger clothes, more food, more space - larger chair room on air planes for example ... the list goes on when you think about it), is a major additional drain on the worlds resources. Recent estimates suggest that currently its equal to at least 1 billion additional people on the planet .... in other words another 17% added to of the population.

And here's a fact that might shake a few people - the USA represents just 6% of the worlds population, but accounts for over 30% of its obesity .... think on that, over 30% of the worlds fatties live in the USA, while Asia accounts for 61% of the global population, but it only accounts for 13% of the weight of the world due to obesity. In fact based upon World Health Organization data from 2005, its been calculated that the average global body weight was 137lb (62kg). But there were huge regional differences. In North America, the average was 178lb (80.7kg), while in Asia it was 127lb (57.7kg) ....

So what happens when the resources available no longer meet a societies needs?

Well obviously, initially scarcity and hoarding push up the prices, creating vast wealth for those who control and have the resources, while great suffering for those who don't, or who can't afford to get them .... then, if the supply issue isn't resolved quickly, and its food, petrol or drinking water that's in shortage, comes the fighting, as first nations, then individuals try to get enough of the resource to meet their actual or perceived needs. Famines, and societal collapses, would appear around the globe once the fighting broke into inter-communal, and individual family levels.

The Future, From Humans to Hobbit?

Then in the much longer term, a smaller race may emerge, with growth restricted by diets (rather than birth control, which humans rarely practise), with less protein and calories available .... there is evidence for this dwarfism happening to different mammal groups who experienced restricted protein for any length of time, with both the hobbit people of Indonesia, and the mini mammoths of the Cretan islands, where in both cases, restricted food supplies led to smaller and smaller individuals to keep the population numbers in tune with the resources available. 

 

If we carry on consuming the equivalent of 1.5 of the Earth's resources, resource famine for both humans and other creatures inhabiting this planet will be inevitable.

Mayan Calendar Art

Despite all the evidence to the contrary, 2012 has seen an explosion of 'mockumentaries' which claim that the Mayans predicted the end of the world.

Mayan Scribes Calendar Calculations Go Past 2012 AD 

Now any reader of this blog will be aware that we at PC towers are as keen on the word 'Apocalypse' as the next 'Forteans', but also that we prefer it to be just far enough away, as to not ruin the weekend.

 

Predictions 2012

Like seers throughout the ages, from Old Mother Shipton, to Nostradamus, blog commentators always feel impelled to have a stab at the coming years events .... its a chance to look stupid within months, weeks or even days.

Nosterdamus And Mother Shipton

But what the heck, here we go for 2012:

• Iran will test fire a Nuclear Bomb sometime this year, with all that this implies.
• All the 'Arab Spring' states will end up with Islamist parties in power, with all that this implies. 
• Nigeria will move closer towards a civil war based upon the Islamic Christian splits that already exist.
• North Korea will attack South Korean forces in another calculated gamble that they can force more aid from them.
• Pakistan will continue to slide backwards, and the army will take over again (that's if they ever really let go).
• Greece will pull out of the Euro, and at least one other state will follow suite.

Oh and one last one ..... the Mayan Apocalypse of 2012 will not be the end of the world .... well not unless the world reacts badly to one of the above, in which case maybe it will be. And that's my thoughts for the year ahead .....

Humans 10,000 yrs in the future

According to latest evolutionary theory findings, humans split from the common ancestor with the Chimpanzees, about 5.4 million years ago which is considerably less time ago than was previously thought to be the case.

 

Evolution From Apes To Human

There was obviously a long period of hybridisation, in which the two proto-species could interbreed, and this cross transfer of genes helped develop the final species of Homo Sapiens.