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<blockquote data-quote="Umbran" data-source="post: 8087581" data-attributes="member: 177">That's a very particular and narrow definition of &quot;success&quot;, and there are flaws with it - they become apparent when you ask the question: Which was more successful - Neanderthals, or modern humans? Neanderthals came on the scene between 315,000 and 800,000 years ago.&nbsp; Some authors claim &quot;modern humans&quot; are whatever didn't become Neanderthals.&nbsp; Others claim that the modern human lineage arose between 350,000 and 260,000 years ago.&nbsp; With that kind of ambiguity, you cannot make a clear argument as to which creature has/had been around longer with least changes.&nbsp; And, the modern human line isn't done yet.&nbsp; It may last a million more years, it may not last out the century.&nbsp; The whole concept of measuring evolutionary success is a human construct largely based out our need to rank things, and is based on our subjective ideas as to what &quot;success&quot; even means.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Umbran, post: 8087581, member: 177"] That's a very particular and narrow definition of "success", and there are flaws with it - they become apparent when you ask the question: Which was more successful - Neanderthals, or modern humans? Neanderthals came on the scene between 315,000 and 800,000 years ago. Some authors claim "modern humans" are whatever didn't become Neanderthals. Others claim that the modern human lineage arose between 350,000 and 260,000 years ago. With that kind of ambiguity, you cannot make a clear argument as to which creature has/had been around longer with least changes. And, the modern human line isn't done yet. It may last a million more years, it may not last out the century. The whole concept of measuring evolutionary success is a human construct largely based out our need to rank things, and is based on our subjective ideas as to what "success" even means. [/QUOTE]

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