Newsgroups: sci.lang
Path: cantaloupe.srv.cs.cmu.edu!das-news2.harvard.edu!news2.near.net!news.mathworks.com!uhog.mit.edu!bloom-beacon.mit.edu!news.bu.edu!gw1.att.com!nntpa!not-for-mail
From: rte@anchor.ho.att.com (R.EDWARDS(HOY002)1305)
Subject: Re: Language and genes
Message-ID: <D0xE3A.HBo@nntpa.cb.att.com>
Sender: news@nntpa.cb.att.com (Netnews Administration)
Nntp-Posting-Host: anchor.ho.att.com
Organization: AT&T
References: <D0Inu0.39x@nntpa.cb.att.com> <3cquvj$2b8@chinacat.cwa.com>
Date: Fri, 16 Dec 1994 22:49:58 GMT
Lines: 24

In article <3cquvj$2b8@chinacat.cwa.com>,  <lane@cwa.com> wrote:
>
>From: rte@anchor.ho.att.com (R.EDWARDS(HOY002)1305)
>> 
>> 
>> I believe the transition to HSS begins only about 125 ky ago, and was 
>> not compete (whatever that means) until 50 ky ago, or even later.
>> It is entirely possible, even probable (my feeling, not science)
>> that we are in a cusp of evolution.
>> How do you know there has not been significant change in average language
>> ability in the last 25 ky, for example?  This seems hard to show to me.
>> 
>> Ralph Edwards
>
>It's odd that you would prefer a personal "feeling" that HSS goes
>back only 125 ky, over the estimates of 250 - 350 ky proffered by
>paleoanthro geneticists.

My feeling was on the topic of whether we are in a period of rapid
evolution, not when HSS originated.  I thought ~100 ky was the
correct time frame for appearance of modern appearing humans.
Not so?  Can you give me a good reference for 250-350 ky?
what do paleoanthro geneticists work with, modern variation or
fossils?
