Chapter 4
It's Only Human
…
50 Million Years Ago
With the sight of the immense bolide impact fresh on your mind, Peridot takes the time machine into the heart of a vast tropical forest. Huge cypress trees were interspersed with an abundance of different flowering trees, shrubs, and climbers. You even make out what appear to be citrus or mango like fruits growing on some of the broadleaved trees, alongside palm trees. The tell-tale sound of birdsong and insect calls is ever present.
"Following the extinction event at the end of the Mesozoic Era was the Cenozoic Era, which is the time of Earth's history that you were born into. In fact, all of human history as well as the last 66 million years of life on Earth are all encompassed by the Cenozoic!" Peridot explains, opening the pod and jumping out. "We're standing in a world that has completely recovered from the devastation: a lush paradise where tropical forests are growing all across the planet, even at the poles!"
You follow beside Peridot as you take in the views. A group of heron-like birds is residing in a pool, as flocks of parrots fly from tree to tree. "There are still plenty of dinosaurs around, in the form of birds, and most of the major groups we have in the present day had evolved around this time. However, this is a world dominated by mammals, like you!" Peridot grins, "mammals actually evolved early in the Mesozoic, but we didn't have time to find any. 50 million years ago, the three major groups of mammals were all well-established: the egg-laying monotremes (like the platypus and echidnas), the marsupials (who carry their young in pouches, like kangaroos and opossums), and the placentals (which includes all the rest). In the end it was the placental mammals who would rise among their kin, eventually taking over most of the major herbivore and carnivore niches on Earth, save for some places."
Before you can keep walking, Peridot grabs your arm and stops you. Something has caught her attention by the edge of a river. She turns, placing a finger to her lips, and takes you closer. Residing in between two young redwood trees, she points towards the shoreline. "Take a look at that!"
You spot what appears to be a strange group of mammals playing in the water. They're very dog-like in their face and body, but that's where familiarity ends. They have hoofed feet and a very slinky, otter-like tail. "Can you guess what mammals will descend from these guys?" Peridot asks, poking your arm playfully. You remain dumbfounded, giving her a comedic shrug.
"These are called Pakicetus, and they are some of the oldest known whales!" Peridot says, to which you turn to her and cock an eyebrow. "Seriously! Here, pay attention to the placement of their eyes. They're high up on their skulls! That helps them see above the surface while they forage in the river for food. And you won't be able to tell, but they have a special mutation in their ear bones that allows them to make out sounds underwater. Overtime, mammals like Pakicetus will become more streamlined, losing their fur while they increase the length and strength of their tails for swimming. They'll turn their hoofed feet into fins, and their eyes will move to the sides of their heads while their nostrils move up to their skulls. Next thing you know, their hindlimb bones have sunk into their bodies and they have flukes at the ends of their tails. In just 10 million years, these animals will grow to lengths of 60 feet or more, becoming fully-fledged marine mammals. It's a whale of a tale, if I do say so myself!" Peridot chuckles, as you roll your eyes and flick her nose.
"Hey!" she yells, causing the Pakicetus group to sense your presence and bolt under the water.
"Aww man, you scared them off!" she groans, before hearing the stamping of feet behind a grove of shrubs. "Oh well, there are plenty of other mammals to see. Let's look over there!"
Peering over the dense foliage, you both witness a collection of smaller mammals running in unison. They too are dog-like, but in size rather than appearance. A tiny whinny gives their identity away clearly. "These are early horses, called Eohippus. They have four tiny hoofed-toes on their forefeet and three toes on their hindfeet, perfect for scampering through the undergrowth of forests! And they need to be able to run, because there are always predators around!"
As if on cue, one horse straggles behind as the massive form of a crocodilian appears behind it, grabbing the poor thing by the ankles and trashing it about. Now dead, the predator quickly swallows the horse whole, and proceeds to gallop away on lengthy, hoofed legs.
"Yeesh, I do not want to run into a planocraniid crocodile in a dark alley. I'd rather take my chances with an angry Yellow Diamond… and I have. Nuehehe." Peridot comments, crossing her arms.
You make out a noise overhead, motioning to Peridot. She looks up with you to find a small congregation of bats fluttering on the branches of a tree. They don't look particularly unique compared to the bats you've seen at home. "Oh cool, bats!" she turns to you, "you don't seem impressed? That's fair. We don't actually have a good idea what the first bats looked like, because the earliest fossils we have already show animals with full wings and even rudimentary echolocation, like these ones. Still, they are pretty impressive, bats are the last vertebrate group to take to the air."
The two of you continue to move through the forest, making your way back to the time machine. You pass by all sorts of early mammals, all the representatives of living groups are there. As you enter the clearing where the time machine is parked, you are stopped in your tracks as you witness a confrontation between two tree-living mammals right above the pod. Peridot takes notice and gives a small smile as she wraps an arm around your shoulder. "Check it out! Primates!"
Taking a seat on a nearby rock, Peridot observes the fighting animals carefully. "Well this is awfully convenient. The species that are having this little argument each belong to one of the major groups of primates!" She points to the ones at the left, which have lanky bodies, fluffy tails, pointed ears, and faces tipped with a dog-like snout. "Those are Notharctus, members of the wet-nosed primates. They used to be very common around the world, but have been supplanted by mammals like those over there." Now, she points to those on the left, which are much smaller, with rounded faces, wide ears, and thinner tails. "Those are called Eosimias, and they belong to the dry-nosed primate group. The descendants of primates like Notharctus will give rise to the lemurs, lorises, and bushbabies, while those of mammals like Eosimias will spawn tarsiers, monkeys, and apes."
The two groups continue to chatter as one of the Eosimias takes a swipe at a Notharctus, who proceeds to run off, while the others are chased likewise by the rest.
"What makes primates unique among mammals are traits like stereoscopic eyes, which give them 3D vision, that way they can have depth perception while running through the trees or finding food." Peridot flicks her thumb in and out a few times, "opposable thumbs are pretty good too, it turns out. They're much easier to use to grip branches or catch delicious fruits and bugs than paws. And having a larger brain-to-body ratio helps process all of this! Primates are smart!"
Checking if the coast is clear, she leads you back to the time machine, closing the window before anything climbs inside. "For the next few million years after this time, the Earth will experience a slow yet dramatic period of cooling, caused by mountain-building and the change of continents. Antarctica, for example, will finally end up an island continent, as Australia and South America break away from it. This will allow a new ocean current to form around the landmass, severing the warm currents in favor of cool ones. The landscape will get colder and drier. Glaciers will start to form. The great rainforests will retreat, being slowly replaced by temperate deciduous forests, where the trees actually shed their leaves with the seasons. Mammals and other organics will evolve and die out, and the world will begin to get much more… familiar."
…
Western North America, 20 Million Years Ago
Now the time machine appears in a yellow-orange grassy field that extends for hundreds of miles outward. There are a few scattered trees here and there, but the dense jungle is all but gone. Peridot calmy opens the window and a gentle breeze flows into the pod, filling your lungs with an earthy scent.
You're the first to get out this time, and you plant your feet onto soft soil, the reeds breaking beneath you. Peridot comes out, her eyes all starry.
"Ooh. Feels like home," she says. "Come on, let's stand on that hill over there, I want to get a better view!"
You follow as she tredges up the slightly steep hill, finally making it to the top. When you arrive, you give a small gasp as you witness a massive herd of horses running through the plains. They're accompanied by small camels, strange antelope-like creatures, and many others. Feels like a safari.
Stretching, Peridot falls back-first into the grass, catching you off guard. Laughing, you lay down beside her.
"Wow, this is so great. While much of the world turned into deciduous forest, many parts were dramatically affected by the cooling and drying of the climate. Grasses, a type of flowering plant that had originally evolved in the Cretaceous, was hardy enough to overcome the change, and eventually spread out over many parts of the world. It was around this time, 20 million years ago, that the first grasslands developed. Prairies, savannas, steppes, meadows, all based around a single type of plant. And with their spread came a sharp change in animal and plant life."
A small field mouse grasps to a large reed, looking down at your resting forms. It flickers is nose, only the jump back quickly as a small snake slithers past. The reptile keeps its distance from you.
Peridot continues, picking up a dandelion, "some types of flowering plants became remarkably hardy, able to live amongst the grasses, which were often prone to repeated wildfires. These species, called composites, were able to take root and grow so fast that they often outcompeted many other wildflowers that grew nearby. Flowers like daisies, dandelions, and sunflowers belong to the composite group. Smaller animals also took advantage of the grasslands, with rodents, rabbits, and shrews growing in number and living in burrows, as reptiles like the first venomous snakes followed them."
You hear a growing tapping sound, which makes the two of you nervous. Staying low amongst the grass, you both hold onto each other as a single horse head pokes through the reeds. Peridot sighs in relief as the horse snorts and starts walking away. Finally standing up, you both follow after it at a safe distance.
"That horse is a long way off from Eohippus! As the forests retreated over time, many groups of hoofed mammals that were used to browsing on leaves took to living in grasslands, and they adapted their bodies accordingly. Horses, camels, and other herbivores lengthened the roots of their teeth and mutations allowed them to constantly grow in life, since eating grass wears down teeth! Their legs lengthened too, and most of them lost most of their toes. Horses, for example, have reduced all their digits to just one single hoof, which corresponds to your middle finger."
The horse continues to graze, before a noise stops it in its tracks. Giving a yelp, the horse bolts off, with the whole herd following in turn. A pack of enormous dogs is giving chase behind, trying to fragment the herd to pick off a younger foal.
"Wow! Epicyon! Those are some of the biggest dogs that will ever exist!" Peridot jumps in place, "like I said, there are always predators around! Carnivorous mammals followed the herbivores onto the plains, developing their own traits to suit this new world. They too lengthened their legs, and started running on their toes rather than the soles of their feet. To protect themselves, herbivores started forming larger herds, and many predators took up pack hunting for the first time. It was a big evolutionary game of running and gunning!"
You both continue to watch. It's a fantastic chase, but the horses manage to get away. The great dogs are too tired to continue, and they sulk away to rest for a later chase. You both head back to the time machine, and Peridot sets new coordinates.
"Grasslands will continue to be a major ecosystem on Earth, and ever more animals and plants will adapt to its riches, but many more will still stay to the forests, developing their own unique lifestyles. For the primates, they'll continue to diversify. Monkeys, for example, will switch to a mostly herbivorous diet of leaves and fruits. They'll be able to see in full-color vision, which helps when you want to know, say, what fruits are ripe. Some of these monkeys will grow in size, not just their bodies but their brains too. Their shoulder joints will become more mobile, so that they can swing their arms freely through the trees. And they'll begin to reduce their tails till there's none left at all. Their descendants will become apes, and that's just who we're about to see next!"
…
Present Day Ethiopia, 4.4 Million Years Ago
The time machine stops right under the grove of a gangly tree. Its leaves are very thin and prickly, and ants are crawling all about it. Peridot opens the window and begins flicking ants away as they start entering the pod. "Okay, get out for a second." she nudges you out of the machine, sending you rocking forward awkwardly. You turn to see Peridot grabbing a branch and swinging at the swarming ants, but her luck runs short as ants start falling from the branch itself! Screaming, she throws the branch and pulls her little grabbing-device from her gem. Pointing it at the time machine, she shoots the laser and picks up the entire pod, giving it a good shake. Finally, she readjusts the pod and moves it to a clearer location, away from annoying bugs.
Huffing, she turns off the laser and puts the device back in her gem. She turns to you, her hair slightly ruffled, "we definitely don't want any stowaways on this adventure."
You giggle as Peridot fixes her hair, before giving a wide-armed gesture. "Welcome to Africa! The birthplace of humanity! Just two million years prior, apes ranged all across Africa and Eurasia. There was a brief warming period where many of the forests expanded, and apes took advantage of all the available space, but by 6 million years ago, the cooling commenced again and the forests began to shrink. Many species of apes died out, their niches left vacant for different types of monkeys to fill. There was one type, however, that managed to survive and flourish in the drying ecosystem. So, here we are 4.4 million years ago to see a descendant of this ape! Let's go!"
As you follow Peridot, you take notice of the environment. It's an open woodland: there are trees all around, but there are noticeable gaps between them, filled by grasses, ferns, and other low-growing plants. You can make out the vast savanna beyond the trees, where vast herds of long-extinct animals graze and hunt. Peridot turns to you, walking backwards, as she makes a "camera" pose with her hands.
"Just take a second and think about how you're moving: balanced on two legs. The group of apes that humans belong two are known as hominins, and they're special because they were bipeds. They moved on just two legs, and by having to do so frequently, their skeletons became modified." Peridot pulls out her tablet from her gem, displaying a photo of a human skull. "Notice that hole at the base of the skull? That's called the foramen magnum: it's where your spine attaches to your head! Apes and other mammals have this too, but it's positioned at an angle. Hominins, on the other hand, have theirs facing vertically, to keep their heads up over their shoulders. It's definitely easier to look around that way." She changes the picture again, this time to a photo of a pelvis. "Then there's the pelvis, which had to become bowl-shaped to better support the organs, not to mention it helps keep the hindlimbs underneath the body." Lastly, she changes the image to a photo of the bones of the foot. "And here's the foot, now with a firm heel to keep you up on your feet with a spring in your step!"
Peridot puts the tablet away. "The earliest hominins evolved between 12 and 7 million years ago, having split from a common ancestor with chimpanzees. That is to say, chimpanzees and hominins shared the same ancestor, making them very closely related. One of those earliest species, called Ardipithecus ramidus, is who we're here to see."
The two of you reach the corner of a grove of trees, entering into a much denser patch. Peridot takes a quick peek around the corner, before motioning you closer. As you look, you see a family of five Ardipithecus all feasting together. One has collected some soft nuts and is gently popping them into his mouth, one at a time. Another, a mother with an infant, is sipping from a cracked bird's egg, the baby looking curiously at it. The other two are digging for grubs.
"Aww, a little family." Peridot coos, "Ardipithecus lived in a mosaic environment, meaning that their home sported all sorts of different regions, from the open woodland we just passed, to the grassland periphery, to the more dense patches of forest, like over here. That means that these hominins have access to a wide variety of resources, and most foods are available to them. But there are always dangers: nothing scarier than a saber-toothed cat or a giant hyena to keep you on guard."
One of the Ardipithecus stops digging for grubs and perks her head up. The others look on with tense curiosity. Sniffing the air, the hominin gives a small hoot, and before long the entire group is quickly moving towards the trees.
"That's why it helps to be able to move bipedally, you can get from one patch of trees to another and save energy doing so! A human like yourself actually uses 75% less energy walking on two legs than a chimpanzee does on all fours. However, that doesn't mean that tree-living is no longer a viable lifestyle!"
The Ardipithecus family ambles up into the trees, using their hands and feet to grip onto the trunks of the trees. Once among the branches, they calm down, one of them still giving a look out in case.
"The hands of Ardipithecus are rather simple in their build. They don't knuckle walk like chimpanzees, but use their palms for walking. Their feet are very traditionally-ape too: with a big divergent toe for extra grip, yet they already have the firm heel for additional support on two legs. It's an effective combo, and they can even stand and move upright in the trees. Check it out!"
Peridot points at one of the hominins, the mother with the infant, who is currently walking upright along a large branch. She settles down at the end of the branch on a nice pile of leaves.
"Sweet." Peridot comments, before leading you back to the time machine yet again.
…
Present Day Ethiopia, 3.2 Million Years Ago
Piloting the time machine, Peridot flies you over expansive African savanna. You move past herds of elephants and buffalo, and there are pairs of giraffes on the move. She lowers the pod down just enough to cruise comfortably past a small, winding stream.
"I've only jumped us forward 1.2 million years. We're still in the same region we were last time, but now the grasslands have expanded even more. Those mosaic environments are much further away now, and any hominins that stayed put had evolved to better suit their new grassy plains. They were now obligate bipeds: fully committed to a life on two legs. The long big toe has now aligned with all the other toes to form a more recognizable padded foot. After hominins like Ardipithecus, many different species evolved and often co-existed together."
Peridot lands the time machine at the edge of a large basalt quarry, interspersed between some thick patches of grass. "With luck this group hasn't seen us yet." she comments, before leaving the pod with you. Taking careful steps, you peer out over the grass to see a slightly larger group of hominins collecting and working with stones around the quarry. They're much larger than the Ardipithecus you saw earlier: two big males about 5 feet tall, and four females only 3 feet tall. One of the males is quite scruffy in their face, with a beard sporting patches of white, as are one of the females.
"These are called Praeanthropus afarensis. What's remarkable about hominins like these is that they will be some of the earliest known members of your family tree to figure out the process of making stone tools! Like other apes, they understand how to manipulate things like sticks and leaves and turn them into quick tools, but the process of shaping a rock takes much more effort and skill. They had to visualize what they wanted from a blank stone, and then work hard to get their desired results." Peridot explains.
You watch one of the Praeanthropus select a sizable stone (about the size of a football) and place it on the ground. Taking another slightly smaller stone they had saved nearby, the hominin begins striking the small stone against the big one, producing some flakes that bounced away. It proceeds to repeat this motion all around the rock, making slow progress.
"Yeesh, I forgot how long this could take. If you don't mind…" Peridot begins, as you give a small thumbs up. "... that's what I thought." She takes you back into the time machine and fast forwards only for 30 minutes. Once you both exit, you see that the group has now finished several stone tools. They begin picking them up and leaving the quarry.
"Later types of stone tools would take many hours to construct, as their designs became more specific and tailored to different species. Let's follow this family and see what all this work was for." Peridot suggests, before activating the time machine's limbs and walking at short distance behind the group.
It's only a 15 minute hike and one of the female Praeanthropus stops, looking around and giving a motion with her hand. Everyone else observes as she gets on her knees and pats the rough dirt. Before long she's hitting the soil with her stone tool, sending puffs of pebbles and dirt flying outwards. The other Praeanthropus follow her lead.
Peridot nods her head, "ohhh, that makes sense. That dirt is too hard for sticks: they created these tools to be able to actually dig! I can already guess what's on the menu."
One of the other females has hit her mark. Frantically hooting, she paws away the rest of the soil and pulls out a very large tuber. Everyone cheers, panting and hooting as they continue digging for more. The successful female grins and places the root vegetable beside her. Then she's back to digging.
"Hominins like Praeanthropus had big canine teeth that were great for stripping tough, fibrous plants. These tubers - or underground storage organs - had all of the essential nutrients they need to make it through these hot, dry times in Africa. They even provide fresh, clean water! Which is helpful if you don't want to try your luck at the edge of a lakebed… crocodiles and angry hippos are a threat here."
As the group celebrates the uncovering of more tubers, Peridot sets new coordinates in the time machine. "For the most part, hominins were herbivores, only occasionally supplementing their diet with small animals. But that was soon to change!"
…
Present Day Tanzania, 2 Million Years Ago
The landscape has changed slightly: it's still a savanna, but now Peridot has taken you to the edge of a vast lake, surrounded by an abundance of acacias, palms, and other trees. It's an oasis! As the time machine descends, Peridot nudges your shoulder and points below, where you spot a pride of lions that has just made a kill. They've completely surrounded a deceased kudu (a spiral-horned antelope) and the male has started eating at the neck. Vultures and storks are scattered several feet away waiting for their chance and a lone jackal is cautiously sitting further still.
"Yeesh, thank goodness Lion only eats lizards. Steven's eyes must remain pure!" Peridot comically states, "anyway, we're not here for the lions. What we want to see are the band of hominins much further away. It's lunchtime and they're not taking any chances!"
The time machine rests between the two congregations, just out of notice. To play it safe, you both stay in the pod.
The hominins look much more familiar now. Their faces are noticeably flatter, lacking the jutting jaws of the earlier Praeanthropus, but they're now sporting significantly large brow ridges over their eyes. They're still hairy, but their body covering has reduced quite a bit. Most notable of all, all the males and females share the same height.
"Your Earth scientists have designated these hominins, Homo habilis, as the very first humans. All organics on Earth have scientific names, a genus and a species, that is understandable to people all around the planet. When the first members of the genus Homo evolved, around 2.8 million years ago, they had developed into such distinct hominins that they looked very different from the earlier species, like Praeanthropus. What's more important, however, is that early humans behaved differently too. They started cooperating on more and more tasks. Different adults started sharing in the care of infants, allowing the mothers a chance to rest once and awhile. And humans started expanding their diets to include flesh from other, larger animals, but to get food like that you had to be bolder."
Many of the group of Homo habilis were wielding some sticks and branches, while two others were tightly holding onto a collection of stone tools. As they approached the lion pride, some of the humans started calling and waving the wood in the air. One smaller member even starting picking up stones and chucking them at the big cats. One lioness runs off, while two others started snarling and closely guarding their kill. The humans only shouted louder, and one threw his stick right at the big male. It wasn't long before all of the other lionesses ran off a good distance, the male lagging behind. As soon as they could, the Homo habilis ran up to the carcass and started dividing themselves to different sections.
"I think we can get a little bit closer for now. They'll be so preoccupied with this that they won't notice us much." Peridot says, taking the pod a little ways towards the carcass. They're about 15 feet away, and a vulture has perched on top of the pod.
"What we just witnessed was called power scavenging. Why hunt after big game when you can just let the predators do it for you?" Peridot explains, "Originally, this practice would have started out with the humans coming across already eaten remains. Only later would humans start intimidating the predators into getting fresher meals, which is what these humans have done. Their primary goal now is to get as much food as they can before the lions come back."
The Homo habilis have managed to slice through the thinner skins around the limbs and neck and have begun to split open the bones with their stone tools.
"These stone tools - they're called Oldowan - are much more complex than the earlier ones that Praeanthropus used. These stones can do more than just dig, they're a combination of knife, hammer, and pick-ax: like a prehistoric swiss-army kit!"
One human has managed to split a bone in two. Using his finger, he scoops along the inside and pulls out a wad of marrow. He puts it in his mouth and smiles, before hacking at the sides of the bone to pull it away from the leg. Some others follow suit, separating the bones they need. Three individuals have started separating the fat from the muscle. "Notice how they're not getting at the meat." Peridot points out, "The fat and bone marrow from carcasses like these give a lot more calories than regular old red meat, which is good because nutrients are hard to come by around here. And this is critical in the development of the human brain. Your brain, right now, is 60% fat. Early humans like these would have needed a lot of it just to support themselves, since members of the genus Homo had larger brains than their ancestors."
It isn't too long before the pride of lions started trotting back towards the carcass. One Homo habilis gives an alarm call as the rest of the family picks up their stone tools, bones, and pieces of fat and bolts away as fast as they could. Peridot takes the time machine and flies off into the air, just as the lions return to continue their feast.
"Teamwork, ingenuity, and a little courage: these are the traits that define humans, and your ancestors were certainly all of that!" Peridot nudges your shoulder, "Eventually, humans would simply add to their knowledge base, and lead the way for some of the most creative ideas ever thought!" Happily punching a new time period, Peridot sends the time machine in a flurry in lights and sparkles.
…
Present Day Java, Indonesia, 700,000 Years Ago
It's dusk when the time machine appears above the canopy of a great tropical forest. The woodlands are open, with many clearings covered in dense grasses, shrubs, and ferns. There are small watering holes here and there, and you can make out great mountains in the distance. Peridot flies on, confidently. "Around the time that we visited Homo habilis, early humans had already began to expand their range outside of the African continent, having already made it as far as East Asia. This happened over many tens of thousands of years, as regional climates changed or as resources shifted. The humans we're about to meet, Homo erectus, have made Eurasia their home continent, and we're at the southernmost part of their range."
The time machine flies down into the woods, passing a few tall trees before settling softly between two bushes covered in beautiful, red flowers. Peridot leads you out of the time machine, and you plop your feet into the thick undergrowth. Several butterflies flutter away as you trudge along, and you find yourself wiping your sweaty brow.
"Yeah," Peridot notices, "it's quite humid here. Earlier, back in Africa, humans were having a difficult time moving through the hot, dry savannas. Being bipedal helped a little bit, since there wasn't as much surface area exposed to the sun as before, but their furry bodies made overheating a common problem. So, around 1.2 million years ago, a series of mutations arose that reduced the density and thickness of the hair on the body, made the skin darker in pigment, and spread sweat glands all across the body. This was an ideal arrangement, because now humans could better regulate their body temperature by sweating, while their dark skin prevented much of the sun's ultraviolet radiation from hitting them. As they spread across Eurasia, they took these traits with them."
You push away more branches and leaves as you follow Peridot. All of a sudden, you hear movement in the distance. It sounds like something running, with the footsteps sounding frantic and panicked. As the sound increases in volume, you pull Peridot back in time as a deer sprints across your path.
"Nyeah!" Peridot yelps, clinging to your arm. "That was really close! Thanks for the save."
You nod, before looking back at the deer, which has moved into the brush. And yet, you hear more sound. It feels like multiple animals running in unison. Not taking any chances, you lead Peridot behind a tree trunk, and watch as several humans enter the clearing. They're very tall and very nude, wielding sharpened, wooden spears, and moving on thin but muscular legs. They stop for a quick rest. One individual, a male, is pacing around the area as his companions stand there, breathing heavily. He has his hand out as he walks, as if reaching forwards. To your (and Peridot's) surprise, he finds you both behind the tree.
"Umm…" Peridot gulps.
The man stops, peering at you both with curious eyes, and speaks something unintelligible to you.
You think fast. You point your finger in the direction of the deer.
Smiling, he calls back to his friends, and in no time they're running towards the deer's path. With an almost kind expression, he urges you both to follow him.
"Sure, the pleasure's all ours!" Peridot talks back, with an unsure tinge to her voice.
Soon, Peridot and you are running alongside a group of Homo erectus, hunting a deer. You didn't prepare for this type of exercise, and before long you're huffing and puffing as you keep up.
"Well, I didn't expect to actually participate in the events of my story… but I guess I should be prepared for anything!" Peridot laughs, turning to you as you run. "These humans are engaging in endurance running. That deer knows it's vulnerable as prey, so it's giving it all it's got! By doing so, however, it's wasting a lot of energy and stamina. For a hunter Homo erectus, persistence is key. This deer is much faster than these humans, and they know that, so why waste energy trying to catch up to it? By chasing it as this reasonable pace, these humans can keep up while the deer slowly exhausts itself. This process can sometimes take days, so who knows how long these guys have been at it?!"
The chase goes on for several minutes, and you readily notice that the time machine is now long behind you. One of the hunters (the one who found you both) stops and gives a signal with his hand. You're all now focused on him. He slowly moves past some bushes and sees that the deer has collapsed on the ground, resting on its front limbs. Panting deeply, it notices the hunters, but doesn't do anything to move. Cautiously, the hunters approach. You stay behind with Peridot, who's all eyes on the deer. "Yep. It's over."
With a swift thrust, the Homo erectus male delivers a jab into the deer's neck. The others follow likewise, stabbing the animal in the hide. Within a minute, the deer is dead, and the men give out a victorious yell. Such hard work has finally led to success.
One male looks over and finds a bush filled with berries. He walks over, takes a close look, and begins picking at them. Some of the other males take a seat and stretch their bodies, while the hunter who delivered the first blow walks up to Peridot and you. He speaks to you, specifically, and smiles as he gestures with his hands. You can't make out what he's saying at all, causing Peridot to poke at your side. "I think he's thanking you. Just smile and nod your head." As you do so, he nods back, before one of the other males returns with a handful of berries. He offers them to the hunter, and then to you both.
"Oh? Wow, thanks!" Peridot says, taking some berries. You pick a few as well, and they're very refreshing after such a long run.
…
Peridot decides that it would be a good idea to follow the band of hunters home, which turned into an hour long hike. You're just grateful that you're not one of the two hunters dragging the heavy deer by the hindlimbs. One male is carefully eyeing around the forest, as if keeping watch for predators.
It's nearly nightfall when you all return. The campsite for these Homo erectus looks surprisingly comfortable. It's located at the base of a steep, tree-covered hill, and there is a series of branches and sticks that have been placed all in a row around the camp, acting as a sort of short-fence. There's a fire going on at the center, in a dug-out pit. Several happy faces greet you all as you enter, including several children. They stop when they catch site of Peridot and you, but welcome you all the same after the hunter explains your help.
"It looks like we're visitors for the night. I hope you don't mind a sleepover?" Peridot sheepishly says, to which you shrug your shoulders. It could be worse.
As you both sit by the fire, Peridot eyes it with passion. "Hominins have probably been relying on fire since the first species evolved. Even chimpanzees like to follow forest fires, picking up the charred animals and plants in their wake. We have evidence that humans like Homo erectus were creating campfires by 1.6 million years ago, though don't ask me how they set up this one. They could very well have collected it from a brush fire for all I know."
You turn to find some of the women and men butchering the deer carcass. They're setting aside the marrow and fat, but they're also selecting cuts of meat and placing them on small flattened pieces of bark, which are gradually being placed at the edge of the fire, cooked, and passed around.
"Homo erectus and its relatives were probably some of the first humans to actually cook their food. Whether it's meat or vegetables, cooking helps breakdown food for easier consumption, making it nice and soft and killing any harmful bacteria that might be living in it." Peridot explains, as one of the women hand you both plates of meat. Simultaneously, you give each other an unsure look, before Peridot chuckles. "At least it's cooked." She picks up the meat, but it's still a bit hot, causing her to flap her hand to blow away the head. "Ah!"
You hear a giggle from across the campfire. One of the Homo erectus women is laughing at Peridot's accident. She's sitting down with her legs out, as she presses her hand to her enlarged belly. She's pregnant.
Waiting a little bit longer for the meat to cool, you take a bite. It's pretty much like the venison you've eaten before, though it's pretty bland. Guess you'll have to wait a couple tens of thousand years before spices are discovered.
As Peridot eats, she turns to see two young Homo erectus playing around with sticks. There's an elderly woman sitting close by, holding one of the wooden spears in her left hand and a stone tool in her right. She's talking to the kids, making sweeping gestures with her right hand across the end of the spear. One child takes his stick, picks up a rock, and attempts to copy the elder.
"Ahh, collective learning." Peridot sighs, "that's a hallmark of humanity. Your ancestors had the ability to build up their knowledge of the world, just like other animals. Unlike them, however, that knowledge didn't vanish when the animal died. They were able to teach what they knew to other members of their kin, including their children, thereby passing down that information from generation to generation. Not only that, but those descendants could build upon what they learned, leading to ever more innovations and inventions!"
You smile at the young Homo erectus, who are acting very cute as they copy their teacher. Suddenly, a cry echoes across the campsite, and you bring your attention to the source. It's the pregnant one! She's crouched over her stomach, caressing it. One of the males rushes over to her, rubbing her back and talking to her face to face. Everyone stops what they're doing and rushes over to her, including Peridot and you.
"Oh my stars, she's having a baby!" Peridot panics, dropping her plate. "Let's give her some space, come on." She leads to towards the end of the camp, where the elderly Homo erectus has brought the children. Before long, the pregnant mother is laying on her back, breathing in and out, as another female caresses her face and arms, speaking to her.
"Bipedal locomotion originated at the beginning of hominin evolution, only followed much later by the expansion of the brain. By the time humans like Homo erectus evolved, the process of childbirth became significantly dangerous because the head was almost too big to pass through the opening of the pelvis. Childbirth became much more painful! Thus, as you can see, the practice of midwifing took hold. Social bonds among Homo erectus were already strong enough, and thankfully this mother has someone to keep her safe while she has her baby. If she was alone, she could very well die." Peridot observes, as the mother continues to cry out in labor.
This goes on for a couple hours, and with one final push, her baby has arrived!
While giving her some necessary space, the group crowds around the mother. She's taking deep, exhausted breaths as she holds her wailing infant, who instantly clings to her chest. One of the males, seemingly the father, sits beside her. The two nuzzle their faces, before turning to look as their new baby.
"Aww." Peridot coos. You can't help but smile too. It's way past midnight, but sleep is the last thing on your mind as you watch this happy family.
…
To Be Continued!
