8 billion people: how evolution made it happen

Photo caption: One in 8 billion. Photo credit: oneinchpunch / Shutterstock. Article by Matthew Wills. The Conversation – November 15, 2022.

November 15 2022 marks a milestone for our species, as the global population hits 8 billion. Just 70 years ago, within a human lifetime, there were only 2.5 billion of us. In AD1, fewer than one-third of a billion. So how have we been so successful? Humans are not especially fast, strong or agile. Our senses are rather poor, even in comparison to domestic livestock and pets. Instead, large brains and the complex social structures they underpin are the secrets of our success. […]

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