ABSTRACT
The prehuman hominids called Australopithecines would have had fairly complex social lives based on intensive group bonding and cooperative behavior. In addition the Australopithecine forelimbs were developing in a manner that allowed more intentional and effective manipulation of objects. The world view of Australopithecine groups was small and had to be centered on the needs and purposes of the group. The condition of the present is confounded by the confusion and is compounded by a search for a simple one-dimensional solution in a world of multidimensional encounters. The Neanderthal build was like a cross between a modern wrestler and a long-distance runner, and one that was conducive to survival during dramatic shifts in environmental conditions. About 200,000 years ago brain size was poised to increase again with the emergence of Homo neanderthalis. It is during the period that skull endocasts reveal brain symmetries similar to that of the modern brain.
