September 06, 2025
The Ascent of Man and the Naked Sun
Timothy Birdnow
Here is a rather interesting piece of speculation. This article argues that sommething in space caused a major drop in the Earth's magnetic field, 41,000 years ago and that helped drive humans into our current civilization - clothes, houses, and suntan oils all were driven by our need to protect ourselves from the incoming radiation.
Perhaps.
FTA:
This made me think about the Aquatic Ape theory, which says mankind spent a time back in the water. Humans are uniquely adapted to water in ways no apes could be; we are far less hairy than apes, have longer limbs for aquatic propulsion, have rudimentary webbing between our toes (unlike apes and monkeys which pretty much have feet just like their hands) and have tear ducts allowing us to cry or our eyes to water (better for clearing them after poking one's head up above the water's surface). We also can hold our breath much longer than any ape, especially when in water. We also have much smaller guts and much bigger brains, all of which make sense if you assume we spent time back in the water.
The thoery suggests Man may have gone back into the water for a time, perhaps not as much as hippos, but for an extended period. Certainly fish wouldbe a prime source of protein and early Man may have spent a lot of time in the water trying to catch them. We certainly learned to swim over a hundred thousand years ago (something apes don't do).
The theory suggests Man may have gone back into the water about 130,000 years ago for a short time.
This is well before the 41,000 years when this weakened magnetic field would have driven us into clothes and condos and into our Hawaiian Tropics suntan oils, but I do wonder; if the solar radiation theory is correct then haning out in the water would also be a good way to block radiation. While these are two very differnt times, perhaps there was a similar situation back 130,000 years ago that helped drive Man into the water for a time?
I don't know; I can't find anything about the strength of the magnetic field at that time. But we do know the field collapsed 41,000 years ago, and reversed. This may well have been the impetus for Mankind to start building a civilization. Once you start making clothes and shelters you quickly realize you need more stuff - and you have to stay put; no more wandering about like animals. It's just too hard to drag your stuff around. (Yes, there were nomads but they usually had beasts of burden to carry their stuff and had to learn to domesticate such critters.) So too much sun could well have been the genesis of our proud civilization.
It's interesting to consider how we came about. So much has been a mystery for so long, yet here we are!
BTW our tear ducts may be a response to the higher radiation as well. Apes and other forest-dwelling creatures may not have adapted as well because they were out of the sun most of the time. Look at other plains creatures; cats, for instance, have a second eyelid - the nictitating membrane. Why? To help clear the eyes and block the sun.
Here is a rather interesting piece of speculation. This article argues that sommething in space caused a major drop in the Earth's magnetic field, 41,000 years ago and that helped drive humans into our current civilization - clothes, houses, and suntan oils all were driven by our need to protect ourselves from the incoming radiation.
Perhaps.
FTA:
The event is known as the Laschamps Excursion, a short but intense geomagnetic disruption named after volcanic deposits in France where it was first discovered. Near the end of the Pleistocene epoch, Earth’s magnetic poles did not undergo a full reversal, as they typically do every few hundred thousand years. Instead, they shifted erratically across thousands of miles, while the strength of the magnetic field fell to less than 10% of its present level.
[...]
The skies some 41,000 years ago may therefore have been both dazzling and dangerous. Recognizing this, we as geophysicists began to wonder how such conditions might have influenced human populations of the time.
From an archaeological perspective, the answer was clear: they were indeed affected.
Human responses to ancient space weather
For people living during this period, the auroras would likely have been the most visible and dramatic consequence, perhaps provoking awe, fear, ritual practices, or other responses that are difficult to trace. The archaeological record rarely preserves direct evidence of such emotional or cognitive reactions.
The physiological consequences of heightened ultraviolet exposure, however, are easier to assess. With the magnetic field weakened, more harmful radiation reached the surface, increasing the risks of sunburn, vision damage, birth defects, and other health concerns.
In response, people may have adopted practical measures: spending more time in caves, producing tailored clothing for better coverage, or applying mineral pigment "sunscreen” made of ochre to their skin. As we describe in our recent paper, the frequency of these behaviors indeed appears to have increased across parts of Europe, where effects of the Laschamps Excursion were pronounced and prolonged.
During this time, both Neanderthals and Homo sapiens inhabited Europe, though their ranges likely overlapped only in certain regions. Archaeological findings indicate that these populations responded differently to environmental pressures, with some relying more heavily on shelter or material culture as forms of protection.
[...]
The skies some 41,000 years ago may therefore have been both dazzling and dangerous. Recognizing this, we as geophysicists began to wonder how such conditions might have influenced human populations of the time.
From an archaeological perspective, the answer was clear: they were indeed affected.
Human responses to ancient space weather
For people living during this period, the auroras would likely have been the most visible and dramatic consequence, perhaps provoking awe, fear, ritual practices, or other responses that are difficult to trace. The archaeological record rarely preserves direct evidence of such emotional or cognitive reactions.
The physiological consequences of heightened ultraviolet exposure, however, are easier to assess. With the magnetic field weakened, more harmful radiation reached the surface, increasing the risks of sunburn, vision damage, birth defects, and other health concerns.
In response, people may have adopted practical measures: spending more time in caves, producing tailored clothing for better coverage, or applying mineral pigment "sunscreen” made of ochre to their skin. As we describe in our recent paper, the frequency of these behaviors indeed appears to have increased across parts of Europe, where effects of the Laschamps Excursion were pronounced and prolonged.
During this time, both Neanderthals and Homo sapiens inhabited Europe, though their ranges likely overlapped only in certain regions. Archaeological findings indicate that these populations responded differently to environmental pressures, with some relying more heavily on shelter or material culture as forms of protection.
This made me think about the Aquatic Ape theory, which says mankind spent a time back in the water. Humans are uniquely adapted to water in ways no apes could be; we are far less hairy than apes, have longer limbs for aquatic propulsion, have rudimentary webbing between our toes (unlike apes and monkeys which pretty much have feet just like their hands) and have tear ducts allowing us to cry or our eyes to water (better for clearing them after poking one's head up above the water's surface). We also can hold our breath much longer than any ape, especially when in water. We also have much smaller guts and much bigger brains, all of which make sense if you assume we spent time back in the water.
The thoery suggests Man may have gone back into the water for a time, perhaps not as much as hippos, but for an extended period. Certainly fish wouldbe a prime source of protein and early Man may have spent a lot of time in the water trying to catch them. We certainly learned to swim over a hundred thousand years ago (something apes don't do).
The theory suggests Man may have gone back into the water about 130,000 years ago for a short time.
This is well before the 41,000 years when this weakened magnetic field would have driven us into clothes and condos and into our Hawaiian Tropics suntan oils, but I do wonder; if the solar radiation theory is correct then haning out in the water would also be a good way to block radiation. While these are two very differnt times, perhaps there was a similar situation back 130,000 years ago that helped drive Man into the water for a time?
I don't know; I can't find anything about the strength of the magnetic field at that time. But we do know the field collapsed 41,000 years ago, and reversed. This may well have been the impetus for Mankind to start building a civilization. Once you start making clothes and shelters you quickly realize you need more stuff - and you have to stay put; no more wandering about like animals. It's just too hard to drag your stuff around. (Yes, there were nomads but they usually had beasts of burden to carry their stuff and had to learn to domesticate such critters.) So too much sun could well have been the genesis of our proud civilization.
It's interesting to consider how we came about. So much has been a mystery for so long, yet here we are!
BTW our tear ducts may be a response to the higher radiation as well. Apes and other forest-dwelling creatures may not have adapted as well because they were out of the sun most of the time. Look at other plains creatures; cats, for instance, have a second eyelid - the nictitating membrane. Why? To help clear the eyes and block the sun.
Posted by: Timothy Birdnow at
10:04 AM
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