# Post Humanity Intelligence? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [August 12, 2022, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-humanity-intelligence/969566 "2022-08-12T15:57:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2022, 12:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-humanity-intelligence/969566/21 "2022-08-14T12:48:27Z")
Rats, Mice and Raccoons are all promising. ---
**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2022, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-humanity-intelligence/969566/22 "2022-08-14T15:13:05Z")
> [@DorkVader](#): > > Who would you submit for consideration to be the successor to the human race for “intelligent life on Earth”? I am not an evolutionary biologist, or any kind of biologist. But I would think that if other animals were going to evolve intelligence comparable to humans that there has been nothing stopping them. Why would the number of intelligence species have to be limited to one at a time? Current thinking is that homo sapiens is responsible for the extinction of the Neanderthals. That doesn’t mean it’s impossible for multiple highly intelligent species to coexist, just that those two didn’t. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2022, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-humanity-intelligence/969566/23 "2022-08-14T15:24:00Z")
> [@alphaboi867](#): > > How would an aquatic species learn how to make and use fire? - They won’t have to. They’ll just leave the planet by their own means. ---
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2022, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-humanity-intelligence/969566/24 "2022-08-14T17:58:25Z")
> [@CookingWithGas](#): > > Current thinking is that homo sapiens is responsible for the extinction of the Neanderthals. Well, sort of. We’re carrying some of their genes; which means that they do have descendents, it’s just that their descendents are us. ---
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2022, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-humanity-intelligence/969566/25 "2022-08-14T19:29:38Z")
Bc because the ones that tend to prosper tend to be the ones that have the genes that tell them to stay away from humans. Take away that variable and who knows what happens? ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2022, 9:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-humanity-intelligence/969566/26 "2022-08-16T09:42:26Z")
> [@Great\_Antibob](#): > > selective breeding at first and then more subtle genetic manipulation How is a species ever going to get to genetic manipulation if they have exactly zero chance of figuring out the mechanics of genes _without_ technology in the first place? You can cross all the peas you like to develop an outline of genetics, but absent good microscopes and lab equipment, selective breeding is going to be where it ends. ---
**Author:** ![Half\_Man\_Half\_Wit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/half_man_half_wit/32/21766_2.png) [@Half\_Man\_Half\_Wit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Half_Man_Half_Wit)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2022, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-humanity-intelligence/969566/27 "2022-08-19T21:35:54Z")
Here’s a view of [posthuman bird intelligence](https://www.instagram.com/p/CcZ-Rx4rraC/?igshid=MDJmNzVkMjY=). ---
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2022, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-humanity-intelligence/969566/28 "2022-08-19T21:59:22Z")
That is very good. Thanks for posting it – I had been ignorant of that artist before. ---
**Author:** ![alphaboi867](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alphaboi867/32/3898_2.png) [@alphaboi867](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alphaboi867)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2022, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-humanity-intelligence/969566/29 "2022-08-23T20:33:23Z")
Wow, that was super cool. Thank you. ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2022, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-humanity-intelligence/969566/30 "2022-08-25T20:37:13Z")
My understanding of human evolution is that human brains tripled in size in the last 2 million years, going from about 500cc to 1400cc. This was accomplished due to the discovery of how to make and control fire. This allowed for smaller jaw muscles, smaller teeth, more nutrient extraction from food, and smaller digestive systems since fire pre-digests food and kills pathogens. They all made it easier to evolve bigger brains. W/o the huge teeth and jaw muscles there was more room to expand the brain. We had more nutrition. I don’t see that happening with other species anytime soon. Even if it did, you still need language skills, opposable thumbs, etc to have a technological civilization. Humanity was capable of advanced technology for hundreds of thousands of years, but arguably didn’t start making it until the industrial revolution. Just because a species can doesn’t mean they will. There are a variety of intelligent social animals. But I don’t see any taking over for humans. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-humanity-intelligence/969566.md?page=1)