🚀 go-pugleaf

wcalvin@stein.u.washington.edu (William Calvin) writes:

>minsky@media.mit.edu (Marvin Minsky) writes:

>>I think this theory (nicely explained here) is mainly due to William
>>Calvin <wcalvin@milton.u.washington.edu>, an occasional contributor
>>here.  See his book, The Cerebral Symphony.

>Thanks.  Actually, it is the book after that, THE ASCENT OF MIND: Ice Age
>Climates and the Evolution of Intelligence (Bantam 1990).
>    William H. Calvin   WCalvin@U.Washington.edu

  Had you publicised the theory before 1990 in articles, talks or the 
media?   Or was yours an expansion of an existing well publicised
theory of the effects of climate on human evolution..  
 
   I ask because "Children of the Ice" by John and Mary Gribbin
was also published in 1990.  I think sometime in the late 80's John
Gribbin did a radio series for the BBC of 10 minute episodes where
he explained this theory of the importance of climatic interaction with
humans.  
   
    HIs discussion of the settlement of Greenland by the Vikings
during a warm period 
lasting a few centuries, and then its destruction caused by the colder
weather of the 15th century was memorable.   The phrase "adapt or die"
was very appropriate because the settlers could have survived if they
had discarded their European lifestyle and agriculture and adopted the
eskimo way of life (maybe some of them did).