The force that enables humanity to “dominate” the planet is not our large stature, unparalleled muscular strength, or sharp claws. Humans possess something even more powerful – intelligence – allowing us to perceive the world in complex ways that other species cannot.
However, modern humans (Homo sapiens) have only existed for a mere 200,000 years – a “newborn” species when considering the geological processes spanning billions of years of our 4.5 billion-year-old planet.
Modern humans (Homo sapiens) have only existed for a mere 200,000 years
The question arises: while the evolutionary process of humans from primates (85 million years ago) to tool users (over 3 million years ago) enabled our cognitive development, why were many dinosaur species unable to achieve this, despite their evolution spanning over 150 million years according to BBC Science?
Pressure that Fosters Intelligence
First, the idea that dinosaurs did not develop intelligence or civilization is an assumption, as they left no record of language or evidence of intellect in the fossil record, despite CT scan results indicating that many of them had very large brains.
However, even if they had survived the mass extinction caused by the Chicxulub impact 66 million years ago and the subsequent climate changes, it is unlikely they could have developed intelligence akin to humanity.
Even if they survived, dinosaurs likely could not have developed intelligence like humans.
Lori Marino, an evolutionary neurobiologist and executive director at the Kimmela Center for Animal Advocacy in Kanab, Utah, states: “The notion that some dinosaur species would evolve into human-like beings is absurd“. There is no data to support significant intellectual achievements in their evolution.
According to Professor Peter Ward, a paleontologist at the University of Washington, mammals would not have evolved to become the dominant species we see today if dinosaurs had not been wiped out. So, why did a species with intelligence like humans emerge?
Ward views human evolution as a low-probability event, largely due to the energy-intensive nature of large brains. He notes: “No cell in biology requires more oxygen than a neuron firing chemical charges through a thin long cell (the brain)“.
Ward explains that when dinosaurs first evolved during the Mesozoic Era – a period lasting about 250 to 65 million years ago – the oxygen levels in Earth’s atmosphere were too low for large brains to develop. He states: “To have enough energy for intelligence, you need oxygen. For terrestrial life, that is very difficult“.
Furthermore, to develop, intelligence is believed to require some form of environmental stressors.
For humans, this is thought to have occurred around 20 million years ago due to climate fluctuations in East Africa resulting from the formation of the East African Rift System. Long-standing evolutionary theories suggest that regional climate fluctuations – caused by a deep, 6,000-mile-long rift in the Earth’s crust extending from present-day Mozambique to Lebanon – may have driven emerging primate species to develop analytical intelligence to manage chronic food shortages.
Survival pressures forced humans to develop intelligence, use tools, and cook food.
This supports the argument that “necessity” is the strongest driver for the development of intelligence. In other words, dinosaurs did not need intelligence, but humans did.
But if humanity were to go extinct, which species would replace us as the next high-tech civilization, using smartphones?
Potential “Candidates” for Intelligence
Marino states: “If no other species has the need to develop technological intelligence, then that will not happen. It will only occur again when there is selective pressure to develop complex technological intelligence“.
Ironically, Ward mentions that if humanity were absent, some species of crows or parrots, themselves “descendants” of dinosaurs, could evolve to take our place. Ward is continually impressed by the ingenuity of the African Grey Parrot, noting its ability to manipulate objects using its beak and feet.
African Grey Parrot
Ward states: “African Grey Parrots increasingly appear intelligent like humans. They can add, subtract, and even speak in complete sentences“.
Parrots develop intelligence for reasons similar to those that prompted our own; Ward notes that they are coping with rapidly changing forest areas due to climate change. He remarks: “Parrots must be able to envision where food will be in two weeks, and that requires the ability to predict the future“.
Ward adds: “They have large brains, but they do not have enough oxygen to fuel them. Unless they completely change their circulatory system – that would be an enormous evolutionary shift, otherwise an octopus would not be able to receive enough oxygen for its immensely large brain (to evolve)“.
What About Marine Mammals Like Dolphins and Whales?
Ward has never seen a technological civilization arise in aquatic environments, as the ability to skillfully use tools and metallurgy is critical. But as he points out, technology is a reflection of a species’ psychology.
Marino notes: “Our use of technology is very much aligned with the nature of humans as primates“. If a species were to develop a similar level of intelligence, their achievements would likely look very different from those of humans.
