The Evolution, Migration and Diversification of Human Cultures

200 million years ago the Earth's continents came together to form one large supercontinent known as Pangea. Evidence of Pangea can been seen in the way that the continents appear to fit together as well evidence of similar species in the geologic record that would have been oceans apart if the continents had not come together. The supercontinent of Pangea brought all of the Earth's species together to compete and evolve. When the continent broke up 180 million years ago, these species were sent to separate corners of the planet to further evolve and adapt to changing continental conditions.

Being the Geology minor that I am:

The Hawaiian islands may not have had a direct role in Pangea or later supercontinents but they have their own unique geologic history. The big island of Hawaii sits over what is known as a "hot spot." This "hot spot" is a plume of magma that has found a way to the surface of the Pacific Plate. The oldest of the Hawaiian islands that we can visit is Kauai, although there are many older islands that lie below the ocean's surface. As the Pacific Plate has moved over the "hot spot," the chain has continued to grow reaching the youngest island of Hawaii. (The term "hot spot" is used loosely in geology because it is considered an anomaly of sorts and is not completely understood. )

The arrival of hominids is debatable but for this purpose we'll say between 100,000 and 40,000 years ago. In our readings, Crosby states that the difference between human evolution versus the evolution of other species is that humans did not have to wait for genetic changes to adapt to conditions. Other species depended on genetic adaptations to meet their needs while humans had the ability to reason and find immediate ways to adapt. There is no need to wait on the genetic lottery to bring a thick coat of fur when you can go kill a reindeer(or ancestor of a reindeer) and use it's coat. To quote Crosby, "Culture is a system of storing and altering patterns of behavior not in the molecules of the genetic code but in the cells of the brain."This adaptation, based not only on need but reasoning, can be considered a step toward creating cultures.

According to Crosby(although this is another debatable point), humans began migrating to Europe around 50,000 years ago, to Austrailia 40,000 years ago and to the Americas from 12-13,000 years ago. The people who migrated to the Americas were more so isolated than their cousins who remained on the larger landmass of Eurasia. Early humans followed herds of animals from Asia, over and through a glacier and into the Americas. When the ice age came to an end, these nomadic tribes were stranded on a new continent surrounded by the two largest oceans on the planet. Similar to when the continents came together and later drifted apart, these early humans had to learn to adapt to the conditions of the Americas.

Going with our history of adaptation, humans and their superior reasoning skills began to become craftsman in the Neolithic Era. Tools were ground and polished rather than chipped and experimentation with metals lead to stronger, longer lasting tools. What did this lead to? Civilization, a sedentary lifestyle, agriculture, writing, culture, etc.