interesting. didnt know that about lightning strike frequency

NOT smackos then?

"Homo"

Only homo sapiens are what we call humans. Naledi branched out of earlier hominins but they became extinct while humans came out from heidelbergensis who in turn came out from erectus.

The fusion of two chromosomes that resulted in humans having 23 pairs of chromosomes instead of 24 is thought to have occurred in a common ancestor of humans and our closest living relatives, the chimpanzees, around 4 to 6 million years ago. While the fusion of chromosomes was a significant genetic event in human evolution, it is not the only factor that contributed to the development of our species. The evolution of our intelligence and the ability to use fire, for example, are the result of a complex interplay between genetic and environmental factors over millions of years. Research into the genetic changes that occurred during human evolution is an ongoing area of study in the field of genetics, and new discoveries are constantly being made. However, it is important to note that the evolution of our species is a complex process that cannot be attributed to any single genetic mutation or environmental factor alone.

@@spatrk6634 Thank you, but I still have a problem - the reply is a little wrong! Chimps have 48 chromosomes, we have 46, so theres that! Also, the fusing of the chromosomes is a mutation. Does a mutation happen across multible births, or just one? At some point in the past, an ancestor of ours (and apes) who had 48 chromosomes, as did his partner had a new offspring. They MUST have looked down at this thing (with only 46 chromosomes, a mutant) and thought ''What the eff is this?'' shall we feed it, or kill it? The difference of one pair being fused is so enormous, that they gave birth to a new species, that has taken over the planet. Im so curious about that first set of mutations/humans. It is more than a a wispy line in the sand, the parents of the first humans were heros, for not killing us, for being so different. Like Tarzan we would have been to those ancestors...a new gifted clever kid, that outstrips all the others, and looks so different. Fascinating isnt it...

@@mistag3860 "The difference of one pair being fused is so enormous, that they gave birth to a new species" There are several species of horses with chromosome fusions, including the Przewalski's horse (Equus ferus przewalskii) and the domestic horse (Equus ferus caballus). In fact, chromosome fusions are a common evolutionary mechanism in horses, and many species have undergone them at some point in their history. Despite their chromosomal differences, horses with chromosome fusions can interbreed with other horses just fine. This is because the chromosomes that have fused are usually not involved in determining the compatibility of mating partners or in the development of the offspring.

@@spatrk6634 I hear ya - its VERY complicated, and I know very little. Just a bit fascinated by our history is all. There are other differences between chimps and human DNA, so its not as simple as chromosomes fusing = new species, I wasnt suggesting that, I am merely grateful that the mutants known as humans were fed by their parents, and not killed, it seems like a pivotal change, and not in any way gradual, and over a long period of time as evolution is taught and realised. I can understand how beaks get longer over time, or the necks of giraffe, how adaptation leads to favourable changes over time, but a fusing of chromosomes is just one generation. Some parents with 48, MUST have given birth to a young, with only 46. That is the junction that I would like magnified, and the first years of that infant would be SO interesting to witness, (literally like Tarzan) but we cant always get what we want! good day. :)

​@@mistag3860 You are correct with that parent gave birth to a child with different chromosome number. But when you look at horses with different chromosome number, they do not look that different from one another and they reproduce with one another just fine. So there is no reason to think that parent giving birth to a child with fused chromosomes would be that different that parent would consider abandoning the baby and not caring for it.

Tell us more about your stepmother.