The news that the Universe, according to a fresh mathematical theory, may be a hologram, blew up the website of Nature, the world's leading scientific journal, a few days ago. As usual, few people paid attention to the calculations, their methodology and place in modern physical cosmology - but the headline, as if materialized from a Philip K. Dick book, spread across all social networks. A similar fate in last years inherit almost all terms of this kind associated with scientific hypotheses about the emergence of existence - from “singularity” to “dark matter”. Rest assured, pop culture will digest them and turn the meanings of words into something as mysterious and incomprehensible as possible - especially since the interest of the mass viewer and reader in cosmology has been steadily growing in recent years. In this material, we decided to collect other well-known theories of the origin of the Universe that have turned into pop culture memes.
1 Mythological cosmology
Nothing appeals to the reader or viewer in the postmodern world as much as a syncretic combination of different mythologies: literally every superhero epic is built on this ( best example from the recent one - “The Avengers”: Germanic gods, Lovecraftian aliens, the messianic figure of Tony Stark sacrificing himself, the industrial werewolf Hulk, etc., etc.). What does this have to do with scientific theories about the structure of the world, you ask? The most direct: the stories of the ash tree Yggdrasil and the skull of Uranus preceded and shaped the scientific understanding of the world. In genre cinema, they like to demonstrate this cunning heredity head on - as in “Star Wars”, where the Forces that ensure the existence of a distant galaxy have a dual nature - mystical and biological (does everyone remember the word “midichlorians”?), or in “The Cabin in the Woods”, where a high-tech center maintains an uninterrupted supply of human flesh to the ancient gods.
Stories about the ash tree Yggdrasil
and the skull of Uranus predate scientific understanding of the world
and shaped it.
2 Multiverse
The concept of multiple worlds is much older than you probably think - and we're not talking about the Hindu concept of rebirth here. Back in the 12th century, the Muslim philosopher Fakhruddin al-Razi suggested that beyond our world there is a void filled with other universes - and in beginning of XXI century, such a point of view has been an extremely popular part of personalized metaphysics. By the way, Douglas Copeland used to like to describe personal quasi-religious views that combine Christian morality, ideas about karma and parallel worlds - in “Generation X” a special term is even introduced for this, “self-ism.” As for the multiverse, it has become commonplace in science fiction and comics as such: this is how DC, say, explains the simultaneous existence of half a dozen versions of Batman. On the other hand, in this case, the interpretation of the concept has gone quite far from its modern definition: where in modern quantum mechanics there continues to be an active discussion about the legitimacy of the “many-worlds” hypothesis, which makes absolutely all outcomes and events real (if they are fundamentally possible) , in science fiction (from Bradbury's The Butterfly Effect to the Back to the Future trilogy), parts of the multiverse almost always influence each other in some way.
3 The Big Bang Theory
The most common cosmological concept in modern pop culture, the corresponding phrase can be found in song lyrics (by the way, there are at least three groups with this name: Norwegian metal, British synthpop and Korean boy band), in countless comic book scripts and, of course , in the title of a popular sitcom about the exaggerated lives of young scientists. Oddly enough, the essence of the event is almost not distorted when retelling: indeed, the Big Bang is a kind of “act of creation” of the Universe; the event that gave rise to both time and matter. This is why, for example, it makes no sense to ask the question “what happened before the Big Bang?” - since time itself appeared exactly with the beginning of this event! (This point is made clear in " Brief history time,” Stephen Hawking’s classic non-fiction.) It’s not for nothing that John Paul II warmly treated this theory: indeed, it fits quite well with the cosmology of the Abrahamic religions.
The Big Bang is a kind of “act of creation” of the Universe; the event that gave rise to both time and matter.
4 Evolutionary cosmology
Strictly speaking, evolution - both in the original understanding of the brilliant Charles Darwin and in the modern version, which considers evolution as applied to populations - is not a cosmological theory and describes only the development of life. But in a broad sense, the idea and philosophy of endless change finds a very strong response among people of creative professions - including it being transferred to such metaphysical matters as ethics and aesthetics. The clearest example work on this topic is “The Tree of Life” by Terrence Malick: even if we do not consider those moments where the director addresses cosmology directly (we are talking about the moments with the ancient Earth inhabited by dinosaurs that caused conflicting reviews from viewers), the idea of evolutionary change is the semantic core of the film.
5 String theory
Quite a lot of attempts have been made to modify the Big Bang Theory over the almost 100 years that it has existed. String theory is often called the next "theory of everything" or the successor to the theory of an expanding universe that arose as a result of the Big Bang - but, strictly speaking, this is not entirely true. There are almost no good explanations of string theory “on fingers” to this day (despite the fact that its history goes back several decades). The main thing you need to know about it is that within its framework the world does not seem to be four-dimensional, as in Einstein’s version of the general theory of relativity (three spatial dimensions + time), but even 11-dimensional: this interpretation allows us to obtain certain mathematical advantages and remove a number of contradictions between experiment and theory. Despite the strict mathematics, the theory retains an esoteric flair: it was in this vein that it was used by director Ridley Scott and screenwriter Cormac McCarthy in the recent philosophical action film “The Counselor.” The vibration of multidimensional strings is perceived here both in a metaphorical and in a completely literal sense: the strings disrupt the structure of the universe - and destroy lives.
Until the 19th century, the most popular theory was the version of his creation. Depending on the religion, it had its own specifics. In particular, Christians held the point of view that man was created on the sixth day of the existence of the world in the image and likeness of God.
IN XIX-XX centuries As scientific consciousness grew, the theory of evolution increasingly began to supplant religious views of creation. The answer to this was the so-called scientific creationism, in which a number of Christian figures sought to confirm biblical postulates with the help of scientific arguments.
There are two main schools of thought in scientific creationism. According to the so-called young earth creationism, both the Earth and man were created no more than 10,000 years ago and from the Bible about 6 days of creation should be taken literally. Another category of creationists considers the words about 6 days to be biblical, meaning a longer period of time. What unites these theories is that all creationists deny the evolutionary connection between humans and primates and insist on divine intervention in anthropogenesis.
Creationism is most widespread among Protestants in the United States, but similar views are also held by some representatives of the Catholic and Orthodox churches.
Despite the support of scientific creationism by some individual researchers, mainly belonging to fundamentalist Protestant groups, in general the scientific community considers scientific creationism not a full-fledged theory of anthropogenesis, but a religious doctrine.
Alien influence
Another alternative theory is the version of outside intervention. According to the views of supporters of this theory, the Earth is not the only inhabited planet in the Universe. There are several versions based on the postulate of alien intervention. According to one of them, people are the direct descendants of those who visited the Earth. From another point of view, aliens did not just populate the Earth by accident, but did so deliberately and control human history.
Within the framework of the theory of alien influence, planets are studied for the presence of microorganisms similar to terrestrial ones or their traces.
The most moderate part of the supporters of the alien theory of human origins adheres to the version that the influence did not directly cause anthropogenesis, but influenced the appearance of the first living beings on Earth - bacteria. Of the presented versions, only the latter is considered by academic science as a possible adequate hypothesis.
The Big Bang theory has become almost as widely accepted a cosmological model as the Earth's rotation around the Sun. According to the theory, about 14 billion years ago, spontaneous vibrations in absolute emptiness led to the emergence of the Universe. Something comparable in size to subatomic particle, expanded to unimaginable sizes in a split second. But there are many problems in this theory that physicists are struggling with, putting forward more and more new hypotheses.
What's wrong with the Big Bang Theory
From the theory it follows that all planets and stars were formed from dust scattered throughout space as a result of an explosion. But what preceded it is unclear: here is our mathematical model space-time stops working. The universe arose from an initial singular state, to which modern physics cannot be applied. The theory also does not consider the causes of the singularity or the matter and energy for its occurrence. It is believed that the answer to the question of the existence and origin of the initial singularity will be provided by the theory of quantum gravity.
Most cosmological models predict that the complete Universe is much larger in size than the observable part - a spherical region with a diameter of approximately 90 billion light years. We see only that part of the Universe, the light from which managed to reach the Earth in 13.8 billion years. But telescopes are getting better, we are discovering more and more distant objects, and there is no reason to believe that this process will stop.
Since the Big Bang, the Universe has been expanding at an accelerating rate. The most difficult mystery of modern physics is the question of what causes acceleration. According to the working hypothesis, the Universe contains an invisible component called “dark energy”. The Big Bang theory does not explain whether the Universe will expand indefinitely, and if so, what will this lead to - its disappearance or something else.
Although Newtonian mechanics was supplanted by relativistic physics, it cannot be called erroneous. However, the perception of the world and the models for describing the Universe have completely changed. The Big Bang theory predicted a number of things that were not known before. Thus, if another theory comes to replace it, it should be similar and expand the understanding of the world.
We will focus on the most interesting theories describing alternative models of the Big Bang.
The Universe is like a mirage of a black hole
The Universe arose due to the collapse of a star in a four-dimensional Universe, according to scientists from the Perimeter Institute of Theoretical Physics. The results of their study were published by Scientific American. Niayesh Afshordi, Robert Mann and Razi Pourhasan say that our three-dimensional Universe became a kind of “holographic mirage” when a four-dimensional star collapsed. Unlike the Big Bang theory, which posits that the universe arose from an extremely hot and dense space-time where the standard laws of physics do not apply, the new hypothesis of a four-dimensional universe explains both the origins and its rapid expansion.
According to the scenario formulated by Afshordi and his colleagues, our three-dimensional Universe is a kind of membrane that floats through an even larger universe that already exists in four dimensions. If this four-dimensional space had its own four-dimensional stars, they would also explode, just like the three-dimensional ones in our Universe. The inner layer would become black hole, and the external one would be thrown into space.
In our Universe, black holes are surrounded by a sphere called the event horizon. And if in three-dimensional space this boundary is two-dimensional (like a membrane), then in a four-dimensional universe the event horizon will be limited to a sphere that exists in three dimensions. Computer modelling the collapse of a four-dimensional star showed that its three-dimensional event horizon will gradually expand. This is exactly what we observe, calling the growth of the 3D membrane the expansion of the Universe, astrophysicists believe.
Big Freeze
An alternative to the Big Bang is the Big Freeze. A team of physicists from the University of Melbourne, led by James Kvatch, presented a model of the birth of the Universe, which is more reminiscent of the gradual process of freezing amorphous energy than its outburst and expansion in three directions space.
Formless energy, according to scientists, like water, cooled to crystallization, creating the usual three spatial and one temporal dimensions.
The Big Freeze theory challenges Albert Einstein's currently accepted assertion of the continuity and fluidity of space and time. It is possible that space has components - indivisible building blocks like tiny atoms or pixels in computer graphics. These blocks are so small that they cannot be observed, however, following the new theory, it is possible to detect defects that should refract the flow of other particles. Scientists have calculated such effects using mathematics, and now they will try to detect them experimentally.
Universe without beginning and end
Ahmed Farag Ali of Benha University in Egypt and Saurya Das of the University of Lethbridge in Canada have proposed a new solution to the singularity problem by abandoning the Big Bang. They introduced the ideas of the famous physicist David Bohm into the Friedmann equation describing the expansion of the Universe and the Big Bang. “It's amazing that small adjustments can potentially solve so many issues,” says Das.
The resulting model combines general theory relativity and quantum theory. It not only denies the singularity that preceded the Big Bang, but also does not admit that the Universe will eventually contract back to its original state. According to the data obtained, the Universe has a finite size and an infinite lifetime. In physical terms, the model describes a Universe filled with a hypothetical quantum fluid, which consists of gravitons - particles that provide gravitational interaction.
The scientists also say their findings correlate with latest results measurements of the density of the Universe.
Endless chaotic inflation
The term “inflation” refers to the rapid expansion of the Universe, which occurred exponentially in the first moments after the Big Bang. The inflation theory itself does not disprove the Big Bang theory, but only interprets it differently. This theory solves several fundamental problems in physics.
According to the inflationary model, shortly after its birth, the Universe expanded exponentially for a very short time: its size doubled many times over. Scientists believe that in 10 to -36 seconds, the Universe increased in size by at least 10 to 30 to 50 times, and possibly more. At the end of the inflationary phase, the Universe was filled with superhot plasma of free quarks, gluons, leptons and high-energy quanta.
The concept implies what exists in the world many universes isolated from each other with different device
Physicists have come to the conclusion that the logic of the inflationary model does not contradict the idea of the constant multiple birth of new universes. Quantum fluctuations - the same as those that created our world - can arise in any quantity if there is enough space for it. suitable conditions. It is quite possible that our universe has emerged from the fluctuation zone that formed in the predecessor world. It can also be assumed that someday and somewhere in our Universe a fluctuation will form that will “blow out” a young Universe of a completely different kind. According to this model, daughter universes can bud off continuously. Moreover, it is not at all necessary that the same physical laws are established in new worlds. The concept implies that in the world there are many universes isolated from each other with different structures.
Cyclic theory
Paul Steinhardt, one of the physicists who laid the foundations of inflationary cosmology, decided to develop this theory further. The scientist, who heads the Center for Theoretical Physics at Princeton, together with Neil Turok from the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics, outlined an alternative theory in the book Endless Universe: Beyond the Big Bang ("The Infinite Universe: Beyond the Big Bang"). Their model is based on a generalization of quantum superstring theory known as M-theory. According to it, the physical world has 11 dimensions - ten spatial and one temporal. Spaces of lower dimensions, the so-called branes, “float” in it. (short for "membrane"). Our Universe is simply one of these branes.
The Steinhardt and Turok model states that the Big Bang occurred as a result of the collision of our brane with another brane - an unknown universe. In this scenario, collisions occur endlessly. According to the hypothesis of Steinhardt and Turok, another three-dimensional brane “floats” next to our brane, separated by a tiny distance. It is also expanding, flattening and emptying, but after a trillion years the branes will begin to move closer together and eventually collide. This will release a huge amount of energy, particles and radiation. This cataclysm will trigger another cycle of expansion and cooling of the Universe. From the model of Steinhardt and Turok it follows that these cycles have existed in the past and will certainly repeat in the future. The theory is silent about how these cycles began.
Universe
like a computer
Another hypothesis about the structure of the universe says that our entire world is nothing more than a matrix or a computer program. The idea that the Universe is a digital computer was first put forward by German engineer and computer pioneer Konrad Zuse in his book Calculating Space (“Computational space”). Among those who also viewed the Universe as a giant computer are physicists Stephen Wolfram and Gerard 't Hooft.
Digital physics theorists propose that the universe is essentially information, and therefore computable. From these assumptions it follows that the Universe can be considered as the result of a computer program or a digital computing device. This computer could be, for example, a giant cellular automaton or a universal Turing machine.
Indirect evidence virtual nature of the universe called the uncertainty principle in quantum mechanics
According to the theory, every object and event physical world comes from asking questions and recording yes or no answers. That is, behind everything that surrounds us, there is a certain code, similar to the binary code of a computer program. And we are a kind of interface through which access to the data of the “universal Internet” appears. An indirect proof of the virtual nature of the Universe is called the uncertainty principle in quantum mechanics: particles of matter can exist in an unstable form, and are “fixed” in a specific state only when they are observed.
Digital physicist John Archibald Wheeler wrote: “It would not be unreasonable to imagine that information resides in the core of physics as in the core of a computer. Everything is from a bit. In other words, everything that exists - every particle, every force field, even the space-time continuum itself - receives its function, its meaning and, ultimately, its very existence."
Today, there are different versions of the origin of man on Earth. These are scientific theories, alternative, and apocalyptic. Many people believe themselves to be descendants of angels or divine powers, contrary to convincing evidence from scientists and archaeologists. Authoritative historians reject this theory as mythology, preferring other versions.
General concepts
For a long time, man has been the subject of study of the sciences of spirit and nature. There is still a dialogue and exchange of information between sociology and natural science about the problem of being. At the moment, scientists have given a specific definition to man. This is a biosocial creature that combines intelligence and instincts. It should be noted that not only one person in the world is such a creature. A similar definition can be applied, with a stretch, to some representatives of the fauna on Earth. Modern science clearly separates biology and leading research institutes around the world are searching for the boundary between these components. This field of science is called sociobiology. She looks deep into the essence of a person, revealing his natural and humanitarian characteristics and preferences.
A holistic view of society is impossible without drawing on data from its social philosophy. Today, man is a creature that is interdisciplinary in nature. However, many people around the world are concerned about another question - its origin. Scientists and religious scholars on the planet have been trying to answer this question for thousands of years.
Human Origins: An Introduction
The question of the emergence of intelligent life beyond the Earth attracts the attention of leading scientists in various specialties. Some people agree that the origins of man and society are not worthy of study. Basically, this is the opinion of those who sincerely believe in supernatural forces. Based on this view of the origin of man, the individual was created by God. This version has been refuted by scientists for decades in a row. Regardless of which category of citizens each person considers himself to be, in any case, this question will always excite and intrigue. Recently, modern philosophers have begun to ask themselves and those around them: “Why were people created, and what is their purpose for being on Earth?” The answer to the second question will never be found. As for the appearance of intelligent creatures on the planet, it is quite possible to study this process. Today, the main theories of human origins are trying to answer this question, but none of them can provide a 100 percent guarantee of the correctness of their judgments. Currently, archaeological scientists and astrologers around the world are exploring various sources of the origin of life on the planet, be they chemical, biological or morphological. Unfortunately, at the moment, humanity has not even been able to determine in which century BC the first people appeared.
Darwin's theory
Currently, there are different versions of the origin of man. However, the most probable and closest to the truth is the theory of a British scientist named Charles Darwin. It was he who made an invaluable contribution to His theory is based on the definition natural selection, which plays a role driving force evolution. This is a natural scientific version of the origin of man and all life on the planet.
The foundation of Darwin's theory was formed by his observations of nature while traveling around the world. Development of the project began in 1837 and lasted more than 20 years. At the end of the 19th century, the Englishman was supported by another natural scientist, A. Wallace. Soon after his report in London, he admitted that it was Charles who inspired him. This is how a whole movement appeared - Darwinism. Followers of this movement agree that all types of fauna and flora on Earth are changeable and come from other, pre-existing species. Thus, the theory is based on the impermanence of all living things in nature. The reason for this is natural selection. Only the strongest forms survive on the planet, those that are able to adapt to current environmental conditions. Man is just such a creature. Thanks to evolution and the desire to survive, people began to develop their skills and knowledge.
Intervention theory
This version of human origins is based on the activities of foreign civilizations. It is believed that people are descendants of alien creatures that landed on Earth millions of years ago. This story of human origins has several endings. According to some, people appeared as a result of crossing aliens with their ancestors. Others think it's all to blame Genetic Engineering higher forms minds that brought homo sapiens out of the flask and their own DNA. Some people are sure that humans arose as a result of an error in animal experiments.
On the other hand, a very interesting and probable version is about alien intervention in the evolutionary development of homo sapiens. It is no secret that archaeologists still find in various parts of the planet numerous drawings, records and other evidence that ancient people were helped by some kind of supernatural forces. This also applies to the Mayan Indians, who were allegedly enlightened by extraterrestrial creatures with wings on strange celestial chariots. There is also a theory that the entire life of humanity from origin to the peak of evolution proceeds according to a long-prescribed program laid down by an alien intelligence. There are also alternative versions about the relocation of earthlings from planets of such systems and constellations as Sirius, Scorpio, Libra, etc.
Evolutionary theory
Followers of this version believe that the appearance of humans on Earth is associated with the modification of primates. This theory is by far the most widespread and discussed. Based on it, humans descended from certain species of monkeys. Evolution began in time immemorial under the influence of natural selection and other external factors. The theory of evolution indeed has a number of interesting proofs and evidence, both archaeological, paleontological, genetic and psychological. On the other hand, each of these statements can be interpreted differently. The ambiguity of the facts is what does not make this version 100% correct.
Theory of creation
This branch is called “creationism”. His followers deny all major theories of human origins. It is believed that people were created by God, who is the highest level in the world. Man was created in his image from non-biological material.
The biblical version of the theory states that the first people were Adam and Eve. God created them from clay. In Egypt and many other countries, religion goes deep into ancient myths. The vast majority of skeptics consider this theory impossible, estimating its probability at billionths of a percent. The version of the creation of all living things by God does not require proof, it simply exists and has the right to do so. In support of this, we can cite similar examples from legends and myths of peoples from different parts of the Earth. These parallels cannot be ignored.
Theory of space anomalies
This is one of the most controversial and fantastic versions of anthropogenesis. Followers of the theory consider the appearance of man on Earth to be an accident. In their opinion, people became the fruit of an anomaly of parallel spaces. The forefathers of earthlings were representatives of the humanoid civilization, which are a mixture of Matter, Aura and Energy. The anomaly theory suggests that there are millions of planets in the Universe with similar biospheres that were created by a single information substance. At favorable conditions this leads to the emergence of life, that is, the humanoid mind. Otherwise, this theory is in many ways similar to the evolutionary one, with the exception of the statement about a certain program for the development of mankind.
Aquatic theory
This version of the origin of man on Earth is almost 100 years old. In the 1920s, the aquatic theory was first proposed by a famous marine biologist named Alistair Hardy, who was later supported by another respected scientist, the German Max Westenhoffer.
The version is based on the dominant factor that forced the great apes to reach a new stage of development. This is what forced the monkeys to exchange their aquatic lifestyle for land. This is how the hypothesis explains the lack of thick hair on the body. Thus, at the first stage of evolution, man moved from the hydropithecus stage, which appeared more than 12 million years ago, to homo erectus, and then sapiens. Today this version is practically not considered in science.
Alternative theories
One of the most fabulous versions of the origin of man on the planet is that the descendants of people were certain chiropteran creatures. In some religions they are called angels. It was these creatures that inhabited the entire Earth from time immemorial. Their appearance was similar to a harpy (a mixture of a bird and a human). The existence of such creatures is supported by numerous cave paintings. There is another theory according to which people in the early stages of development were real giants. According to some legends, such a giant was half-man, half-god, since one of their parents was an angel. With time higher power stopped descending to Earth, and the giants disappeared.
Ancient myths
There are a huge number of legends and tales about the origin of man. IN Ancient Greece They believed that the ancestors of people were Deucalion and Pyrrha, who, by the will of the gods, survived the flood and created a new race from stone statues. The ancient Chinese believed that the first man was formless and came out of a clay ball.
The creator of people is the goddess Nuiva. She was a human and a dragon rolled into one. According to Turkish legend, people came out of the Black Mountain. In her cave there was a hole that resembled the appearance of a human body. Jets of rain washed clay into it. When the form was filled and warmed by the sun, the first man came out of it. His name is Ai-Atam. Myths about the origins of man from the Sioux Indians say that humans were created by the Rabbit Universe. The divine creature found a blood clot and began to play with it. Soon he began to roll on the ground and turned into intestines. Then a heart and other organs appeared on the blood clot. As a result, the rabbit produced a full-fledged boy - the ancestor of the Sioux. According to ancient Mexicans, God created the image of man from pottery clay. But due to the fact that he overcooked the workpiece in the oven, the man turned out burnt, that is, black. Subsequent attempts got better over and over again, and people came out whiter. The Mongolian legend is one to one similar to the Turkish one. Man emerged from a clay mold. The only difference is that the hole was dug by God himself.
Stages of evolution
Despite the versions of the origin of man, all scientists agree that the stages of his development were identical. The first upright prototypes of people were Australopithecines, who communicated with each other using their hands and were no taller than 130 cm. The next stage of evolution produced Pithecanthropus. These creatures already knew how to use fire and adapt nature to their own needs (stones, skin, bones). Further, human evolution reached the paleoanthropus. At this time, the prototypes of people could already communicate with sounds and think collectively. The last stage of evolution before the appearance of neoanthropes. Outwardly they were practically no different from modern people. They made tools, united into tribes, elected leaders, organized voting and rituals.
The ancestral home of humanity
Despite the fact that scientists and historians around the world are still arguing about theories of the origin of people, the exact place where the mind originated has still been established. This is the African continent. Many archaeologists believe that it is possible to narrow the location to the northeastern part of the mainland, although there is an opinion that the southern half dominates in this matter. On the other hand, there are people who are sure that humanity appeared in Asia (in India and adjacent countries). Conclusions that the first people inhabited Africa were made after numerous finds as a result of large-scale excavations. It is noted that at that time there were several types of human prototypes (races).
The strangest archaeological finds
Among the most interesting artifacts that can influence the idea of what the origin and development of man actually was were the skulls of ancient people with horns. Archaeological research was carried out in the Gobi Desert by a Belgian expedition in the mid-20th century.
On the territory of the former, images of flying people and objects heading to Earth from beyond were repeatedly found. solar system. Several other ancient tribes have similar drawings. In 1927, as a result of excavations in the Caribbean Sea, a strange transparent skull similar to a crystal one was found. Numerous studies have not revealed the technology and material of manufacture. Descendants claim that their ancestors worshiped this skull as if it were a supreme deity.
Currently there are many theories of human origins on our planet. The question of the emergence of intelligent life on Earth has always attracted the attention of scientists in various fields. This lecture will discuss the main versions of human origins, although none of them has a 100% guarantee of its veracity. Archaeological scientists together with astrologers from different countries explored a wide variety of sources of the origin of life (morphological, biological, chemical). But all these efforts, unfortunately, did not help to find out in which century BC. the first people appeared.
Darwin's theory
The most probable and closest to the truth version of the origin of man is the theory of Charles Darwin (British scientist). It was this scientist who managed to make a huge contribution to biological science. Darwin's theory is based on the definition of natural selection. In his opinion, natural selection plays big role in evolution. The foundation of Darwin's theory was created from numerous observations of nature while traveling around the world. The project began in 1837 and lasted for more than 20 years. Another scientist A. Wallace supported Darwin in the late 19th century. At his report in London, he stated that it was Charles who inspired him, after which a movement appeared that was called “Darwinism.”
All followers of this movement argue that each representative of flora and fauna is changeable and comes from pre-existing species. It turns out that Darwin's theory is based on the inconstancy of living things in nature, and the reason for this process is natural selection. It turns out that only the strongest forms survive on the planet, capable of quickly adapting to environment. Man is one of these creatures. Evolution and the desire to survive have contributed to the development of a variety of skills and abilities.
Evolutionary theory
According to followers of this theory, the appearance of people on Earth is associated with the modification of primates. Nowadays, evolutionary theory is one of the most discussed and widespread. Its essence lies in the fact that people are descendants of certain species of monkeys. As for evolution itself, it began from time immemorial under the influence of natural selection and other external factors. This version of the origin of man is confirmed by many testimonies and evidence (psychological, paleontological, archaeological). On the other hand, the ambiguity of many facts does not give the right to consider it 100% correct.
Rice. 1 - Evolutionary theory of human origin
Anomalies of space
This theory is the most fantastic and controversial. Her followers are sure that man appeared on planet Earth by accident. Its essence lies in the fact that man is the product of parallel anomalous spaces. The forefathers of modern people were representatives of other civilizations, representing a combination of energy, aura and matter. The theory assumes that in the Universe there are a huge number of planets with the same biospheres as the Earth, which were created by an information substance. If the conditions for this were favorable, then they contributed to the emergence of life.
This branch is called “creationism”. All his followers deny the main theories of the emergence of man. They are sure that all people were created by God, who represents the highest link. At the same time, he created man in his own image.
Rice. 2 - Theory of Creation
If we consider biblical theory of the origin of man on Earth, then the first people are Adam and Eve. For example, in countries like Egypt, religion goes deep into ancient myths. A large number of skeptics consider this version impossible. This version is not supported by any evidence, it simply is.
The basis of this version is the activities of foreign civilizations. In other words, people are the descendants of alien creatures that arrived on our planet millions of years ago. There are several endings to this version of the origins of humanity. One of them is to interbreed the progenitors with aliens. Genetic engineering is to blame for other outcomes higher intelligence who created thinking man from your own DNA. The version about the intervention of aliens in the evolutionary development of people is considered very interesting. Archaeologists still find various evidence (records, drawings) that supernatural forces helped ancient people.
Rice. 3 - Intervention Theory
Stages of evolution
Whatever the history of human origin, most scientists agree on the identity of the stages of development. Australopithecines are considered the first prototypes of humans. They communicated with each other using their hands, and their height did not exceed 130 cm.
In the next stage of evolution, Pithecanthropus appears, which has already learned to use fire and use the gifts of nature for its own needs (bones, skins, stones). The next stage of evolution is paleoanthropus. Such prototypes of people already knew how to think collectively and communicate using sounds.
Before the appearance of a thinking person, neoanthropes are considered the last stage in evolution. Visually, they were very similar to modern people, they created tools, chose leaders, united in tribes, etc.
Homeland of people
While there is debate as to which theory of the origin of man is correct, it has been possible to establish where exactly the mind originated. We are talking about the African continent. A large number of archaeologists believe that the location can be safely narrowed to the northeastern part of the mainland. Although, there are scientists who suggest that humanity began its development from Asia, namely from India and other neighboring countries.
The fact that the first people lived specifically in Africa is confirmed by numerous finds in large-scale excavations. It can also be noted that at that time there were several types of human prototypes.
