If I had been born to prehistoric parents, would I have been abandoned in some remote corner of the forest as soon as my disability became evident? Maybe not. Researchers recently unearthed the 500,000-year-old skull of a child who likely had craniosynotosis, a congenital disability that causes pieces of the skull to prematurely fuse and leads to significant cognitive disabilities. The size of the skull indicates that child lived to at least age five and possibly longer, which means that his parents and other tribe members devoted themselves to his care despite his disability.
I like to think that, under similar circumstances, I would have lived long enough to become the tribe’s resident storyteller and dispenser of sage advice. I might have even had a shot at the chief’s daughter after composing an epic poem of grunts and whistles for her while sitting around the campfire.
I would very much like to hear the epic poem of grunts and whistles.
Nah, we wouldn’t have lasted long. Sorry, I don’t mean to be so optimistic. 😉
You had me at “ugh”