Early man did not have tearducts, they are a recent adaptation...to what and why?

Question

Adaptations are typically for species survival and/or to cope with environment. Why do we need to cry? How do our tears help us survive? Sparrowette?

What are we adapting to except maybe enhanced emotion that comes from greater understanding/cognizance or a bigger brain? It feels like evolution is going somewhere and the direction and changes are not all as random as you say...I could be wrong.

Answer 1

What are you calling early man? Even though there are some similarities between primate like beings--modern humans have been around about 200,000 years (tear ducts included). Are you proposing that early man did not cry? Or, are you proposing that the lubricating qualities of the tear ducts are a recent adaptation? Now if your premise is based on the emotional development of modern humans, the humans who existed 200,000 years ago were virtually identical to those folk walking around today. Therefore our emotions have always been.

Answer 2

pollutants

Answer 3

There is no reason to think that early humans did not have tear ducts.  Other apes do, and tear ducts do not fossilize.

Tears are necessary to keep the eye clean.  The association between tears and emotion is most likely part of the fight/flight response, IMHO

wl

Answer 4

Ice age was cold.

Your eyes dry out when the air is super cold.

Tear ducts are supposed to lubricate them.

Answer 5

I doubt that thats true, tear ducts are there to get dirt out of your eyes.

Answer 6

the environment is becoming harsher..,there are more toxins in the air...the eyes are becoming more adept at cleaning and dealing with these...

Answer 7

All mammals have tear ducts.

Answer 8

And, how do you know all this? In the first place I would only guess early man had tear ducts. This is a clearing process to keep the eyes clean, all warm blooded mammals have them. I would think "crying" would be a secondary condition.

Answer 9

Cro magnon are modern humans but if it is a recent development two things come to mind as speculation.  We cry with tears.  I don't think that chimps do.  We also have fire and that does introduce irritants into the eye.

Answer 10

Early man was a human!. We did not evolve from,  (and are not related to ) any other creature before the first man, and when we become extinct as we surely will, some other creature will fill our shoes, and they will be unrelated to us,  It has always been this way throughout time. Evolution is just a word which simply means to progress, and since man appeared on earth he has done just that. Other wise, how did we get from the Stone Age, through the Bronze Age, through the Iron Age, and the Industrial Revolution to where we are today, that's is what we call progress

                         On the day we become extinct, that is the day evolution stops, also dead, And,

                         Only within the life of any species can there be evolution, or progress, or maturing, call it what you like, it cannot jump the species barrier though. That is why I am anti evolutionist.

Answer 11

Would you cite the sources of your claims?

When you state "Neanderthals had tear ducts. Cro- magnons didn't. I don't think they could swim either. " Cro-Magnons are modern humans. The label simply refers to the French village where the culture was first found. Based on this statement you are claiming we humans don't have tear ducts and cannot swim.