How did humans learn how to plant seeds and begin farming?

[Don_Barracuda]

There’s no way anyone would be able to just say “oh seed + time = tree.” The most likely answer is that large fruit trees probably isn’t where the discovery came from. Chances are the discovery came from something smaller like a beansprout, or something like that. Something small that when uprooted still resembled a seed of sorts. Eventually someone figured out that putting seeds in the ground would grow into larger plants, and since many seeds tend to look alike people started planting seeds for more crops. After that someone probably figured out that a small tree sapling kinda looks like the other plants, and they planted apple/peach, or whatever type of seeds and after some years they noticed those seeds were turning into saplings while the previously observed saplings were starting to look like trees.

A series of hypothetical events

Hunters went out caught animals gathered seeds.
One dude gets attacked by a lion, drops seeds the others run away. *
After the winter they return, the come pass the spot where their brother was eaten by a lion and find crops growing.

• Alternatively, they return home drop a few seeds along the way, come spring they notice them growing.

Except the carrying of seeds implies that they knew what they were in the first place.

How did we learn that we needed food and water to survive? Aliens.

Are you serious right now? Have you heard of evolution? You know that Adam and Eve story is made up right? Animals have been carrying, storing food, we have learnt many things through observation, trial and error and instinct through our 5 senses.

continues at 1:46

[Hotobu]

Are YOU serious right now? Talk about putting the cart before the horse. Step back and think about the question asked. The question was how basically how did our ancestors know that a seed would turn into a tree. In order for someone to be carrying seeds they would have to know that the seeds had value, or would turn into a tree, which means that they had to discover what a seed was in the first place. The first time someone bit into a plant that had a seed and didn’t know what it was for why would they carry it around? That’s like eating a bag of Skittles and then saving the bag. They first had to establish the value of the seeds/bag before they saw fit to carry them.

[Don_Barracuda]

I don’t know the definitive answer but I can imagine many scenarios which would lead us to this knowledge. Using the example you gave, lets say berries. Early man consumes the berries or observes animals consuming berries.

Upon pooping they can observe the same seeds within the poop (animals are known to do this and even eat it). Since our sense of smell tells us poop is bad, we bury it. Maybe we poop in the same place, over time plants start to grow, the exact same ones as the ones that carry the berries we eat, in a place where there were no berry trees/plants before. Now I’m not saying at this point primitive man had a eureka moment, it might have taken 1000s of years to slowly work out that poop isn’t magical and that it was the hard bits in our poop that created more fruit.

[BullDancer]

The same way you were born… you were carried around and not swallowed… so more or less by accident…

[Matriarch]

Sedentary agricultural societies begat the state, which was the beginning of slavery, money, greed, corruption… so in a roundabout way, yeah, that sounds about right.

And most anthropologists agree that women most likely discovered and cultivated agriculture.

Man’s ruin indeed.

[Hotobu]

I don’t know the definitive answer but I can imagine many scenarios which would lead us to this knowledge. Using the example you gave, lets say berries. Early man consumes the berries or observes animals consuming berries.

Upon pooping they can observe the same seeds within the poop (animals are known to do this and even eat it). Since our sense of smell tells us poop is bad, we bury it. Maybe we poop in the same place, over time plants start to grow, the exact same ones as the ones that carry the berries we eat, in a place where there were no berry trees/plants before. Now I’m not saying at this point primitive man had a eureka moment, it might have taken 1000s of years to slowly work out that poop isn’t magical and that it was the hard bits in our poop that created more fruit.

That’s another possibility, except you ignored the reason I replied to you in the first place. The suggestion of “carrying seeds” is a bit ridiculous.

[Don_Barracuda]

I don’t know the definitive answer but I can imagine many scenarios which would lead us to this knowledge. Using the example you gave, lets say berries. Early man consumes the berries or observes animals consuming berries.

Upon pooping they can observe the same seeds within the poop (animals are known to do this and even eat it). Since our sense of smell tells us poop is bad, we bury it. Maybe we poop in the same place, over time plants start to grow, the exact same ones as the ones that carry the berries we eat, in a place where there were no berry trees/plants before. Now I’m not saying at this point primitive man had a eureka moment, it might have taken 1000s of years to slowly work out that poop isn’t magical and that it was the hard bits in our poop that created more fruit.

That’s another possibility, except you ignored the reason I replied to you in the first place. The suggestion of “carrying seeds” is a bit ridiculous.

Why? Once my hypothetical scenario plays, it only makes sense to plant nearby a home, which would reduce the time spent foraging and reduce the likelihood of injury (farming).

The carrying of seeds suggest a higher level of intelligence is required, not only are the seeds purposely removed from whatever they came from, but it means they had a greater understanding of what they could do with seeds beyond just planting. So this would of happened many more years after.

My thoughts are leaning towards the development of a rudimentary form of trade, certain fruit and seeds would have been considered more valuable, like the choice between a mango and a berry. It could be that because of trade it was easier to store and carry seeds (it’s not like they had freezers). Another example could be a nomad meets someone who could feed them, give them shelter etc in exchange for spices or seeds. Or they want to create a new settlement elsewhere but they can’t dig up an entire farm so they just carry the seeds.

[Keepin_em_Honest]

They had a LOT of free time. First, it happens on accident: you prefer certain fruits so you eat those and the seeds get the advantage of your fertilizer once you pass them and you find more of the foods you prefer the more this happens. Eventually, you start doing it on purpose and focusing on how to make the plants even better and the process faster.

The domestication of plants is really fascinating, Guns, Germs, & Steel has a really well written chapter about it if you’re ever bored some night.

For instance, strawberries were incredibly hard to domesticate. Humans prefer big sweet strawberries, but birds prefer small bitter strawberries. Try as we might to plant only the large strawberries, the birds always got there first and “planted” the seeds of the small bitter ones by passing them and ruining all our hard work. Romans had some success with giant nets they put all around the crops, but it really took the invention of the greenhouse to keep them out and get it right.

Edit: and Johnny Appleseed went around planting apples from seeds. Apples from seed aren’t sweet. But, settlers loved sour apples because they were perfect for making hard cider and apple jack (80 proof apple liquor.) Most elementary school teachers leave out the part about him being a bootlegging preacher.

I award you the Gold medal in this stoner thread, this theory seems way more likely than the others.

I’ve thrown 1000s of seeds in the dirt, from an uncountable number of fruits and veggies and I have never witnessed a plant grow from it. Infact, my nana had grapevines in her backyard that grew around the west fence, but we just use to smash the grapes and throw the seeds anywhere, but the grapes only grew around the west fence. Not sayin the observation theory of piles of seeds just being grown by nature isn’t true, but for this to happen on a scale often enough to be observed by the human mind, often enough, to do some form of logical reasonin would require a vast amount of plain old luck that only one person probably witnessed and told everyone else about it. I know biology is all about luck, but I won’t assume such chance occurrences if there’s no need for it.

Now ancient man noticin plants grown from shit piles, that would catch some attention. “Food is coming from where we usually take a shit”.

There is no true answer to this question, considering it was before recorded history. It’s the same thing as asking how did humans know to cook food? Or why religion was invented and why so many cultures even have one and why 90% of those religions consist of super beings from the sky? Heck, to this day, no one knows why almost every culture has dragons of some sort.

Some questions will never be answered.

I know everything is theory…but it’s better to theorize than settle for not knowing the truth.

[NickRocks]

lol I cant believe this is a real thread

how did humans learn how to put ketchup on hot dogs?

how did humans learn how to make computers?

how did humans learn how to wipe their butts instead of just leaving it there like all the other animals?

how did humans learn how to have sex?

how did humans learn to fix wounds?

[Keepin_em_Honest]

lol I cant believe this is a real thread

how did humans learn how to put ketchup on hot dogs?

how did humans learn how to make computers?

how did humans learn how to wipe their butts instead of just leaving it there like all the other animals?

how did humans learn how to have sex?

how did humans learn to fix wounds?

These questions actually have real answers since most of this occurred after humans started keepin records of shit. Won’t lie tho, I was zooded off some Kush when I made this thread.

[Negative-Zer0]

What boggles me is that i thought people moved around back in the day. How in the hell were they able to stay in one place long enough to realize what the seeds were doing?

[Mr.Unbrockable]

I b4 LordisJesus. It was god. Everything that has no explanation is GOD. That’s why I watch Bill O Reilly

http://narwhaler.com/original/7q/f/food-goes-in-poop-comes-out-you-cant-explain-that--7qF5c7.jpg

[ElderGOD]

really? You must be quite high if this question boggles you.

So when ancient man saw food growing from the ground, and threw out the inedible parts, which grew into more food in the ground, you think they weren’t able to put two and two together?

you forget, society has us believe that ancient man was a bumbling moron incapable of higher thought.

_

But its always aliens. God damn it ElderGod.

A better question is:

[SNAAAAKE]

how did humans learn how to roll cancel

MYSTERY SHIT

[ElderGOD]

how did humans learn how to roll cancel

MYSTERY SHIT

Well:

http://cdn2-b.examiner.com/sites/default/files/styles/large_lightbox/hash/31/0c/310ca24ce6c7e8587cf547c4f25bc870.jpeg?itok=Tg5M1leM

[goodm0urning]

how did humans learn how to roll cancel

MYSTERY SHIT

Prehistoric humans were the nerds of their time. Constantly trying out random shit, looking for new ways to break the game.

[ranoutofUNs42]

how did humans learn how to roll cancel

MYSTERY SHIT

Prehistoric humans were the nerds of their time. Constantly trying out random shit, looking for new ways to break the game.

cool story bro, you should tell it while skateboarding on downtown Hartford.

[goodm0urning]

How the fuck did you rack up 35 posts in three days?

[Mr.Unbrockable]

http://cdn0.meme.li/instances/300x300/39270100.jpg

Roll canceling is also the miracle of God.

Sedentary agricultural societies begat the state, which was the beginning of slavery, money, greed, corruption… so in a roundabout way, yeah, that sounds about right.

And most anthropologists agree that women most likely discovered and cultivated agriculture.

Man’s ruin indeed.

Oh look a woman who doesn’t know any better.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4JqCRYybyP0

[Don_Barracuda]

How the fuck did you rack up 35 posts in three days?

Looks like he really really like SFxT ¬_¬