I sat in the grass in Rand Park. Whatever would I write my blog post about? What was important enough to demand a full post on the MHS Biology Blog? The grass had recently been cut (after months of overgrowing) and I was inspired by it's freshly chopped smell.
This is a pretty familiar sight, right? Grass is so common in our everyday lives. Go grass.
Grass covers over 20% of the earth’s land surface. It’s everywhere. And as it turns out, grass has a semi-interesting history.
Here’s how it goes:
Grass began to evolve in South America and Africa 60 million years ago, as is evidenced by the pollen fossils found from around that time. Grasses are classified by their unique pod shapes and their age of maturation - far earlier than other plants of the time. Soon after, the grasses evolved the ability to thrive in dry and open areas. This began their takeover of the earth.
Soon, grasses covered the plains of the world. (Soon being a relative term, I’m talking in terms of 10s of millions of years). Animals evolved to eat the grass - the ancestors of cows, sheep, zebras and the like. Grasses outputted a different form of carbon gas that was easily digestable by the animals -- but not humans. Don't worry though, soon, own ancestors began to creep onto the grass-covered plains, intrigued by the food source the herbivores themselves might provide.
Of course, there was one problem. ¡Predators! Grass had not evolved to be incredibly tall, and those crossing the grasslands were at risk of being attacked by the ancestors of lions and other big cats. Only some could survive in these conditions. Only the bipedal ones, who could run much faster through the plains. Early humans thus evolved their current stance.
Look at how the sun shines on it. So majestic. And with such a rich history.
So it turns out grass and us go way back. Nowadays it’s pretty comfortable to lie on and decorates the ground here in Rand Park, and I think we take it for granted. So here's a quick thank you: Thanks Grass!
I just want to point out that Humans evolved bipedalism because it made us better predators, not better prey. Four legged animals can sprint much faster, but humans, with two legs and less body hair, are able to run much further at a consistent pace, which is more helpful for being a predator. Also, having two limbs not used for walking gave humans use of their hands to carry things like weapons and food while also moving efficiently, allowing us to hunt more easily.
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