This is a hypothesis that I wrote up ±15 years ago, that I did not publish as there is no appropriate venue (journal) for hypothetical ideas like this. I find that to be a pity, and there's a gap. I hope that you enjoy this idea.
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It has been proposed by <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/nature02358" title="Stedman et Al, _Myosin gene mutation correlates with anatomical changes in the human lineage_, Nature, 2004">Stedman et al</a> that the loss of jaw muscle mass might have allowed for an increase in the cranial capacity of early humans.
How could this change have given this mutant group any sort of advantage? The weaker jaw muscles would no doubt lead to weaker, inefficient hunters. We argue that this increase in capacity might have allowed for some swift change in the cranial capacity of early humans, and, as such, a small cognitive advantage to these otherwise seemingly weaker apes. Therefore, a genetic change in brain size was not necessarily immediately required for the advantage of these early humans. In broader terms, we argue that socialisation coupled with the plasticity of the brain does away with the absolute requirement of a 'step' change in the evolutionary sense.
A number of people who dispute evolution argue that the step changes of the magnitude required to differentiate a modern human from an ape do not occur in nature. It is, of course, absurd to think that a step change occurred and that in one generation a line of apes became human. The genetic changes required to necessitate the modern thinking and communicating human are numerous and have been quantified, and the statistical probability of this occurring simultaneously in order to allow an advantage to the human seem fairly proposterous. However, a single change as proposed by <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/nature02358" title="Stedman et Al, _Myosin gene mutation correlates with anatomical changes in the human lineage_, Nature, 2004">Stedman et al</a> could reveal the answer - and this is not only a bigger eventual brain in the physical sense. The answer lies in the idea that the brain can boostrap.
It is well known that the brain has high plasticity - it conforms and changes according to environmental stimuli. Free neurones independently begin to form independent functional networks based on the environment in which they are placed. Research into rat neurones in a petri dish interfaced with a flight simulator have shown that the neurones are capable of forming and learning based on these changes.
The very fact that individuals could create a wider range of sounds using their mouths may have lead to their own cognitive development. There may be positive feedback in the sense that making more complex sounds lead to stimulation of the brain's communication centres, and in turn stimulation of the brain lead to the ability to make more complex sounds.
Then, there is socialisation. The knowledge of the previous generation could be passed on, in more complex ways, via more complex communication. This does not require a genetic change, it relies entirely on the plasticity of the brain. The physical brain growth may have come later, and this may have been naturally selected for humans based on their increased problem solving capacity. The ability of individuals to communicate better, and the very fact that a wider variety of sounds through freedom in articulation may have shaped the young mind of the next generation. Immediately, this training through socialisation from a young age when the brain's plasticity is high would have lead to an increased sharing of thoughts and ideas. It is not just this sharing of thoughts and ideas that may have lead to increases in early humans' capacity, but the very process of training and speaking that caused through stimulation conformational changes in early human minds.
This theory is not easily testable. It might help, but is not necessarily sufficient, to splice the gene for weaker jaw muscles into a pygmy chimp and observe the changes. This, however, has to be coupled with the socialisation aspect of the development of the chimp.
It is not clear to what extent epigenetics may have impacted here - the rapid change induced by the cognitive change through socialisation and brain plasticity in early humans may have translated to a rapid depositing of epigentic factors. This might mean that the changes experienced did translate to rapid genetic change - thus speeding up the evolutionary process down the progeny line. As argued here, however, the rapid change in genetics is not required once more freedom in communication ripens. It is the plasticity of the brain, propagated through self-stimulation, socialisation and mutual group stimulation, that may have lead to early humans relative advantage in a climate in which fitness was essential.

The Bootstrapped Brain: Evolutionary Change Through Socialisation and Brain Plasticity

I saw an awe inspiring dancer at an event in Johannesburg, South Africa. He was unknown to me at the time. He danced in the company of other great dancers, but he was exceptional, with fierce purpose and intensity in his movements. He used a mechanical crutch which moved as a part of him. It did not appear to be a movement aid, but rather an integrated part of his dance movement over which he had full control. He had lost one leg, and this did not impede his ability for gravity defiance, but seemed to enable it. Seeing him dance was a very moving moment in my life. I had to find out more about him, and to learn how he became such a beautiful performer. <a href="https://www.instagram.com/musa_motha95">Musa Motha</a> went on to become a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6qonkpkK018">global superstar</a>.
At the intersection of some of our unique dimensions as individuals lies a region of potential overlap with others. The building of a community allows the overlap to find others: to collide with minds with similar interests, afflictions, or purpose.
Community enables these collisions. While attending Singularity University Summits talking about some of my personal stories, I met some extraordinary people from a variety of walks of life, all of whom came together for a common purpose to use technology for the betterment of humanity.
Some of the people I had met had overcome substantial affliction and difficulty in their lives. I admired the remarkable people they are today. I saw some unique qualities and attributes in them. I started to notice that some of these people had become the version of themselves because of their unique circumstances, and the fact that they were able to rise to the occasion. They had forged themselves, through their adversity, into giants of our society.
I realise that we each have our own unique stories, challenges: the light incident on us in our lives is entirely unique. Our most unusual attributes are what make us most interesting. In society, there is some motivation to hide these. I was seeing people who had embraced unusual circumstances to create their present selves. I realise their biggest challenges had become their biggest advantages.
People became despondent about their futures as we moved into the difficult times brought about by the 2019 pandemic. I became motivated to showcase some of the stories of people who had been through extraordinarily difficult times, but had become the best version of themselves because of these. I wanted to tell people that even though times were difficult, they could be optimistic about their futures. Not just because it'd be alright, but because these difficult and challenging times could enable them to become better versions of themselves.
This idea that people could become the best versions of themselves through adversity was particularly motivating to and resonant with me, as I had my own substantial medical challenges while growing up, and this had directly resulted in my becoming my present self. I decided in the midst of the pandemic to build a collection of stories, a community, around the idea that we could forge ourselves extraordinarily through adversity. The <a href="https://shift.stream">shift.stream</a> interview series was born, and I began to seek out individuals who were doing unusual and incredible things from their potentially devastating stories. Phoenix stories.
<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/godfreynazareth">Godfrey Nazareth</a> gives inspiring and moving keynote talks, through his technologically enabled assistive device which produces his powerful voice. <a href="https://www.instagram.com/tilly.lockey/?hl=en">Tilly Lockey</a> is an individual movement: she's augmented through her robotic arms, and is inspiring her generation. <a href="https://www.instagram.com/matteagles_parkylife/">Matt Eagles</a> leverages his brain implant which keeps his Parkinson's Disease under management to go out and advocate for the rights of other patients (and is a part time dare devil). <a href="https://www.benjaminrosman.com/">Benji Rosman</a> became a professor of computer science at 34, partially due to his exceptional aptitude, and partially due to the fact he had a stroke while being born which developed his capacity for this work. <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vivienne_Ming">Vivienne Ming</a> was suicidal, and had a turning point in her life, after which she went on to build and give away technological breakthroughs from her lab for the benefit of our species.
His name was unknown to me at the time, but through the dance company who performed that day, I was able to get in touch with Musa Motha. I interviewed him as the first shift.stream interview, and learned a great deal in the process. I went on to interview other wonderful human beings, and I am still doing so at present. I want this community to be inspiring, uplifting, and let people know that at some point, their darkest times may be their greatest moment to advance.

Writing

Book Contributions

Ethics at Work: Dilemmas of the Near Future

Blog

The Bootstrapped Brain: Evolutionary Change Through Socialisation and Brain Plasticity

Building shift.stream

A recent exchange with Claude by Anthropic

Academic Papers