Is there anything that makes humans unique?

[Cocal]

we don't evolve to make our bodies suit the environment, we make the environment suit us.

Are you implying evolution is a conscious act? Please don't.
Furthermore, the existence of genetic differences between various ethnic groups which can be clearly tied to environmental factors- the correlation of melanin with equatorial proximity, the prevalence of sickle cell trait [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sickle_cell_trait] in malarial environments, etc.- demonstrates that humans have continued to evolve along with everything else.

I most certainly am not imply such a ignorant statement. I am saying that we invent and use tools more than any other species (to my knowledge) for our own benefit. Like we make houses so that we have shelter we don't all just live in natural accommodations.

 

[Toaster Hunter]

We create art for the sake of art and can appreciate beauty for beauty's sake

 

[WaffleTron]

We wear pants, and we look damn good while doing it.

 

[sokka14]

biggest thing - language. i don't mean a few clicks or like 85 phrases, i'm talking about the ability to express almost anything with incredible conciseness.
the ability to go into an environment and consciously control it, using our own inventions to do so.
doing this all over the world.

 

[Raddragon]

-Opposable thumbs are actually fairly common among primates
-Dolphins enjoy sex
-Elephants bury their dead
-Kangaroos are bipeds too
-Dolphins, elephants, primates and pigs are self aware
-Pigs, dolphins and elephants can problem solve
-insects operate in societies and can farm funghi and other insects
-language is used by nearly everything
-bacteria can terra-form too
-bacteria use energy from hydro-thermic vents



Humans have/can do all of the above, or am I wrong?

 

[chefassassin2]

It may have been said in here before, but I can't be bothered to look at every response. If so, discount me and consider me a tool.
But, I'm going to go ahead and say one word. Internet. Can any animal other than humans come up with such a complex way of totally flaming complete strangers from around the world?

 

[Doug]

I'm just going to answer this with my own opinion - nothing per say is unique to humans, but we combine alot of rare/semi-rare traits into one mind and somehow we've used this to develop complex languages, allowing the previous generation to teach and communicate better with the next that mere observation can allow. Further, we somehow we developed written language and from there we managed to advance our technology as the works of the previous generations have been keep - both as guide and warning.

Basically, technology is the only unique thing to us - and I don't just mean tools.

 

[Katul]

I'm going to end this thread.

What makes us unique are:

1) We are the only species that can adapt to an environment as fast as we do.

2) We are the only animal on the planet that can, and will eat almost ANYTHING, we have the most diverse eating habits on the planet; meat, fish, plants, bones, blood, trees, soil, roots you name it, some group somewhere survives on it.

3) The core population of humen, and I mean the population which actually have brains are hugely intelligent compare to other mammals/life.

4) Our immunesystem is one of the best in the planet, believe it or not but we have more immunities and deceases than any other species on the planet.

5) We have to longest life span of any mammal, next is the Elephant.

6) A female human has swollen breasts almost throughout her life, which is unique in primates.

7) We are the only animal that can act as a carnivorous animal that has no natural mechanism to kill or catch it's prey, or even to eat it...we produce all the mandatory tools to catch, hunt, kill and eat our prey.

8) We are the only animal on the planet that can, and has been proven to kill and hunt almost every animal on the planet.

9) Our Facial muscles are the most complex and developed in the planet.

10) Our language. Yes other species can communicate vocally, but nothing comes even near our capabilities.

11) We are the only animal that has visited the space, and other planetary system or a moon.

12) Our brains are the most complex and diverse structure in the cosmos, as far as we know

13) No other animal has ever in the history of the planet changed it's climate or nature as fast as a human has.

14) We are the only animal that has the tools and power to destroy the entire planet at will.

15) We can kill anything on the planet.

16) Our first aid skills. Any other animal, will not know what to do if one of it's group member has a broken limb.

17) We can kill ourselfs at will...well scorpions can too but they are not self aware.

18) We are on top of the fucking food chain!!

19) We have the ability to train other animals to do labour for us, or take as a pet....basicly we are the only animal that can enslave other species.

20) We are the most violent species on the planet, it has been proven.


I can go on this forever mate, we are unique like hell.

 

[ArcWinter]

Well, this seems REALLY, REALLY, EXTREMELY SIMPLE.

We are humans, known as homo sapiens in the scientific community, and they are not.

We have built this empire of ours and spread across the earth in a manner without changing our species. They have not.

We have 46 chromosomes, they do not.

We have a written language, and thus written history, they do not.

Again, novice textbook knowledge and common sense.

I don't see the point of the question either. Is it discounting outspoken vegans, a misplaced sense of personal curiosity, a doubt of superiority, what?
Vegans don't need discounting, use your curiosity to invent cool stuff, and we aren't superior anyway (merely equal).

So, to answer your question, as you have not asked for anything beyond that, yes. There is something that makes humans unique. There. I hope your spiritual quest is fulfilled or whatever.

 

[RivFader86]

We constantly try to destroy ourselves...but i guess that was already mentioned...a lot.
Other than that we are just like all the other species some are more like us and some are entirely different....afterall we are just another mammal.

 

[Mrsoupcup]

I'm going to end this thread.

What makes us unique are:

1) We are the only species that can adapt to an environment as fast as we do.

2) We are the only animal on the planet that can, and will eat almost ANYTHING, we have the most diverse eating habits on the planet; meat, fish, plants, bones, blood, trees, soil, roots you name it, some group somewhere survives on it.

3) The core population of humen, and I mean the population which actually have brains are hugely intelligent compare to other mammals/life.

4) Our immunesystem is one of the best in the planet, believe it or not but we have more immunities and deceases than any other species on the planet.

5) We have to longest life span of any mammal, next is the Elephant.

6) A female human has swollen breasts almost throughout her life, which is unique in primates.

7) We are the only animal that can act as a carnivorous animal that has no natural mechanism to kill or catch it's prey, or even to eat it...we produce all the mandatory tools to catch, hunt, kill and eat our prey.

8) We are the only animal on the planet that can, and has been proven to kill and hunt almost every animal on the planet.

9) Our Facial muscles are the most complex and developed in the planet.

10) Our language. Yes other species can communicate vocally, but nothing comes even near our capabilities.

11) We are the only animal that has visited the space, and other planetary system or a moon.

12) Our brains are the most complex and diverse structure in the cosmos, as far as we know

13) No other animal has ever in the history of the planet changed it's climate or nature as fast as a human has.

14) We are the only animal that has the tools and power to destroy the entire planet at will.

15) We can kill anything on the planet.

16) Our first aid skills. Any other animal, will not know what to do if one of it's group member has a broken limb.

17) We can kill ourselfs at will...well scorpions can too but they are not self aware.

18) We are on top of the fucking food chain!!

19) We have the ability to train other animals to do labour for us, or take as a pet....basicly we are the only animal that can enslave other species.

20) We are the most violent species on the planet, it has been proven.


I can go on this forever mate, we are unique like hell.

We have guns. /thread

 

[Ironic]

Emmm we are Self-aware??

So are some primates, they recently did a study that managed to show that they recognized themselves in a mirror.

 

[Mrsoupcup]

My answer to this question depends on whether you mean animals from earth or other planets(I'm not crazy, I simply think that it's unlikely that earth is the only planet in the universe with life on it). There are lots of things that seperate us from earth creatures, and I guess the same goes for aliens. We would be different if the aliens were more priitive or more advanced than us.

tail-less bipedal structure (only creature like this)

What about Sasquatch?

We have increadible bursts of adrenaline when under stress. I one time almost fell of a cliff, dislocated my arm pulling myself up. I didn't notice till I was up and my should we swollen.

 

[Katul]

We constantly try to destroy ourselves...but i guess that was already mentioned...a lot.
Other than that we are just like all the other species some are more like us and some are entirely different....afterall we are just another mammal.

Saying that we are "just another mammal" is like saying...well....that human is like an ape.

Even the fact that you can actually SAY, on a COMPUTER, ON THE INTERNET, IN THE OTHER SIDE OF THE WORLD that "you are just another mammal" is disturbing. Wake up people.

EDIT: lol we are an ape actually, but I meant that we are not like the other.

 

[thermo1]

We dominate all other species on the planet and

we have the ability to come up with a thread like this one... and have the luxuary to waste time and energy answering it as opposed to more useful tasks like eating sleeping and reproducing.

;/

 

[Katul]

...

We have 46 chromosomes, they do not.

...

Actually our chromosomes are not unique by number, a Fem has over 1200 of them,Shrimp has 254 and an african Wild Dog 78 for example.

 

[RivFader86]

We constantly try to destroy ourselves...but i guess that was already mentioned...a lot.
Other than that we are just like all the other species some are more like us and some are entirely different....afterall we are just another mammal.

Saying that we are "just another mammal" is like saying...well....that human is like an ape.

Even the fact that you can actually SAY, on a COMPUTER, ON THE INTERNET, IN THE OTHER SIDE OF THE WORLD that "you are just another mammal" is disturbing. Wake up people.

well we are actualy...and things like the internet are just a tool we use to achieve what we want (in this case comunication over a long distance) just like an ape using a stick to get termites out of a branch...just more advanced and yet you wouldn't say that an ape isn't just another mammal. You can of course argue about the fact that being more advanced is exactly what makes us unique but how can you know that we are the only ones that advance? Well we advance the fastes no doubt about that. And i find it way more disturbing to think we are superior to everything else on the planet because of our advanced technology...wich eventualy led us to things like global warming and the oh so superior humans running around pulling their hair and going "omg we are all going to die"....superior indeed^^ but that is not what the thread is about.

Edit: I'm not saying that us beeing as advanced as we are doesn't set us appart from other species i'm just saying that it doesn't neccesarely mean that we are unique if one takes a closer look at the issue

 

[Ironic]

I'm going to end this thread.

What makes us unique are:

1) We are the only species that can adapt to an environment as fast as we do.

2) We are the only animal on the planet that can, and will eat almost ANYTHING, we have the most diverse eating habits on the planet; meat, fish, plants, bones, blood, trees, soil, roots you name it, some group somewhere survives on it.

3) The core population of humen, and I mean the population which actually have brains are hugely intelligent compare to other mammals/life.

4) Our immunesystem is one of the best in the planet, believe it or not but we have more immunities and deceases than any other species on the planet.

5) We have to longest life span of any mammal, next is the Elephant.

6) A female human has swollen breasts almost throughout her life, which is unique in primates.

7) We are the only animal that can act as a carnivorous animal that has no natural mechanism to kill or catch it's prey, or even to eat it...we produce all the mandatory tools to catch, hunt, kill and eat our prey.

8) We are the only animal on the planet that can, and has been proven to kill and hunt almost every animal on the planet.

9) Our Facial muscles are the most complex and developed in the planet.

10) Our language. Yes other species can communicate vocally, but nothing comes even near our capabilities.

11) We are the only animal that has visited the space, and other planetary system or a moon.

12) Our brains are the most complex and diverse structure in the cosmos, as far as we know

13) No other animal has ever in the history of the planet changed it's climate or nature as fast as a human has.

14) We are the only animal that has the tools and power to destroy the entire planet at will.

15) We can kill anything on the planet.

16) Our first aid skills. Any other animal, will not know what to do if one of it's group member has a broken limb.

17) We can kill ourselfs at will...well scorpions can too but they are not self aware.

18) We are on top of the fucking food chain!!

19) We have the ability to train other animals to do labour for us, or take as a pet....basicly we are the only animal that can enslave other species.

20) We are the most violent species on the planet, it has been proven.


I can go on this forever mate, we are unique like hell.

We have guns. /thread

All of these points are just sub-points based on the things he has already said;

1.Intelligence, as far as adaptation goes, i would say it is to do with our building skills.

2. We use tools to do this, you planning on trying to go one on one with a tiger or a shark in a tooth n claw fight?

3.What?

4. I think this just comes with being one of the most widespread species on the planet, its a case of quantity vs MOAR QUANTITIEZ.

5. We'd probably have closer to an average of 30-50 years if we didn't have hygenic standards like we do to do, and medicine, so this is Intelligence again.

6. Um, one of the things that happens during pregnancy is... boobs swelling? If you mean it differently the sure, this is unique.

7. Our natural mechanisms are our hands, our legs and our brains. We can easily take down smaller "prey" such as pigs/game without tools, but seen as our brains are natural mechanisms, this could boil down to intelligence. A chimp could probably kill a chicken.

8. But not naturally, we do so using tools, and our brains, or, again, intelligence.

9. True 'dat.

10.*sigh* intelligence again. It's a cumulative knowledge, that is easier to learn, than it is to create.

11.Intelligence, Tools.

12.But, only a progression on what primates have. (or what primates have NOW. We didn't evolve from chimps guys, they evolved from the same thing we did).

13. How about plankton, the first ones that changed our atmosphere into one that allows more diverse life? This comes down to "intelligence" again.

14. This is intelligence, tools, and maybe a teensy bit of abstract thought.

15.You already said this.

16. Intelligence and probably Abstract thought. Im sure i heard of a study wherein the lions in a pride, they protect, help feed and lick the wounds of an injured lion in the pride.

17.Lemmi- nope. This one is probably a unique one, maybe abstract thought.

18. I'd say bacteria probably are. They're alive, and they feed on us... and most other things.

19. Intelligence again, and who's to say that sharks aren't whispering gently to remora fish *good boy, good boy*.

20. This probably comes down to abstract thought, but yeah, probably.

Intelligence, if viewed quantitatively is not unique to us, just that other animals have "less".

Abstract thought, as the topic starter said is unique, and also, Guns are just tools. -> Intelligence.

Would introspective-thought be a unique trait? I mean, self awareness is one thing, but examining your own strengths and weaknesses? Does that count as "abstract thought"?