Did culture and learning influence human evolution?

Abstract

Today’s civilization, with all its scientific and technological advancement, is the tip from a long process of development that goes back to the very origin of humankind. We assume that evolution has led to the emergence of culture because it shaped the brain’s capacities of hominids. But it is also possible that cultural manifestations that gradually emerged due to the increase of intelligence —like the making of tools, use of fire, emergence of agriculture, and the birth of language— might have influenced the evolutionary transformations of hominids. Learning is a key piece, but it is unclear how it fits in this complex puzzle.

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