Page 282 - Flipping book The Adam Paradox Hypothesis - Second Edition.pdf

The Ādam Paradox Hypothesis 259
Neuroscience and Cognitive Models
Why it matters: Cognition is not fossils or genes but living minds.
What to watch:
Brain organoid comparisons. Engineered Neanderthal vs. sapiens brain
organoids may reveal functional differences in circuit timing and
connectivity.
fMRI studies of recursion. Neuroimaging may show whether uniquely
human variants underpin recursive language and contract reasoning.
Computational phase-transition models. Simulations may show how small
regulatory shifts can flip networks from finite pattern recognition to open-
ended symbol use.
Possible outcomes:
Strengthens APH: Evidence of phase-shift differences tied to human-
specific regulatory variants.
Weakens APH: Archaic circuits perform equivalently; no ignition-specific
bottleneck found.
The Horizon: What’s at Stake
Science will not settle this tomorrow. But each new discovery — a better-dated
shell bead, a newly sequenced fossil genome, a more realistic neural model —
shifts the balance. APH thrives on this wager.
If the evidence aligns — clustered sweeps, step-like symbols, synchronized
expansions — APH will move from hypothesis to paradigm.
If the evidence diverges — continuous symbols, archaic parity, or
scattershot expansions — APH will shrink or fall.
Either way, the pursuit clarifies the human story.