---
title: "The Origins of Human Intelligence: How We Became the ‘Thinking Species’"
description: "Where does human intelligence come from? What evolutionary events gave birth to the human mind? "
date: "2016-09-08"
modified: "2016-09-08"
authors:
  - name: "Daniel Barker"
    link: "https://futurism.com/authors/daniel-barker"
url: "https://futurism.com/brain-power-part-2"
categories:
  - "Brain"
  - "Health & Medicine"
tags:
  - "brain"
  - "intelligence"
---

# The Origins of Human Intelligence: How We Became the ‘Thinking Species’

![Default Futurism featured image](<https://futurism.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Futurism-Filler-Image.jpg>)

As humans, we pride ourselves on our intelligence, and not without reason; we've invented intricate languages, quantified the universe through science and mathematics, kept records of our history, created countless masterpieces of art and music, and have invented weapons of mass destruction capable of wiping the earth clean. But in the Earth's four-plus billion year history, no other species has written quite a resume of intellectual accomplishments (whether good or bad).

So where does this all come from, if evolution does not tend towards civilization? What rare event of natural selection occurred to make us a thinking species? And what are we doing to become smarter? Explore the origins of human intelligence in this episode.

*This is part two of a two-part series, and you can listen to the first part here.*

https://soundcloud.com/uncertaintyprinciple/brain-power-part-2

Uncertainty Principle is a podcast by [Daniel James Barker](<https://www.patreon.com/uncertaintyprinciple>).

Music credits:

[freemusicarchive.org/music/Lee\_Rose…\_the\_Beginning](<https://exit.sc/?url=http%3A%2F%2Ffreemusicarchive.org%2Fmusic%2FLee_Rosevere%2FMusic_For_Podcasts%2FLee_Rosevere_-_Music_For_Podcasts_-_01_Lets_Start_at_the_Beginning>)

[chriszabriskie.com/vendaface/](<https://exit.sc/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fchriszabriskie.com%2Fvendaface%2F>)

[Internationalsockmonkey – Featherweight](<https://soundcloud.com/internationalsockmonkey/featherweight>)

You can find the show on the web [here](<http://uncertaintyprinciplethepodcast.com/>).

Thanks for listening, & keep exploring.

## Author
Physics undergraduate at Hamline University in Saint Paul, MN. Podcaster. Science Writer.