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February 7, 2014
Q. Where does ancient human “night fright” come from?
A. Millions of years ago, our ancestors lived in an environment where large carnivores were on the prowl — saber-tooth cats, giant hyenas, lions, etc. — ready to inflict a grisly demise in the dead of night, says Graham Lawton in New Scientist magazine. Though the number of those attacked or killed by predators remains unknown, “modern hunter-gatherers continue to suffer high levels of predation. Among adult males of the Ache tribe, who live in the jungles of Paraguay, almost one in 10 are killed by jaguars, usually at night.” This sort of horror has left deep scars in human cognition and also an evolutionary threat detection system that triggers dilated pupils, pounding heart, blood rushing to the muscles, and rising blood sugar levels.
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