[lwhi]

> Interesting as this is, the article nurtures an old misconception (with roots both in religion and classical philosophy) that there are some traits that distinctly separates humans from other animals, and by extension, finding the time when humans developed that trait is when we became truly humans. In reality the evidence reveals that all such traits, be it burial, toolmaking, artistry, abstract thinking etc, is something we share with other species to varying degrees. To the extent we have any unique such traits currently that radically sets us apart from other species then it has been a long and gradual process over eons.

Both these things can be true.

There are traits that distinctly separate us .. which have also developed gradually over a long period of time.

I think the article is acknowledging a common behaviour between humans and a distance relative to humans; if anything it's backing up your assertion that development has occurred over a long and gradual process.