--- abstract: "Did bigger brains for more precise throwing lead to language, much as feathers for insulation may have set the stage for bird flight? Throwing rocks even at stationary prey requires great precision in the timing of rock release from an overarm throw, with the \"launch window\" narrowing eight-fold when the throwing distance is doubled from a beginner's throw. Paralleled timing neurons can overcome the usual neural noise limitations via the law of large numbers, suggesting that enhanced throwing skill could have produced a strong selection pressure for any evolutionary trends that provided additional timing neurons. This enhanced timing circuitry may have developed secondary uses for language reception and production." altloc: - http://williamcalvin.com/1980s/1983JTheoretBiol.htm chapter: ~ commentary: ~ commref: ~ confdates: ~ conference: ~ confloc: ~ contact_email: ~ creators_id: [] creators_name: - family: Calvin given: William H. honourific: '' lineage: '' date: 1983 date_type: published datestamp: 1998-04-25 department: ~ dir: disk0/00/00/00/21 edit_lock_since: ~ edit_lock_until: ~ edit_lock_user: ~ editors_id: [] editors_name: [] eprint_status: archive eprintid: 21 fileinfo: /style/images/fileicons/text_html.png;/21/1/1983JTheoretBiol.htm full_text_status: public importid: ~ institution: ~ isbn: ~ ispublished: pub issn: ~ item_issues_comment: [] item_issues_count: 0 item_issues_description: [] item_issues_id: [] item_issues_reported_by: [] item_issues_resolved_by: [] item_issues_status: [] item_issues_timestamp: [] item_issues_type: [] keywords: ~ lastmod: 2011-03-11 08:53:37 latitude: ~ longitude: ~ metadata_visibility: show note: ~ number: ~ pagerange: 121-135 pubdom: FALSE publication: Journal of Theoretical Biology publisher: ~ refereed: TRUE referencetext: ~ relation_type: [] relation_uri: [] reportno: ~ rev_number: 8 series: ~ source: ~ status_changed: 2007-09-12 16:21:50 subjects: - neuro-ling succeeds: ~ suggestions: ~ sword_depositor: ~ sword_slug: ~ thesistype: ~ title: "A Stone's Throw and its Launch Window: Timing Precision and its Implications for Language and Hominid Brains" type: journalp userid: 23 volume: 104