If humans were the size of ants

[RaBind]

If all humans were suddenly changed to the size of ants, lets say in 1700 after the steam engine was invented, would we have come to become as "dominant" a species on Earth as we are now? if not would we have been able to in the further future?

The miniaturisation grants no special feats than what humans are already capable of, except reduced effect of gravity while falling/climbing and stuff. Our level of intelligence would stay the same.

Spoiler

I couldn't see how it would be possible based on how much harsher our environment would become. My brother thought it would take longer but it would be possible.

 

[redbaron]

I am drugs.

Physiology wouldn't work properly at that size. Opposable thumbs become useless, therefore ability to use technology becomes useless. Pound for pound we're pretty weak animals, but with good dexterity. Again useless at that size.

No technology = no dominance. At that size our intelligence becomes a burden since the key to survival for small species is usually to have entire droves of people who simply reproduce en masse and others who mindlessly work for the survival of others (wait, we already have that never mind), and the fact that our reproductive cycles are 9 months long means that compared to actual ants we're pretty much fucked. We'd just be spider and ant food in the first week.

 

[Pyropyro]

I'm not even sure if we can talk at that size.

This is what a roar sounds like at frog level:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cBkWhkAZ9ds

or watch?v=cBkWhkAZ9ds

I think at ant size we can't hear each other at all due to the very high pitch.

 

[Hadoblado]

We would be so incredibly dead.

Insects are absolutely fucking terrifying when you're small. Far scarier than dinosaurs. Think about actually having to out-compete ants. Ants have an extreme power/weight ratio and reproduce far faster than humans. Unless we already had the technology to keep them at bay, we'd go extinct, fast. That's not to mention everything else. Ants alone would take us down IMO.

I do think it's a rich fantasy setting waiting to happen though.

 

[Happy]

Imagine how many people just 1 cow/pig/sheep/etc could feed. Or even like 1 head of broccoli.

 

[redbaron]

Yeah, I'm sure we'd have zero problems slaughtering cows either.

 

[Rook]

fuck i've been finking of this before this thread started... created a city on the back of a snake. esgle riders killed snake *with gunshot. whole city forced into barren raioctive wasteland at night white ants attacked stealing humans and food... we ride a beetle across the sands

 

[Happy]

Yeah, I'm sure we'd have zero problems slaughtering cows either.

You just gotta do it from the inside out. Probably.

 

[Polaris]

Well, most lifeforms of that size have developed exoskeletons for good reasons....except worms, so we'd basically be useless, squishy little things like worms, and would probably have to live underground or inside some cadaver in order to not fall prey to things like birds, spiders, insects and....ant eaters

 

[Perfectly Normal Beast]

the ants would probably farm us like they farm aphids, "milking" us for our sweet sweet nectar by tickling us with their antennae and eating some of us to control our population

all the other species would get together and have a huge party to celebrate our karmic demise probably

Spoiler

 

[Ex-User (14663)]

Most people actually are the size of ants