|
| start |
| savanne? |
| marathon |
| created runners |
| diving reflex |
| baby swimming |
| fatty brains |
| sebum |
| M/F dimorphism |
| the start? |
| habitat |
| bookreview |
| Aquatic
reflexes in newborn humans |
| Darwin and fuegans |
-
shoreline ancestor -
Arguments for a "Homo littoreus" ©info@shoreline-man.name
-
Click to enlarge © Dirk Meijers -
"Homo littoreus" theory suggests a water-bound phase in the evolutionary route for mankind. Arguments are of physiological, anatomical and behavioural nature,
looking into the peculiarities that makes us so different from our next of kin, the chimpanzees and bonobos.
The idea originated from marine biologist Sir Alister Hardy in the sixties of the last century with the question
"Was man more aquatic in the past" .
It was popularized by journalist and writer Elaine Morgan and since then known as "The Aquatic Ape Theory" (A.A.T.).
It has never been taken seriously, especially Mrs Morgan being a non scholar in the field of paleo-anthropology.
Recently even in circles specialists the focus is shifting and a seaside history is somehow and still reluctantly accepted.
May be, in the end, the idea of an ancestral "homo littoreus" is generally accepted.
For biologists this should be obvious, at least it is for me.
The project "Aquatic refelxes in newborn humans" that I completed opened isome very importand arguments for a possible more (semi) aquatic ancestors
for our Genus Homo spec.
Apart from physiological and anatomical aspects, there are also rather strong ethological hints that point to a seaside or or a more general waterside
background for humans.
These - not being hard bony evidence - aspects are mostly neglected; rather narrow minded, because all kinds of evidence is readily accepted for other species,
be it birds, butterflies, bats and....waterproof elephants. -
-
This heretic theory deserves to be taken seriously. It is a positive sign that cracks appear in the Paleoantropolgists stronghold; a small but growing group
of biologists and paleoantropolgists are more open to A.A.T. suggestions, A.A.T. being in my view a wrong epithet. I prefer 'semi aquatic early ancestor'.
The mainstream opinion among this group of scientists still defines it as an amateurish misconception.
But a number of them is opening up for the idea, stimulated by arguments of physiological, anatomical and ethological nature.
This project aims at illustrating the biological plausible concepts that did lead to the the notion of a more aquatic habitat in the history of mankind.
Ultimately they should be able to draw their own solid conclusions on this matter. -
-
water babies
-
-
This module offers informative material and
- outlines the concept of adaptation for human physiological, anatomical and ethological properties in conceivable way;
- offers the opportunity to do your own research to establish a motivated viewpoint about this controversial, heretic subject;
- wants to add to this aquatic link for mankind serious contemplation;
- Provides insight in the difficulties that non-mainstream ideas in general encounter before accepted as possibility.
-
-
Preliminary
Before starting to explore the Homo litoreus project, you have to have or gain some knowledge about general views on human special anatomical
and physiological features. Do find out, what the former most common view - the savanna theory - states about the development of man as a naked, bipedal toolmaker.
It is not the mainstream vision, but...mainstream leads someways to dead ends
Inform yourself with recently published family trees of mankind, is it really THE 'family tree', is it in fact correct?
Where in Africa are fossils of mankind's precursors found and what are the estimated periods they stem from?
Collect figures of the volumes of brain skulls from the family tree members (if you can find them): put in a table the age of the different skulls together with the braincase volumes and order them in a time graph (e.g. 6 mln BP - BP).
Is the expansion a gradual process or are there "jumps" visible?
Is it possible to link observed results to what is described as punctuated equilibrium in evolution?
See: http://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Punctuated_equilibrium). Use a definition in your own words of "punctuated equilibrium".
©Ronald Cobb (Click for his website)
In his book "The river that runs uphill" neurobiologist W.H. Calvin describes a possible explanation for the amphibious bottleneck in our early history.
His original text is published on his website: http://williamcalvin.com (direct link to book) -
