Re: AAT yahoo group more than 500 members
- From: Kermit <unrestrained_hand@xxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Sun, 25 May 2008 18:40:42 -0700 (PDT)
On May 16, 2:45 pm, Marc Verhaegen <m_verhae...@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
:-)
AAT group - "shore adaptations in the genus Homo"
-Human evolution based on comparative anatomy/physiology
-Littoral diaspora after Homo & Pan split ~5 Ma
-Comparative & fossil information on human/ape evolution
"AAT"
-Aquatic Ape Theory of human evolution (original term E.Morgan 1982)
-Aquarboreal Apes Theory of Mio-Pliocene apes (aqua=water, arbor=tree)
-Amphibious Ancestors Theory of Plio-Pleistocene Homo (AAT strict sense)
AAT s.s. is based on human behavior/anatomy/physiology/DNA compared to
chimps & living animals:
Waterside food collection (fruits/(coco)nuts, turtle/bird eggs,
shell/crayfish, water(side)plants, drowned bovids, stranded whales...)
Zebras, tapirs, rabbits, pheasants, cattle, termites.
explains unique Homo traits (not in apes/australopiths) better than forest
or plains dwelling: human brain,
Which was''t possible until we started a high meat diet. From the neck
down, we have changed little in over two million years.
slow-diving skills,
I can ride a bicycle. What does that tell us about our evolutionary
history?
breath control,
Essential for runners.
small mouth & biting muscles,
True. We are the only apes without long canines. We have been using
killing tools for so long that we needed teeth only to be adapted to
eating. It may be a side-effect of neotony, also.
tongue bone descent,
projecting nose,
Cools off and moisterizes the air when running and walking on the hot
savannah.
poor sense of smell,
Apes are not known for their sense of smell. When we started running
and chasing our prey, it was needed even less. Our ability to read, I
suspect, is directly derived from our ancestors' ability to read
tracking signs.
handiness/tools,
When we ran we held sharp sticks. Effective grips and tools allowed
running. What would we do with a zebra when we caught it if we didn't
have a sharp stick in our hand? The fossil evidence shows claerly that
our tool use improved steadily long before we were modern humans. Do
you think that Lucy was a swimmer?
late puberty,
Required for any species that takes as long to learn to be an adult as
we do. Elephants and chimps have long childhoods also - is that
indicative of an aquatic lifestyle?
alined head-spine-legs, flat feet, fur loss,
All adaptations to running.
fatness,
Ever see a fat Kalahari Bushman?
reduced climbing,
No reason to climb a lot of trees in the savannah.
profuse sweating,
Needed for running in Africa. Tell me again why this would be
necessary for an aquatic ape?
high needs of
water/sodium/iodine/poly-unsatur.FAs(DHA)... - features present in different
combinations in (semi)aquatic animals but strikingly absent in savanna
mammals.
Cites?
After Homo & Pan split ~6-4 Ma, Homo populations spread along
lakes/shores/rivers in savannas & elsewhere, eg, crossed 18 km sea to Flores
0.8 Ma: tools/fossils 2.5-0.1 Ma are found near Rift valley lakes & even
(sea level fluctuations hindered fossilisation) Indian Ocean & African
coasts, often amid seashells: Mojokerto, Dungo V Baia Farta, Terra Amata,
Table Bay, Eritrea...
M.Westenhöfer 1942 Der Eigenweg des Menschen. Mannstaede
A.Hardy 1960 Was Man more aquatic in the past? NS 7:624
M.Roede...1991 The Aquatic Ape: Fact or Fiction? Souvenir
E.Morgan 1997 The Aquatic Ape Hypothesis. Souvenir
M.Verhaegen...2002 Aquarboreal ancestors? TREE 17:212
S.Cunnane 2005 Survival of the Fattest. World Scientific
P.Tobiashttp://allserv.rug.ac.be/~mvaneech/outthere.htm
Symposium 1999 Water & Human Evolutionhttp://allserv.rug.ac.be/~mvaneech/Symposium.htm
We are the running ape. See Nature (vol 432, p 345), Daniel Lieberman
http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v432/n7015/full/nature03052.html
We have large butts, to keep us erect.
Our leg joints are larger than other apes to absorb shocks.
Our feet return energy very efficiently when running.
We are bobble-headed dolls - our head are largely detached from the
movements of running.
Our legs are much longer than other apes, to facilitate a long stride.
Also, our shorter arms and lower shoulders.
We sweat profusely and effectively.
This is facilitated by being largely hairless.
It requires small amounts of energy to go from a slow jog to a faster
run (unlike most other animals).
We mouth breathe when short of breath.
Most prey animals develop hyperthermia within 15 km of running. Fat
old men like me can run that distance with a short period of training.
Some low tech cultures still practice this today.
Net result: we can outrun almost all other terrestrial species for
long distances.
Kermit
.
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