A New Aquatic Ape Theory

[Still Waters]

The aquatic ape theory, now largely dismissed, tries to explain the origins of many of humankind’s unique traits. Popularized in the 1970s and 1980s by writer Elaine Morgan, the theory suggests that early hominids lived in water at least part of the time. This aquatic lifestyle supposedly accounts for our hairless bodies, which made us more streamlined for swimming and diving; our upright, two-legged walking, which made wading easier; and our layers of subcutaneous fat, which made us better insulated in water (think whale blubber).The theory even links an aquatic existence to the evolution of human speech.

The hypothesis was met with so much criticism that it’s not even mentioned in human evolution textbooks. But that doesn’t mean aquatic habitats didn’t play some kind of role in our ancestors’ lives.

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[mastodon_2012]

The part about the land drying up and forcing them to eat roots reminds me a lot of Terence Mckenna's Stoned Ape Theory except that they ate psilocybin mushrooms. I hope one day mainstream science will look into this but unfortunately psychedelics are still taboo.