Human Evolution in the Sea at Bioko Island

[The Caspian Hare]

https://geminiresearchnews.com/2017/07/human-evolution-in-the-sea-at-bioko/

Quote

Did some of our human features evolve while our ancestors were living in water? The aquatic ape theory has been disregarded by paleoanthropologists, but it deserves another chance.

AQUATIC APE THEORY: The aquatic ape theory can explain how we came to have such features as long hair, protruding noses, and naked skin.

And now I have found the island where it could have happened.

Paleoanthropology, the study of human evolution, is a sub-discipline of paleontology, the study of fossils. Hair, skin, fat, and sweat are not preserved as fossils. For that reason, paleoanthropologists have not allowed those things in their discussions.

It’s like the sport of basketball, where ropes, gloves, grease, and water are not allowed in the game. If they were now to be allowed, basketball courts would need rebuilding and the current basketball stars would not have the appropriate skills to play. In science we would call such a change a paradigm shift.

Human hair, skin, fat, and sweat inspired the idea that the ancestors of humans were semiaquatic during an unknown period of their evolution. It was proposed by the marine zoologist Alister Hardy in New Scientist in 1960.

In The Naked Ape in 1967, Desmond Morris added more arguments in support of it. Elaine Morgan researched and wrote several books on it, including the bestseller Descent of Woman (1972) and The Aquatic Ape (1982).

Since Morgan’s last book in 2008, the theory has been treading water, so to speak. It was given some fresh publicity by naturalist David Attenborough in two BBC radio programs in September 2016.

Textbooks on human evolution have been either ignoring or ridiculing the aquatic ape theory for the past 50 years. Nevertheless, it might be valid.

 

 

[Imaginarynumber1]

This is just a bad version of an already bad hypothesis. This dude thinks humans came from chimps.

[Tatetopa]

2 hours ago, The Russian Hare said:

And now I have found the island where it could have happened.

Which would be where?

[Essan]

8 hours ago, Tatetopa said:

Which would be where?

Bioko - some island off the African coast.    For which even the author admits there is exactly zero evidence ......

[atalante]

Boiko is also called Fernando Poo.  Rainfall there is 429 inches of rain per year.

http://www.islandstudies.ca/sites/islandstudies.ca/files/jurisdiction/Bioko (Eri, Fernando Poo).pdf

[Tinfoil hat]

You might find it helpful to read Chtis Stringer's book "Lone Survivors" for a more accurate view of human evolution. The link below gives a brief rundown of theories about why humans do not have fur. If you actually take the time to read it, you will discover that paleonthropologists are more than happy to discuss the issue.

http://www.todayifoundout.com/index.php/2015/06/humans-arent-furry-like-primates/

Also, even if there is a yet undiscovered species of semi aquatic ape, it does not mean that they were hairless. Mutations do not necessarily happen because a species is living in a particular environment . If a particular mutation occurs in a species that happens to be advantageous to that species at a particular place in time then there is a chance that that particular mutation is passed on to the species offspring. But as Ian Tatersall points out: natural events do not select a particular gene. They select the organism and all of its genes for survival. 

Just because the hypothetical species was semi aquatic does not mean that the mutation occurred in that environment. Also since this species was only semi aquatic, fur would still have been beneficial on dry land. Look at otters or beavers for example.

[Essan]

1 hour ago, atalante said:

Boiko is also called Fernando Poo.  Rainfall there is 429 inches of rain per year.

http://www.islandstudies.ca/sites/islandstudies.ca/files/jurisdiction/Bioko (Eri, Fernando Poo).pdf

Well that explains it - all our "aquatic" features evolved to cope with the fact it was always bl**dy raining  

(for comparison, here in "rainy" England we can expect around 25 inches per year)

[Podo]

I've always liked the aquatic ape theory. I'm not educated enough on the subject to be able to defend it, and it seems like the evidence is pretty light, but I still like it nonetheless. However...this guy seems like he's off his rocker. He thinks that we evolved from modern chimps? That's an astoundingly poor grasp of human evolution that he seems to have...

Edited July 17, 2017 by Podo

[Tatetopa]

8 hours ago, Podo said:

I've always liked the aquatic ape theory. I'm not educated enough on the subject to be able to defend it, and it seems like the evidence is pretty light, but I still like it nonetheless. However...this guy seems like he's off his rocker. He thinks that we evolved from modern chimps? That's an astoundingly poor grasp of human evolution that he seems to have...

Yeah.  Wew are more like distant cousins than descendants.  From what I hear chimps are too dense to swim.  But stranger thing have happened I guess.  Be nice if there were a few bits of evidence along the string of conjecture.

[back to earth]

15 hours ago, Tinfoil hat said:

You might find it helpful to read Chtis Stringer's book "Lone Survivors" for a more accurate view of human evolution. The link below gives a brief rundown of theories about why humans do not have fur. .

Obviously you  have not met Hanslune 

 

[back to earth]

[+Hammerclaw]

1 hour ago, back to earth said:

Thank God! I thought I thought I was the only one. I'm so tired of girls giggling and remarking that I seem kinda short for a bigfoot. *sob*