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| Cousin Hippo? (Photo by Alexdi) |
A theory that may be far more popular with atheists than with Creationists states that humans have not only come from apes, but from aquatic apes.
According to aquatic-ape theorists, this aquatic component could account for some key differences between humans and land apes. The Guardian offers this explanatory quote
from Peter Rhys Evans: We lack fur, walk upright, have big brains and subcutaneous fat
and have a descended larynx, a feature common among aquatic
animals but not apes.
Aquatic-ape theory has been around for over half a century. In 1960 British biologist Alister Hardy proposed that apes descended from trees to live near watery sources of the Earth's richest foods.
They developed an upright posture in order to literally keep their heads above water, as well as to free up their hands for cracking open those luscious shellfish. Hair began
to get in the way, so they became smooth-skinned and developed a layer of subcutaneous fat for extra warmth.
And those sinuses!
Why else would humans be so hollow-headed (i.e., have such particularly large spaces within
their skulls)? Rhys Evans explained: It
makes no sense until we consider the
evolutionary perspective. Then it
becomes clear: our sinuses acted as
buoyancy aids…
Hmmm… Does that mean the
emptier the human head, the better the evolutionary chances of survival? This might go a long way to explain the prevalence of ignorance and
stupidity within our little corner of the Universe…
Resources
http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2013/apr/27/aquatic-ape-theory-primate-evolution
Copyright June 13, 2013 by Linda Van Slyke All Rights Reserved
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