Read on Twitter
So it seems more people (at least in my twitter bubble) are open to the "aquatic ape" / "waterside" ideas and welcome more evidence.
Let's have a brief dive
into the forbidden water of human evolution. Thread: https://twitter.com/BertChakovsky/status/1357225294508163073?s=20
Let's have a brief dive
into the forbidden water of human evolution. Thread: https://twitter.com/BertChakovsky/status/1357225294508163073?s=20
This is a graphical summary I made for all the arguments I know from waterside proponents (2011). Doesn't mean the model is so good and is full of evidence, to the contrary, each & every claim are yet to pass scientific scrutiny. So far only a few attracted scientific interests.
One line of investigation is the omega-3, iodine etc our big brain needs. On land only limited supply in animal brains & bone marrow, but it's plenty and easy-to-access in seafoods. Ancient apes that changed diet to freshwater would kick start a brain-tech runaway coevolution.
In archeology, we start to see the importance of freshwater & coastal resources in proto humans. Early Homo lived near E Africa rivers/lakes, then Homo sapiens started coastal migration and populated the world, until agriculture. Fish & seafood all the way.
Another line is the amazing diving ability of modern humans. Studies of freediving sport & SE Asia tribes (by @Aqua_Ape etc) show our innate physiological, perceptional & behavioral adaptations to underwater foraging. It's hard to be explained as plasticity or being generalist.
So much research to be done to prove these cases, and whether they actually support a Pleistocene riverine -> coastal phase of evolution. Most other claims remain pure speculative, while a few have limited research (e.g. wading bipedalism, water birth).
Some consider the waterside ideas pseudoscience or worthless, while proponents complain suppression from academia. I don't believe in both. In all kinds of science, there're always inertia in methodology & ideology, always a love-hate relation between professionals & outsiders.
In retrospect, my involvement in the waterside taught me a precious lesson of how science works (as an ideal or as a human social activity). Now I'm working on artificial life, but often still feel a connection with this "previous life". (photo: Sir David in our conference 
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Selected research papers that *may* support the waterside hypothesis and give more details to it:
- Broadhurst et al. 2002 http://tinyurl.com/4hzmo4h2
- Erlandson 2001 http://tinyurl.com/19awcpzu
- Joordens et al. 2011 http://tinyurl.com/4ok7cgen
- Niemitz 2010 http://tinyurl.com/1t02ufn8
- Broadhurst et al. 2002 http://tinyurl.com/4hzmo4h2
- Erlandson 2001 http://tinyurl.com/19awcpzu
- Joordens et al. 2011 http://tinyurl.com/4ok7cgen
- Niemitz 2010 http://tinyurl.com/1t02ufn8
Some resources from proponents:
- Rhys-Evans 2019 http://tinyurl.com/yqp6zpq8
- Kuliukas 2020 http://tinyurl.com/mn635aqn
- http://aquatic-human-ancestor.org/
- https://theaquaticape.org/
From opponents:
- https://www.aquaticape.org/
- Rhys-Evans 2019 http://tinyurl.com/yqp6zpq8
- Kuliukas 2020 http://tinyurl.com/mn635aqn
- http://aquatic-human-ancestor.org/
- https://theaquaticape.org/
From opponents:
- https://www.aquaticape.org/
