h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

"It is not so much a coherent whole as a selection of scattered observations about odd features of comparative physiology and fossil evidence."
And if, as described in this collection of articles http://aquaticape.topcities.com on the AAT (aquatic ape theory), these 'scattered observations' are continuously misrepresented or made up of whole cloth it is hardly surprising anthropologists aren't spending more time researching or refuting them.

The scientific community is indeed guilty of ignoring facts, inventing evidence and conducting poor research, but their non-treatment of the AAT appears simply to be the natural reaction of scientists to ignore made up research because it wastes so much time refuting it.

I've read that site, thanks so much for the link - it's really excellent.

While it does go a long way to shooting this theory right down, it has the valuable lesson that if a theory is to be taken seriously it MUST stand up to scrutiny.

I would advise anyone with the slightest interest in this subject to put aside an hour or three and look at the site linked above.



H.

I think the link, as posted there, might actually be broken. It should be http://www.aquaticape.org. I would also encourage people who are interested in this theory to read it, but to do so with an open mind to the possibility that it was written with a specific agenda to critique the so-called 'aquatic ape hypothesis' in general and Elaine Morgan in particular.

If you are really interested, you might also want to read my critique of the web site: http://www.riverapes.com/aah/arguments/jimmoore/jmhome.htm.

I think the idea has just been misunderstood. As long as we're thinking of human ancestors living at the coasts moving through water more than chimpanzees (and banish all thoughts of mermaids), the controversy disappears and it becomes the most plausible explanation for ape-human differences going.

Algis Kuliukas

Ape ancestors living in jungles and human ancestors running around on the open plain is as good an explanation, without being a nonsense conglomerate like the aquatic ape hypothesis.