Thread: Aquatic Humans?

People say that humans have stopped evolving, but what about the Aquatic Ape theory? Is it possible for the human race to give birth to "aqua-humans?" (AKA mermaids?)

Originally Posted by Drew McMahon

People say that humans have stopped evolving, but what about the Aquatic Ape theory? Is it possible for the human race to give birth to "aqua-humans?" (AKA mermaids?)

Not very likely, and humans have not stopped evolving. Much evolution that takes place goes unnoticed from a visual point of view, because the changes that take place don't make us look any different. A good example of this, happens when we have epidemics such as the plague or killer flu's or any disease that kills millions of humans. The humans that die no longer procreate and those that don't die probably have a resistance to the disease and they are able to pass this resistance on to future generations. Those survivors have evolved but you wouldn't know it by looking at them.

The Aquatic Ape theory has been disproven, but to give it some credit, it never said that humans were mermaids, just that they spent a lot of time near the seashore and have certain physical characteristics, like high levels of body fat, to accommodate this.

We now have come to a point in evolution in which we can make our own choices about what types of characteristics we want and engineer them to become whatever we want to be.

Originally Posted by cosmictraveler

We now have come to a point in evolution in which we can make our own choices about what types of characteristics we want and engineer them to become whatever we want to be.

More exactly: We now have come to a point in evolution in which humanity can make choices about what types of characteristics are wanted and engineer individuals to become whatever humanity wants.

No, there are no mermaids. While it is true that mammals have a couple times, " evolved back" to being marine animals: seals , whales, it took a long time. There has not been enough time in the 1 to 2 million years humans have been around to do a "sea change". We are too young a species.

Won't post in this thread, 'cause then it'll be censored to the "pseudoscience" category.

Originally Posted by CEngelbrecht

Won't post in this thread, 'cause then it'll be censored to the "pseudoscience" category.

With your signature line, I think that you have posted your views.
Why only go 1/2 way?

.......
Would it be possible to gene-splice the developement of gills in humans---"ictheosapiens"?

Have we become masters of our destiny?

Not gonna discuss this topic under the derogatory misnomer 'pseudoscience.'

Posting: "Elaine Morgan for the Darwin-Wallace medal."
as your signature ain't discussing the topic?
I guess that could be called a pot shot?

Granted: The way Drew started this thread it couldn't help but find itself here in pseudoscience.
The word, "mermaid" kinda sunk it.
It seems that since the dawn of our species, we can track much of their wanderings through their midden piles. Anywhere near bodies of water, these piles are almost entirely shellfish shells, and fishbones.

C, you could always start another thread under anthropology.
State your knowledge and suppositions and see if it has staying power.

No, this topic is too stigmatized. Even though it has never argued for the existence of mermaids, people seem to want it to be, 'cause then they just forget about it. It's like Darwin depicted as a chimp all over again, both here and elsewhere. You can't have a rational debate under such circumstances.

so:
start a new thread about elaine morgan
or your perspective on the subject

Originally Posted by CEngelbrecht

Won't post in this thread, 'cause then it'll be censored to the "pseudoscience" category.

Too late. You already did.

Not gonna discuss this topic under the derogatory misnomer 'pseudoscience.'

Too late again.

It's taken me awhile Harold, but I am beginning to appreciate your sense of humor.

Originally Posted by sculptor

so:
start a new thread about elaine morgan
or your perspective on the subject

No, it's just gonna be thrown in here again, and I refuse to discuss it under this designation. There are tons of valid, nothing but scientific reasons for considering some level of aquaticism during human evolution. Even if humans were never these suggested semiaquatic apes, the concept is far from as unreasonable as the mainstream claims. Or should I say screams?
But the entire topic has been stigmatized for decades, and I fear for all the wrong reasons. And that is a serious hinderance for a more fullfilling debate on human origins, wet or no. Everything else from there is just mass hysteria. It's god damned Galileo all over again.
Whatever, we just have to wait for Kuhn's paradigm shift. I wish Morgan could get her comeupin in her own lifetime, but maybe that's too much to ask of human nature.

There's a huge difference between Galileo and AAH (it's not a theory by a long shot), he had parsimonious hypothesis based on good observational evidence. If anything, as evidence has mounted about where humans evolved (in the drying rift valley) and better ones developed to explain the various characteristics initially related to AAH found (e.g. bipedal, good reserve of body fat etc), or the claim was simply never true (e.g. many baby mammals stop breathing by instinct when submerged) AAH has looked shakier and shakier. Until there's some solid observational evidence found, it's relegated as a failed hypothesis with an exceedingly tiny but almost cult following that for the most part isn't even trying to publish their works in any science community.

Elaine Morgan 1920-2013

He's a merMAN!

Question.......Hasn't man continued to evolve? I mean look at the height of people in the 1700's compared to now. People are taller. Is that part of continuous evolving or am I mistaking it for something else.

It has to do with available food
when generation after generation people eat well, they gain height. flip side, poor diets lead to losing height.

early heidelbergensis of southern africa were tall(6 ft +), many of the northmen were over 6ft. meanwhile, islanders tend to lose height if constrained to locally available foodstuffs.

Why ain't you taller?

Originally Posted by sculptor

It has to do with available food
when generation after generation people eat well, they gain height. flip side, poor diets lead to losing height.

early heidelbergensis of southern africa were tall(6 ft +), many of the northmen were over 6ft. meanwhile, islanders tend to lose height if constrained to locally available foodstuffs.

Why ain't you taller?

A modern day example of that is Japan. Their entire population has been getting taller over the last few generations and that's been creating problems for them as they've built everything based on being smaller.

Originally Posted by sculptor

It has to do with available food
when generation after generation people eat well, they gain height. flip side, poor diets lead to losing height.

early heidelbergensis of southern africa were tall(6 ft +), many of the northmen were over 6ft. meanwhile, islanders tend to lose height if constrained to locally available foodstuffs.

Why ain't you taller?

Dunno, I am the runt of the family!

Originally Posted by Bad Robot

Originally Posted by sculptor

It has to do with available food
when generation after generation people eat well, they gain height. flip side, poor diets lead to losing height.

early heidelbergensis of southern africa were tall(6 ft +), many of the northmen were over 6ft. meanwhile, islanders tend to lose height if constrained to locally available foodstuffs.

Why ain't you taller?

A modern day example of that is Japan. Their entire population has been getting taller over the last few generations and that's been creating problems for them as they've built everything based on being smaller.

I believe that is true, I have seen some very tall Japanese men that were well over 6'+but in honestly, in Hawai'i, the Japanese tourists I see are rarely "tall"( more about 5 '6-5'9,) and the best part about it is that sometimes I GET TO LOOK DOWN WHEN I TALK instead of up all the time!