Re: Morgan; various
Tom Clarke (clarke@longwood.cs.ucf.edu)
1 Nov 1995 09:11:05 -0500
r3dlb1@dax.cc.uakron.edu (David L Burkhead ) writes:
> Claiming this kind of fat deposit as an aquatic trait is entirely
>unjustified. It's a common mammalian trait. Unfortunately, this
>seems to be the case with much of your "evidence." It's hardly
>evidence for an aquatic phase at all.
Every seems to be ignoring my chill fluid suggestion. But then
I haven't written a book that everyone loves to hate:-) I still
think there is enough correlation between the size and extent of
the deposits and exposure to chilling fluid in the absence of hair
or fur, that a period of such exposure can be inferred for hominids.
Now if homind hair were lost latter after tool use and brain size
had increased, then you could expect behavioral compensation for lack
of hair, e.g. drape skins over the naked body as necessary to stay
warm. Thus a late date for loss of hair would exert no selective
pressure for developing extensive fat deposits.
Only if hair were lost early would the hominid have selection pressure
for fat deposits as the result of exposure of naked skin to the
chilling night air.
I think this is a good argument for early hair loss.
Tom Clarke
--
People of the same trade seldom meet together, even for merriment
and diversion, but the conversation ends in a conspiracy against
the public, or in some contrivance to raise prices - Adam Smith, WofN
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