Re: Okay seriously now (AAT again)
Phillip Bigelow (n8010095@henson.cc.wwu.edu)
Fri, 16 Dec 1994 20:27:27 GMT
bharring@girtab.usc.edu (Bryce Harrington) writes:
>Our ancestors were not fixed in their degree of hydroness; at first
>they simply waded into the water. Later they went further into
>water deeper than they were high. They used diving at this point.
>They were never fully aquatic, I mean, not like a seal. They probably
>spent most of the day in the water but then slept onshore. Then
>something changed and the apes began spending more time on shore
>and eventually left the sea altogether.
Bryce, this level of detail in your "model" is so intricate and
speculative, that I am surprised you haven't provided us with the exact day
of the week our ancestors first entered the water! Let's be reasonable
about the art of speculation: I'm all for speculation, but it can be
overdone to the point where it is mostly day-dreaming gone amock. Why on
earth must your side's hypotheses be so detailed, yet so unsupported? You
don't even have any fossils of your aquatic ape dug up yet!
>Yet it has been very well documented that
>the oceans at that time, especially in that region, were much warmer
>than they are today, perhaps even "waterbed temperature."
Even in the Pliocene, water temperature varied with respect to latitude and
local geography.
I would appreciate a few references on this, please (and the references
should be by paleo-climate specialists; _not_ more Morgan references!)
<pb>
>from our experiences today we all know that we can survive well in
>water temperatures of about 75+ degrees.
Yes, we can survive pretty well in 35 degree water too...for about 10
minutes. You have totally missed the point on hypothermia: It's not just
water temperature that causes hypothermia; it is the amount of _time_ in the
water that is significant. _Any_ water temperature that is below 98 F will
_eventually_ cause hypothermia in humans. The colder the temperature gets,
the shorter time it takes to develop the affliction. Water temperature of
75 degrees (semi-tropical temperature) will cause hypothermia in humans if
they habitually spend hours in the water, particularly if they are just wading
in deep water. Our hairlessness just makes the problem worse.
<pb>
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