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Re: YET another aquatic ape post
Chris Allbritton (callbritton@major.cei.net)
Wed, 25 Jan 1995 16:28:16 -0600
In article <3g39rv$ef3@newsbf02.news.aol.com>, sircpu@aol.com (Sir CPU) wrote:
>-The fact that a (human) baby - rich in fat - can float on its back
>-is not really proof of swimming ability. babies do have several
>-motor reflex actions that resemble walking and crawling but
>-are not coordinated enough or strong enough for ground transport,
>
>From what I read in Desmond Morris' book "Manwatching", the baby's motor
>actions are "coordinated" enough to propel the baby in a specific
>direction. That is swimming. They float on their backs and kick their
>legs and arms and actually move in a direction. Not bad for a newborn.
>
>So, it would appear that there is an innate ability to swim that appears
>in humans before the ability to walk, then mysteriously disappears at
>approximately four months of age. I find this fasinating, especially
>because most savanna creatures have the ablity to run almost immediatly at
>birth, in order to escape from predators.
>
>But, of course, this evidence is not "hard" fossil evidence so you
>anthropologists can ignore it.
>
>Troy Kelley.
Umm, excuse me. I've been lurking in several anthro/evolution newsgroups
for a few months now and this Aquatic ape theory seems to have remarkable
resiliance. What the hell is this theory, anyway? I've never been able to
get anyone to explain it to me or point to any references that give a
general description of the theory. I've asked professors at the university
in town and they'd never heard of it. (Which proves nothing, I know. They
may be simply unaware of it).
>From what I can gather from sporadic readings of posts, it's based on the
fact that babies can swim. If I'm mistaken, please correct me.
The whole idea, honestly, sounds rather loopy, but again, I don't have
enough data to make an informed decision yet. If anyone could point out
some reference works, I would be forever grateful.
Thanks.
Chris Allbritton
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"I am living at the Villa Borghese. There is not a crumb of dirt
anywhere, nor a chair misplaced. We are all alone here and we are
dead."
Chris Allbritton callbritton@major.cei.net
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