Re: Bipedalism and other factors
Alex Duncan (aduncan@mail.utexas.edu)
15 Jul 1995 19:42:05 GMT
Pat Dooley's (amended) list of things the AAT explains that others don't:
In article <3tppnj$dsr@newsbf02.news.aol.com> Pat Dooley,
patdooley@aol.com writes:
>(iii) The relative position of the larynx
The human larynx position probably evolved within the last 100,000 years.
Your theory suggests that hominids were in their aquatic phase between 7
and 4 Myr ago. Please reconcile this for us.
>(iv) Subcutaneous fat layer (Have you ever done a comparative
>dissection of the various species under discussion)
Yes, I have done dissection of many of the species under discussion,
including chimps, gorillas and baboons. And yes, they all have
subcutaneous fat.
I've pointed out previously that human fat distribution is not
what we would expect to see in an aquatic animal. Have you no response?
(Well, there isn't one, is there?)
>(vi) Cooling mechanisms
The human cooling mechanism has been explained perfectly adequately as a
very efficient adaptation to diurnal terrestrialism. Why would such a
cooling mechanism have evolved in the water?
>(vii) Loss of oestrus in human females
Your really out of touch here. There are those who suggest that oestrus
is "concealed" in human females. A more interesting suggestion is that
human females have "permanent" oestrus. And no, I don't mean they're
continuously ovulating. However, human males are sexually interested in
females at ALL times during the cycle. This has been adequately and
reasonably explained as an adaptation to different male and female
reproductive strategies.
By the way, very few mammals other than humans produce so much
blood during menstruation. This could be another fact you could
integrate into the AAT. Oh, wait, it wouldn't work -- blood attracts
sharks.
>(viii) Different structures for supplying blood to the brain
Where'd you get this one and what does it have to do with AAT? Are you
suggesting that other primates supply blood to the brain from some source
other than the carotid and vertebral arteries?
Alex Duncan
Dept. of Anthropology
University of Texas at Austin
Austin, TX 78712-1086
512-471-4206
aduncan@mail.utexas.edu
Alex Duncan
Dept. of Anthropology
University of Texas at Austin
Austin, TX 78712-1086
512-471-4206
aduncan@mail.utexas.edu
|