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Re: Bipedalism and theorizing... was Re: Morgan and creationists
Keith Norris (keith@GECKO.BIOL.WITS.AC.ZA)
Mon, 29 Jul 1996 07:55:27 LOCAL
>Have you considered a possible relationship between the evolution of
>bipedalism and a reduction in the growth rate of body hair? Consider
>also other effects of thermoregulation e.g. increased number of sweat
>glands, the moulting of fetal hair, increased salt levels in the blood.
>Think about surface to volume ratios. A baby carried in its mother's
>arms experiences an apparent change in its surface to volume ratio. It
>still produces heat at the same metabolic rate, but the amount of its
>skin which is exposed to the air is reduced by as much as thirty
>percent. Imagine the effect of the baby hominid's body temperature when
>carried in its mother's arms for any distance. Imagine the long term
>evolutionary consequences of this behaviour.
>John Waters
I imagine and imagine...perhaps some real data, or at least an explaination,
so that we don't all end up at different conclusions as to what YOU think,
would be a good idea.
1
Keith Norris
University of the Witwatersrand
South Africa
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