Re: AAT Blast from the past.
Phil Nicholls (pnich@globalone.net)
Tue, 20 Jun 1995 22:57:58 GMT
Elaine Morgan <Elaine@desco.demon.co.uk> wrote:
>Other matters: salt water or fresh for the aquatic ape? I
>tend to think that initially it must have been salt, (a)
>becasue of anomalies in human regulation of salt balance (b)
>because of tears (c) because there was extensive sea-flooding
>of the relevant area at the relevant time. That does not mean
>it was "sea-shore". The flooded area was part of the forest
>belt. It was prbably more like coastal mangrove swamps in the
>initial period, as in probosis-monkey habitat. Later, I
>agree, when the Sea of Afar evaporated, the hominids lived by
>fresh water - the Rift Valley lakes and rivers.
Elaine,
Can you be a bit more specific? What anomalies in human regulation
of salt balance are you referring to?
Concerning tears -- I am not sure if this is a position you take or
one attributed to you by supporters but I believe you once claimed
that salty tears are a mechanism of excreting body salt. If this were
true then we would expect tears to be hypertonic relative to blood
plasma (i.e., more salt in tears then blood plasma). In fact it is
not the case. Tears are hypotonic relative to blood plasma.
I'm sure you will correct me if I am wrong.
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