What is it about?
We argue that human bipedalism arose in our ape ancestors (Miocene hominoids) who waded upright & climbed arms overhead in swamp, mangrove & flooded forests, where they ate tree-fruits & shallow-water plants (sedges, rice...) & also shellfish, e.g. mangrove oysters, which they opened with stone tools.
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Why is it important?
The study of human evolution (paleo-anthropology) is still often dominated by out-dated "Man the Hunter"-fantasies & anthropo-centric prejudices without scientific evidence (just-so). In our work, we adopt a scientific view on human evolution, based on comparative anatomy & physiology: what is true for other animals is also true for humans, for instance: all fat & furless mammals spend a lot of time in the water (note the reverse is not correct!), human ancestors (before wearing clothes) were no exceptions.
Perspectives
It is time for a profound revision of the field of human evolution, based on science. This could have several medical implications, esp. for helping explain a lot of typically-human diseases, e.g. strokes & cardiac attacks (arterio-sclerosis: aquatic foods contain more poly-unsaturated fatty-acids), osteo-arthrosis, obesity, acnea, hyperventilation etc.
Marc Verhaegen
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Human bipedalism in the light of the Aquatic Ape Theory, Anthropologischer Anzeiger, March 1997, Schweizerbart,
DOI: 10.1127/anthranz/55/1997/1.
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