Experts explain the evidence against the controversial theory. The theory was first discussed in the 1940s but it has many difficulties. What do you think of the aquatic ape theoryhypothesis. I had just watched the animal planet mockumentary on tv and was left with at least a hundred questions as to the basis of the aquatic ape theory. Carrying the torch for a failed theory endless forms. May 07, 20 aquatic apes are the stuff of creationism, not evolution people think they know about evolution, but the aquatic ape theory isnt science. An early proponent of the theory, elaine morgan, was a documentary writer and composed a series of books on the topic that helped to raise more awareness for it beginning in 1972. And now i have found the island where it could have happened. Experts explain the evidence against the controversial theory aquatic ape hypothesis was first proposed in 1950 by a marine biologist. Popularized in the 1970s and 1980s by writer elaine morgan, the. Elaine morgan says we evolved from aquatic apes youtube. My book arrived both sooner and in better condition that i expected. Pachtersdreef 3, 2870 putte, belgium abstract iluch more than other primates, man has several features that are seen more often in aquatic than terrestrial mammals. I caught a show on discover lastnight a show on the aquatic ape theory.
He waited for thirty years before publishing an account of it, having a shrewd idea how it would be received and how it might damage his career. Dec 03, 2012 the aquatic ape theory states that approximately 67 million years ago, our ape ancestors were trapped in a semi aquatic environment. Most credible theory of human evolution new ed by morgan, elaine isbn. Why anthropologists dont accept the aquatic ape theory. I can see two possible future scenarios for the aquatic ape theory. Some people call it the aquatic ape theory, but it lacks the necessary. For the past 150 years, scientists and laypeople alike have accepted a savanna scenario of human evolution. Sep 16, 2016 the writer elaine morgan championed it in her book the aquatic ape, and developed the hypothesis further, marshalling a seemingly impressive range of characteristics to support it, including breath. Elaine morgan was a tenacious proponent of a theory that is not widely accepted. Elaine morgan is a tenacious proponent of the aquatic ape hypothesis.
In the book, the aquatic ape by elaine morgan, the author tries to explain a theory of the evolution of man, to the reader. Presumably, early apes were plant and fruit eaters in tropical. In his book on the specifically human evolution, westenhofer 1942. Paleoanthropology, the study of human evolution, is a subdiscipline of paleontology.
This aquatic ancestor called homo aquaticus account for a major gap in the fossil record. From what i can piece together from the incoherent evolutionist literature, the aquatic ape story goes like this. This idea was attacked at first by scientists, but the book became an international bestseller. May 20, 2018 the aquatic ape theory is something i first heard about from one of my favourite blogs, mermaids are real, which is actually a published book as well.
It is the aquatic ape theory, an idea first widely publicized by marine biologist alister hardy in the 1930s. Alister hardy is best remembered for his controversial aquatic ape hypothesis, which says that our ancestors evolved by natural selection in a watery environment. She would write about the theory in her book the descent of women, which would go on to become an international bestseller and really increase the prominence of the aquatic ape hypothesis, and she would go on to pen other books on the matter such as the aquatic ape 1982, the scars of evolution 1990, the descent of the child 1994 and the. Essay about the aquatic ape theory 40 words bartleby. It is the most persuasive, closely argued case yet offered to explain the mystery of human origins. The bizarre hypothesis of the aquatic ape mysterious universe.
Since morgans last book in 2008, the theory has been treading water, so to. So the aquatic ape theory is actually pretty interesting. The aquatic ape theory graham hancock official website. Aquatic ape theory back in the spotlight softpedia. So back to 1960, when he gave a talk at the british sub aqua club a scuba diving club. Key proponents and advocates of the aquatic ape hypothesis. May, 20 i first learned of elaine morgan and the aquatic ape theory from a botanist. Medical doctor were still bleeding people 100 years ago. Billions of years ago a bunch of monkeys lived under the sea. It wasnt until desmond morris mentioned hardys idea in his book the naked ap. The aquatic ape theory was first proposed by max westenhofer in 1942, then once again in 1960 through the independent research of alister hardy. May 20, 2017 the aquatic ape theory suggest that the main reason why we differ from gorillas, chimpanzees, and bonobos which all share a common ancestor with us is that humans adapted to live in aquatic environments, while apes did not. The aquatic ape theory often referred to as the aat or aah ill generally refer to it as the aath on this site says humans went through an aquatic or semi aquatic stage in our evolution and that this accounts for many features seen in human anatomy and physiology.
The aquatic ape theory fails as a scientific theory because it has no supporting evidence. Since morgans last book in 2008, the theory has been treading water, so to speak. The aquatic ape hypothesis, sometimes referred to as the aquatic ape theory or aat, is a questionable theory from paleoanthropology that enjoyed popularity in the 80s and early 90s. Aquatic ape theory cryptozoology, myths and legends.
Elaine morgan and the aquatic ape history of science. In efforts to answer the enigma of how modern humans have evolved to become the way they are today, countless theories of human evolution have been proposed. Presumably, early apes were plant and fruit eaters in tropical forests. According to the evolutionists aquatic ape theory aat, we all came from apes that lived underwater, much like the seamonkeys seen in the back of old archie comic books. A critique of the aquatic ape theory, with examples refuting the basic premises of the theory. The aquatic ape theory can explain how we came to have such features as long hair, protruding noses, and naked skin. The theory attempts to answer a lot of unanswered questions that have plagued. The aquatic ape theory explains the start of human evolution on the bases of basic evolutionary terms established by charles darwin. The bizarre hypothesis of the aquatic ape mysterious. Sorry david attenborough, we didnt evolve from aquatic apes.
The savannah theory postulates that the evolution from ape to hominid proceeded. Sorry david attenborough, we didnt evolve from aquatic. Nov 01, 2005 the aquatic ape theory proposes that such an aquatic phase, during which ancestral hominids relied on a water habitat, explains much of the distinctive anatomy of recent humans. In the aquatic ape, elaine morgan tries to explain the theory that humans evolved to be. May 16, 20 the aquatic ape theory contrasts with the open savannah theory marginally. Elaine morgan 192020 was the author of the 1972 book the descent of woman, which suggested that human evolution had an aquatic origin. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. An alternative account of human evolution book cover. The theory was so unconventional that hardy had qualms about publishing it, but on march 5th he decided to present his idea in a speech to the british sub aqua club in brighton. Its intent is to explain the reason humans are so different from the other great apes. One quick search on amazon got me directed to this dealer and within about 3 days i had it in my hands.
Contrary to its cryptozoological title, its actually more about real history than it sounds, but thats a story for another day. The following pieces of text are, in part, excerpts from personal letters i wrote to elaine morgan, the author of so many books on the aquatic ape theory, some tenplus years ago. Documentary that examines questions about the evolution of human beings from an apelike ancestor and investigates the possibilities of an aquatic phase in. The aquatic ape hypothesis aah, also referred to as aquatic ape theory aat or the waterside hypothesis of human evolution, postulates that the ancestors of. Although there is no concrete means of knowing everything about early human development, the. Sub aqua club in brighton and i thought it might be an appropriate. Human evolution in the sea at bioko norwegian scitech news. A new aquatic ape theory science smithsonian magazine. He had seen a television special on the theory and briefly followed up with a search of the scientific literature, but.
Proponents of the aquatic ape theory compare the predictions of their model with the predictions that they derive for a traditionalist model, which they term the. This is the first of a 3 part series describing the history and biological basis of the aquatic ape theory. Each of the individual claims is small enough in scope to be called a hypothesis wading hypothesis, hairdrag hypothesis, fatbuoyancy hypothesis, etc. He served as a sub editor for the journal of laryngology and otology for nearly a. The aquatic ape theory is highly controversial to say the least. The aquatic ape theory was an attempted explanation for why humans differ so much from the other great apes.
To the authors conviction, the aquatic ape theory, as described by morgan 1990 did. The aquatic ape theory has many valid points and the fact it isnt taken seriously by the paleontologists isnt surprising since they dont seem to be motivated to find any alternate answers. The first article is reprinted in elaine morgans 1982 book, the aquatic ape, along with excerpts of the other two articles showing those bits that differ from the original or add more information. Hominids all diverged from common ancestors, but homo sapiens more radically so. For marine biologists, hardy is best remembered for inventing. Paleoanthropology, the study of human evolution, is a sub discipline of paleontology, the study of fossils. As explained earlier, the theory states that humans traveled from the wooded area toward water. The basic idea is that human evolution was heavily influenced by the presence of bodies of water, and many of our signature characteristics and differences from. The theory attempts to answer a lot of unanswered questions that have plagued mankind about our heritage why do we walk on two legs. The aquatic ape theory, now largely dismissed, tries to explain the origins of many of humankinds unique traits. African origins theory is fairly well accepted among anthropologists and archaeologists, as well as most related scientific disciplines, but there are, as with natural selection, some competing ideas. While we are reasonably sure that modern humans and primates are both related to the same common ancestor, there is constant debate over what initially caused the two species to split into early hominids and apes.
Shortly afterwards he also wrote two articles for the journal new scientist about his theory and the aquatic ape hypothesis though hardy didnt call it that at the. The theory of an aquatic phase in human prehistory was conceived by sir alister hardy in 1930, when he was a young professor of marine biology at oxford. One theory, or hypothesis as the case may be, that tenaciously attacks the african origin theory is the aquatic ape theory. We walk upright all the time, we dont have fur, we have bigger brains and are less robust, and so on. This allegedly explains our larger primate brains, our ability to speak, walk up right, our hairless skin, bipedal movements, natural breathing abilities under water, and our superior swimming skills compared to other primates. Peter rhysevans outlines the fossil evidence and other considerations supporting the controversial aquatic ape hypothesis. The aquatic ape theory suggests that early human ancestors lived in water at least part of the time.
Aug 31, 2012 the aquatic ape theory posits that our forebears spent a prolonged era in a wet, semi aquatic environment, and that contributed to the evolution of a body plan that was very different from their relatives who stuck to the drier parts of the forest. Elaine morgan researched and wrote several books on it, including the bestseller descent of woman 1972 and the aquatic ape 1982. Among these proposed theories is the aquatic ape theory, which suggests that humans underwent an aquatic stage where they lived permanently or semipermanently in water. This forced them to search for food in the water and become very comfortable in the water. Also in the theory that humans did come from monkeys, scientists have tried to find the missing link in are so called evolution. Apr 28, 20 the aquatic ape theory is large enough in scope to be called a theory. Nov 01, 1982 this book is an update to her 1960s book the aquatic ape theory which is now sorely outofdate, so if youre going to read it, read the 1990s version called aquatic ape hypothesis.
The aquatic ape theory states that our ancestors once spent a significant part of their life in water. Apr 16, 2012 april 16, 2012 the aquatic ape theory, now largely dismissed, tries to explain the origins of many of humankinds unique traits. Please journey with us into humanitys past under the sea. Textbooks on human evolution have been either ignoring or ridiculing the aquatic ape theory for the. Sep 20, 2016 sorry david attenborough, we didnt evolve from aquatic apes. Another time the source of information for a claim was said to be a 1979 book, with an. Before we were human we lived in the oceans and seas like dolphins and whales do now. Savanna theory versus aquatic ape theory of human evolution the evolution of man is constantly in question. Synopsis this thoughtprovoking text presents the aquatic ape theory, with new information, new questions and a wealth of documentary evidence. He was not aware that a similar idea had been published in germany during the war by. Its an easy to find source so you can check out what he said as well as checking up on me to see if im accurate about what he said. Although many people do not believe in these mythical creatures, i am convinced that mermaids are real because of sightings and experiences from known people in history, the statistics on ocean discoveries, and arguments on the aquatic ape theory of evolution. Elaine morgan and the aquatic ape history of science the. Apr 01, 2020 the aquatic ape theory on the other hand picks out one of all these environments and says.
The aquatic ape theory aka aat or aah ill generally use the term aath on this site hypothesizes that humans went through an aquatic or semi aquatic stage in our evolution, generally said to have occurred during the transition from the last common ancestor we shared with apes lca to hominids although some aath proponents claim it. A scientific examination of the aquatic ape theory aat. In the decades since, morgans aquatic ape hypothesis has gained widespread support. That ingenious theory, now referred to as the aquatic ape hypothesis aah or. Sep 06, 2011 the aquatic ape theory aat was formulated by alister hardy in year 1960. Key proponents of aat aquatic ape theory hypothesis. It is a feminist book, as much a part of what was then called the. In a nutshell, its a book written for the nonacademic masses, so dont expect it to be written in a scholarly manner. The aquatic ape hypothesis, while essential to elaine morgans rewrite of. I am in debted to the many people who helped to make this book possible primarily to.
In doing this, humans adapted to the new aquatic environment, dealing with survival of the fittest and geographic. The aquatic ape theory aat was formulated by alister hardy in year 1960. The waterside ape sir david attenborough presents two audio programs which examine evidence on the controversial theory of human origins moving towards to mainstream acceptance. Minor edits to page on bbc radio 4 show, added subpage on brains and e. Instead of going to the plains, we went towards the water for approximately two million years. It was given some fresh publicity by naturalist david attenborough in two bbc radio programs in september 2016. Hardy believed his hypothesis explained a number of human traits our lack of body hair, for example. Added to these excerpts are quotes from books, papers, etc. In 1967, the hypothesis was mentioned in the naked ape, a popular book by the zoologist desmond morris, who reduced hardys phrase more aquatic ape like ancestors to the bare aquatic ape, commenting that despite its most appealing indirect evidence, the aquatic theory lacks solid support. One quick search on amazon got me directed to this dealer and within about 3 days i. This book is an update to her 1960s book the aquatic ape theory which is now sorely outofdate, so if youre going to read it, read the 1990s version called aquatic ape hypothesis.
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