Was Man more aquatic in the past? Editors: Mario Vaneechoutte, Algis Kuliukas, and Marc Verhaegen

1. Was Man more aquatic in the past? Editors: Mario Vaneechoutte, Algis Kuliukas, and Marc Verhaegen Bentham e-Books, 2011. ISBN 978-1-60805-244-8 Foreword: ELAINE MORGAN 1. PHILLIP TOBIAS. Revisiting water and hominin evolution 2. C. LEIGH BROADHURST AND MICHAEL CRAWFORD. Littoral man and waterside woman: The crucial rôle of marine and lacustrine foods and environmental resources in the origin, migration and dominance of Homo sapiens 3. ALGIS KULIUKAS. A wading component in the origin of hominin bipedalism4. MARC VERHAEGEN, STEPHEN MUNRO, PIERRE-FRANÇOIS PUECH AND MARIO VANEECHOUTTE Early hominoids: Orthograde aquarboreals in flooded forests? 5. STEPHEN MUNRO AND MARC VERHAEGENPachyosteosclerosis in Archaic Homo: Heavy skulls for diving, heavy legs for wading?6. ALGIS V. KULIUKAS AND ELAINE MORGANAquatic scenarios in the thinking on human evolution: What are they and how do they compare? 7. ERIKA SCHAGATAYHuman breath-hold diving ability suggests a selective pressure for diving during human evolution8. MARCEL FRANCIS WILLIAMS. Marine adaptations in human kidneys9. MICHEL ODENT. Obstetrical implications of the aquatic ape hypothesis10. ANNA GISLÉN AND ERIKA SCHAGATAYSuperior underwater vision shows unexpected adaptability of the human eye11. WANG-CHAK CHAN. Human aquatic color vision12. MARIO VANEECHOUTTE, STEPHEN MUNRO AND MARC VERHAEGENSeafood, diving, song and speech 13. RICHARD ELLIS. Aquagenesis: Alister Hardy, Elaine Morgan and the aquatic ape hypothesis14. TESS WILLIAMS. Just add water: The aquatic ape story in science 15. ALGIS V. KULIUKAS. Rebuttal of John Langdon.

2. Further arguments Nasal cycle of 90 sec: duration of dive.Spleen: collects RBCs during rest to set them free during dive. See Schagatay Chapter 7 External venes on legs

3. Humans are extremely special primates/animals 9. Reduced smell Olfactory capacities of Homo < Pan, Gorilla < other primates, tree dwellers, flying animals < most land animals Olfactory brain bulb of Whales: almost absent Homo: < 1/2 of Pan, Gorilla (same body size) < 1/2 of baboon (body size: 20 kg) Relationship to habitat (water, land, tree (air)) (Verhaegen M. 1997. In den beginne ...) ° Well-developed in terrestrial animals: smell traces can be left long distance tracking of partners and predators (even in absence of sound or vision) due to the wind direction (2D) ° Reduction in primates, bats, birds: In trees/air, odors are blown away quickly, are difficult to trace (3D) ° Further reduction in Pan, Gorilla: their ancestors had semi-aquatic adaptations (?) ° Further reduction in Homo: more pronounced aquatic lifestyle: frequent diving (?) ° Complete reduction in fully aquatic animals: in water, smell has very little use.

4. Humans are extremely special primates/animals*** 10. Increased manual dexterity and tactility Raccoon (wash bear)

5. Humans are extremely special primates/animals 10. Increased manual dexterity and tactility Somatosensory areas in the brain: disproportianately large area for fingers and mouth

6. 3. Moreover: Were our ape ancestors purely arboreal? Or rather aquarboreal: tree + water? Moreover: Are we at present typically terrestrial? Or rather land + water? Cunnane S.: we are still very dependent on iodine and omega3 for normal brain development Lack of iodine: cretinism. This is unexpected for a terrestrial species! Kuliukas: we were aquatic because we were wading and beach combing Verhaegen: we were aquatic because we were (swimming and) shallow water divers

8. Introduction: Reactions to the notion that our ancestors may have been more aquatic Reaction 5: "No way! Everyone knows that our ancestors were savannah hunters." In fact, the savannah hypothesis has been long abandoned (only: few people seem to realize that!?) Peter E. Wheeler: bipedality, large body size, hair loss and sweating as adapations to thermoregulation on the savannah

9. Introduction: Reactions to the notion that our ancestors may have been more aquatic Reaction 5: "No way! Everyone knows that our ancestors were savannah hunters." In fact, the savannah hypothesis has been long abandoned (only: few people seem to realize that!?) . 2011

10. Humans are extremely special primates/animals 10. Increased manual dexterity and tactility Somatosensory characteristics as (semi-)aquatic adaptations? Our sensing abilities (touch: sensitivity of skin) equal those of apes Early primates had already increased sensing abilities: life in trees Located in postcentral cortex (areas 3-1-2) (PCC): 50% larger in Homo than in Pan, Gorilla Size of the 4 regions (head, arms, legs and trunk (torso)) ° Pan, Gorilla: all 4 approximately equal ° Homo: see next slide: head: half of the PCC, of which half for mouth and throat arms: same as Pan, Gorilla, but almost exclusively for fingers/thumb legs and feet: reduced trunk: same In summary: Homo vs Pan, Gorilla: increased sensitivity, which is located in finger tops, lips and tongue (Semi-)aquatic explanation? ° Hands, fingertops vs feet: Pan, Gorilla: same size of PCC region Homo: Cortex for sensitivity of the hands is five times larger than for feet as in e.g. the raccoon ('washing' bear!): senses objects under water with fingers ° Lips and tongue: suction feeding of aquatic food (shell fish) by Homo?

11. Humans are extremely special primates/animals 8. Reduced colour vision

12. Swimming chimp (with stick)

13. http://www.bio.miami.edu/dana/106/106F05_4.html

14. http://www.bio.miami.edu/dana/106/106F05_4.html

15. http://www.brocku.ca/vrbaby/evolution/general.php https://webspace.utexas.edu/yg387/human_evolution.htm http://unmaskingevolution.com/25-human.htm http://thinkinginchrist.com/2010/02/24/human-evolution-drawings/: human evolution drawings