Humans; Aquatic Apes?

Weidii

This woman seems to think that humans evolved the way we are due to having adapted to an aquatic environment some time in the past. What do you think?

(Sorry if this has been dealt with already!)

Galvasean

I remember seeing a documentary about it (Horizon I think it was) a few years back and dismissing it as utter baloney.
I'll check out her video later and see if I she raises any better points.

Galvasean

Bah, useless platform soapbox! She presents no new arguments here. Things like this need an expert in the 'orthodox view' to be allowed but in and say, "Well actually that's wrong. Here's why."
I could present any outdated theory I liked with confidence if there was no one around to challenge me.

So, rather than going into detail myself as to why the theory is incorrect I'll take the lazy route and let Wikipedia do it:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aquatic_ape_theory#Reception

Weidii

Yeah, I just found that Documentary you were talking about on youtube too actually. I find it funny that her first book about the evolution of man was written from a feminists point of view. Also she's not actually a scientist, she just took strongly to this idea. I wonder is what she said about David Attenborough true...

Galvasean

Weidii wrote: »

I wonder is what she said about David Attenborough true...

It probably is, in a throwaway musing comment sort of way. However just because David Attenborough said something may have occured, does not mean he subscribes to it (a very weak argument from authority IMO). Attenborough frequently speaks of human evolution in relation to the more traditional 'down from the trees, learn to walk upright on the Savanagh' idea. Funny how she refrains from mentioning this.

Galvasean

Anyone catch that mocku/documentary on Animal Planet tonight titled: Mermaids: The Body Found. Essentially it the end it mentions that much of the documentary is fake (no shit!), but was used as a means to draw attention to US navy sub-sonic weapon testing which appears to be the cause of many massed beached whales. Anyway...
There are some rather nice hypothetical recreations of how aquatic apes could have evolved over time and what challenges they faced adapting to life at sea (even megalodon appears at one point).
It's not very educational mind you, but quite a good watch all the same. Just don't take anything contained within at face value.

Ziphius

Well the trailers are certainly creepy. The mermaids remind me of Prometheus aliens.

Adam Khor

My dad saw this show and thought it was real Thats how I found out about it.
I always found the Aquatic Ape theory quite interesting, really.

Still, quite entertaining and yeah, somewhat creepy to watch. Way better than the mockumentary on dragons that preceded it, btw.

Owryan

Ziphius wrote: »

Well the trailers are certainly creepy. The mermaids remind me of Prometheus aliens.

Sh**e it made me jump :mad: , must watch out for the repeat

Owryan

Finally got to watch it. The idea of humans evolving to become a sea creature was strangely intriguing and I thought the way the programme was put together was pretty good, certainly better than some of the so called science programmes shown these days.

I got the idea that the US Navy was trying to hunt down and eradicate the mermaids and that was the reason for the sonar attacks.

Im sure some people thought it was a legit docurama tho lol.

So for those more tuned in than me , did the programme make any more compelling the case for aquatic man/ariel the mermaid ?

My own opinion is it could ve happened, did mammals not come out of the sea themselves ?

Ziphius

Owryan wrote: »

My own opinion is it could ve happened, did mammals not come out of the sea themselves ?

Not exactly. Mammals evolved on land maybe about 200 million years ago ( I guess it depends on your definition of a mammal). Vertebrates, the group that includes mammals, reptiles and birds, amphibians, and fish did originate in the sea (or at least in water).

This is way it is common to say that whales and dolphins have "returned to the sea". They, like all of us, are the very distant descendants of sea-going animals.

They needed to evolve new adaptations to cope with life in the water so didn't regress to an ancestral form. So, for example, whales still need to breath air rather than use gills.

I missed the programme so not sure exactly what the mermaid creatures are? Are they supposed to be evolved from modern humans, human ancestors, or a separate sister species?

You're right, there is nothing really stopping a seagoing human from evolving in the future. Dougal Dixon's book Man After Man is a fanciful speculation on the future of human evolution. And, I think, includes an aquatic human form. You can find the entire book online here . Very weird but interesting.

Owryan

The mermaids evolved from a branch of "ape men" who adapted to life in the sea.

The film was on Nat Geo so will probably be on again at some stage. Worth checking out

Spangles

I just watched this documentary on Animal Planet and was totally gobsmacked by its contents. It is a must watch programme !

My understanding is that 3 scientists became involved in discovering a new life form by studying the cause of whale beachings during migrations which they believed to be caused by naval sonar. They had experts analyse recordings of the communication of the animals affected prior to the beachings and they discovered sounds/callings from previously unknown creatures. They isolated the sounds of these unknown creatures and experts claimed the intelligence/complexity of their communication could be likened only to the complexity of the human language.

Through their research they discovered the remains of a previously unknown species (inside a shark/whale) which has human traits. Scientific tests together with the reconstruction of its skeleton/remains shows it once walked on 2 legs and the reconstruction of its skull showed it communicated by sonar and had larger eyes usually attributed to creatures living in darker environments.

They had a ex-naval person talking of the cover-up of this species by the navy. He claimed the navy had arrived on the scene of a beaching and had removed one of these creatures, which was still alive. Some kids who had encountered the beaching prior to the navy arriving and removing the body had captured it on their camera phone. This is the clip on youtube.

The scientists' premises were raided and all evidence of the creature was removed/confiscated by the authorities, including all of their tests, remains and skull reconstructions etc.

They also showed a clip that a fisherman had taken on his phone of a creature that had become caught in one of their nets out at sea which was promptly dropped back into the sea.

It is well worth watching whether you can believe its content or not. They certainly put a very plausible arguement for their existence and the cover up of such.

Wibbs

Ehhhh it's a drama, not a documentary. A so called "mockumentary".

Adam Khor

Spangles wrote: »

I just watched this documentary on Animal Planet and was totally gobsmacked by its contents. It is a must watch programme !

My understanding is that 3 scientists became involved in discovering a new life form by studying the cause of whale beachings during migrations which they believed to be caused by naval sonar. They had experts analyse recordings of the communication of the animals affected prior to the beachings and they discovered sounds/callings from previously unknown creatures. They isolated the sounds of these unknown creatures and experts claimed the intelligence/complexity of their communication could be likened only to the complexity of the human language.

Through their research they discovered the remains of a previously unknown species (inside a shark/whale) which has human traits. Scientific tests together with the reconstruction of its skeleton/remains shows it once walked on 2 legs and the reconstruction of its skull showed it communicated by sonar and had larger eyes usually attributed to creatures living in darker environments.

They had a ex-naval person talking of the cover-up of this species by the navy. He claimed the navy had arrived on the scene of a beaching and had removed one of these creatures, which was still alive. Some kids who had encountered the beaching prior to the navy arriving and removing the body had captured it on their camera phone. This is the clip on youtube.

The scientists' premises were raided and all evidence of the creature was removed/confiscated by the authorities, including all of their tests, remains and skull reconstructions etc.

They also showed a clip that a fisherman had taken on his phone of a creature that had become caught in one of their nets out at sea which was promptly dropped back into the sea.

It is well worth watching whether you can believe its content or not. They certainly put a very plausible arguement for their existence and the cover up of such.

Yeah its all fiction but its well written fiction. Like I said, much better than the dragon mockumentary they made years ago.
It was also based on real life theories and phenomena such as the bloop and the aquatic ape theory which gives it more weight. I know a lot of people including my father saw this and walked away thinking it was real.

Spangles

Wibbs wrote: »

Ehhhh it's a drama, not a documentary. A so called "mockumentary".

This programme was not introduced as a work of "fiction" but :-

"Real-life events and phenomena combine in the story of 2 scientists who claim they found the remains of a never before identified sea creature"

It showed the reconstruction of events together with interviews with the scientists and witnesses to the their work.

I would suggest those who are interested to look out for it and make their own minds up about it. "Mermaids : The Body Found"

Ziphius

Spangles wrote: »

This programme was not introduced as a work of "fiction" but :-

"Real-life events and phenomena combine in the story of 2 scientists who claim they found the remains of a never before identified sea creature"

It showed the reconstruction of events together with interviews with the scientists and witnesses to the their work.

I would suggest those who are interested to look out for it and make their own minds up about it. "Mermaids : The Body Found"

They were all actors. See here: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1816585/

maringo

Missed it. Sounds riveting and a change from the usual boring stuff so will watch out for a repeat. Love all these beastie programmes.

ZX7R

At the end of program just before credits is says that it is fiction and was created to bring attention to the American navy doing sonar testing.

good mockumentary.

Capt'n Midnight

All vertebrates are part of the chordata phylum , fish , frogs, chickens , dinosaurs, us , it also includes things with backbones.

Amazing is when you look at the mouthparts of a Dublin Bay Prawn and discover not just a new species but an entire new phylum.

http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn18834-zoologger-the-most-bizarre-life-story-on-earth.html

http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn18834-zoologger-the-most-bizarre-life-story-on-earth.html

As for adoptions to breathing under water there's some turtles that breathe through through their arses and urinate through through their mouths - backward evolution :pac:

Adam Khor

Capt'n Midnight wrote: »

All vertebrates are part of the chordata phylum , fish , frogs, chickens , dinosaurs, us , it also includes things with backbones.

Amazing is when you look at the mouthparts of a Dublin Bay Prawn and discover not just a new species but an entire new phylum.

http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn18834-zoologger-the-most-bizarre-life-story-on-earth.html


As for adoptions to breathing under water there's some turtles that breathe through through their arses and urinate through through their mouths - backward evolution :pac:

You think the mouth-urinating turtle is amazing? There's a species of sea snake that can see with its tail, kinda.

Sulla Felix

The claims of the aquatic ape theory are pretty tenuous, descended larynx, hairlesness are all explainable by other more likely causes. Occams Razor and all that.

Saw the mockumentary, was pretty well produced. Thought they did a good job of at least presenting a plausible pathway.

Capt'n Midnight

Adam Khor wrote: »

You think the mouth-urinating turtle is amazing? There's a species of sea snake that can see with its tail, kinda.

I see your golden see snake, and I raise you the tuatara

Adam Khor

Capt'n Midnight wrote: »

I see your golden see snake, and I raise you the tuatara

Too classic, although not less amazing :>

We're going way off topic tho. Let's leave it like this (cough *Spanish newt*cough!)