Re: A critique of the BBC aquatic ape programme and the transcript.

Algis Kuliukas wrote:


<snip>


> There are no other large, water-side, bipedal primates, Jason. Only us.


"Water-side....us"? Where has that been demonstrated and when?
Starting from a false premise you are guaranteed to end up with an
erroneous conclusion.

Who exactly is us? Are you speaking for us today or are you speaking
for the hominids of 2.6 Ma that turned up, unequivocally demonstrated,
totally adapted to a savanna habitat eating meat? Meat on the hoof
gravitates to water, so is it any surprise that bones accumulate
randomly at all sizes of water sources, i.e., tiny springs, too small
to wade or swim in, all the way up to lake-sides large enough for
hominids to drown in?

There is a Plio-Pleistocene site preference toward the smaller bodies
of water that would offer no benefit to a wading lifestyle, in fact
many sites are located in stream beds that contained no water at all
at the time of occupation. The preponderance of first evidence (at
least where it can be reasonably demonstrated that Homo was involved
with the site formation process) is an avoidance of water-side sites
large enough to wade or swim in.

Two and a half million years ago is where the cultural evidence starts,
the on-the-ground evidence is savanna hominids (or at least one was)
eating meat and avoiding the larger bodies of water ( not exclusively
so, but statistically so). This evidence is the null hypothesis, this
is what needs to be falsified. The leap of faith required to get from
the null to "water-side" is incredulous. The burden is on those who
think otherwise to demonstrate otherwise.



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Relevant Pages

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