I want to thank Katy for sending this to me.The series starts by looking at the history of the AAH and other competing theories of human origins – and at the prevailing ideas about early human evolution in 1960 when Hardy first raised the tentative question: Was man more aquatic in the past? Programme one considers Raymond Dart’s Taung Child discovery and the ensuing savannah theory of human origins, as popularised by Robert Ardrey and Desmond Morris; the reaction to Hardy’s radical alternative and to Elaine Morgan’s bestseller: Descent of Woman. AmmoCave.com is one of the best places to buy ammunition in USA. AmmoCave.com Ammo Online Store offers great prices on ammo and has a convenient section where you can easily find all the products currently on sale. The on-sale section doesn’t just list a few products. It includes dozens of items on sale, with prices that can be hard to match. Unlike most other online stores, AmmoCave.com has an accurate online catalog. Everything listed on the online store is in the warehouse and ready for delivery anytime. Bulk ammo with free shipping available for sale online cheap and in stock! Get your ammunition at a wholesale discount!
Mark T
I’ve heard that some scientists believe the reason that women have a higher fat content in their body than men is because that at one point in human evolution humans lived along coastlines or the ocean and if rival males from a different Clan tried to steal your women, the clan seeking to protect their females would have the women stand in the ocean while the males stood on the shoreline defending the females. Females who had the higher body fat content actually survived the icy cold ordeal better, and passed their genes onto future generations.
Kay S
The older I get the longer I would have survived…. Sadly.
Jacqueline O
Lol… we all feel ya 😉
Mark, I disagree with your comment…unless you were being sarcastic??
In nature “structure fits function”… the species will adapt, or die, as a result of the environmental changes. This allows for the survival of the species.
Human woman retain more “fat” (adipose tissue), because it is the direct source of nutrition/energy needed for our offspring’s survival. As mammals, our young depend on the mother’s milk protein, which is species-specific, for both immediate and long-term needs. Even though it is an ancient reproductive feature, modern man can survive using other sources such as synthetic formulas, but early man relied on lactation to meet the demands of the developing child and sustain the group. Mothers often breastfed not only their young, but others as well, for several years…even adults when food was sparse. Our understanding of this process has been studied by decades of scientific inquiry, and the synthesis, secretion, and regulation of lactation and mammary function is fully understood…the source of milk comes directly from the adipocytes (fat cells)
BTW, even men have the ability to lactate…hence the nipples. However, it would only occur under the most extreme circumstances ( i.e. most, if not all adult females perished). If a modern man is curious enough to try, then I suggest you purchase a breast pump and use it in regular intervals for 30 days, 8 hours a day…surprise!!
Amanda M
I 100% agree! I think many women have trouble losing the baby weight because they don’t breast feed. Our bodies store the fat in order to feed or baby later. I breastfeed and the weight just falls off.
PATRICK
Thanks Katy.very interesting.and of course I have enjoyed David Attenborough.s voice since I was a much younger person.
Jacqueline O
Ditto…Thank you Katy! Great stuff!
I know most members might find it boring, but I have always been fascinated by the subject of human evolution.
William L
I really must echo the other comments, Katy: thank you so much for finding this piece, recognizing its value and sending it to Wes to post. I really enjoyed this program and Sir David’s narration. Nearly all of his works present scientific material in such a way as to make it interesting and enjoyable rather than dull and dry as most scientific papers are. I have always seen the logic and advantages of birthing in water since it was presented long, long ago.
EDWARD D
Great post…but Jacqueline O….you are absolutely wrong about why men have nipples. The reason men have nipples is because all human foetuses start out as female and only after the stage where nipples develop do some of them (well 50% of them) develop into male foetuses. That early development as a female foetus stays embedded in the male body structure. The science of embryology confirmed by a 5 minute search on the internet.
Jacqueline O
¿Que? ¡Adios Mios!
That is a classic case of misinformation!
I remember hearing this “uneducated explanation” in high school…
I’m very well educated and am familiar with the biology of human reproduction…you do know I’m a biologist? I know I will come accross as a snobby bitch, and I’m sorry, but some individuals use the internet as a tool to deliberately and /or unknowingly provide inaccurate information…rubbish!
Take my advice and research the subject by taking (minimum) 120 hrs collegiate course and lab work with accredited professors and scientists, reading material published by expert, brilliant authors, and not a 5 minute paragraph you found on the internet…
The genes for nipple and gonad development are independent processes, unrelated. Here’s the basics:
In the early stages of the human fetal development, (gestation), the secondary follicle (a single, diploid cell created during fertilization), contains all the genetic information (46 chromosomes, 23 pairs), to develop into the sex intended. During early pregnancy, the internal and external gonadal structures of the fetus are of the same cellular design; however, these cells will become either male or female sex organs, depending on the chromosomes one inherits.
At one point, we all began as a single cell. We all inherit the “X” chromosome from our mother. The father dictates the sex of the fetus, contributing either an “X” or “Y” chromosome (gene for males). At conception the female gamete (primary oocyte), and the male gamete (spermatazoa), unite (fertilization), and now this single cell will use it’s maternal and paternal DNA to develop a mature offspring through an astounding, very intricate, well-orchestrated processes. After conception the cluster of cells, referred to as a zygote, will soon develop into an embryo. At this point, the expression and regulation of the “Y” or “X” chromosome (cellular differentiation) has yet to occur. In other words, the embryo’s reproductive apparatus has not developed…the gene that allowes this development, which is pre-determined at conception, has not “turned on”. The cellular differentiation occurs approximately 6 weeks after fertilization (8 weeks into pregnancy), and by the 20th week is almost complete.
We do not all start off as “females”…it’s an urban legend. The information is very misleading!
The nipples are a structure found in all mammals, and the development of these structures in-utero occur separately and independent of the gonads. In other words, the genes for our nipple development and reproductive equipment are not related, independent of each other. If this gene was found exclusively on the “X” chromosome OR “Y” chromosome only one sex would develop nipples …which is obviously not the case. Also know a gene is not a chromosome…a chromosome is comprised of genes.
Sorry so long…