The Aquatic Ape Theory makes it possible to believe that while we evolved into terrestrial humans, our aquatic relatives turned into something strangely similar to the fabled mermaid. This is a convenient twist on the aquatic ape myth. The traditional version of the story is that early humans waded into shallow bodies of water and adopted an amphibious lifestyle. The AAH is a classic case of picking evidence that fits a preconceived conclusion and ignoring everything else. Consider the proposal that our apparent hairlessness is an adaptation to swimming.
AAH advocates point to whales and manatees as evidence that a transition to aquatic life results in hair loss. Yet we still have body hair, and the thickness of our pelts varies from person to person. And there are plenty of very furry marine mammals, including seals, sea lions, otters, and polar bears. And this is to say nothing of the lack of fossil evidence for amphibious early humans, nor the fact that — outliers like Michael Phelps aside — humans are lousy swimmers compared to other aquatic mammals.
The Aquatic Ape Hypothesis is unsupported nonsense that contributes nothing to our understanding of where we came from.
Early humans — who look like they came straight out of A Space Odyssey — settle down along a prehistoric shoreline. But not all of them stay. Our ancestors head back to the inland forests, but the fictional mermaid ancestors remain on the beach and become fully aquatic within just a million years. Keep in mind that the transition between completely terrestrial and fully aquatic whales took 10 million years.
But this was on a self-styled educational network. Animal Planet cashed in on its poorly earned reputation as a science channel — the network previously aired The Pet Psychic , after all — to make gullible viewers believe mermaids are real.
Fooled you! Speculative biology can be a lot of fun — to wonder how different forms of life might have evolved. And, with the right context and presentation, Mermaids could have been a unique way to highlight evolutionary and biological ideas. But rather than being a hook for communicating actual science, Mermaids was a sensationalistic end in itself. David Soul Narrator as Narrator voice. Jason Cope Dr.
Rodney Webster as Dr. Rodney Webster. David Evans Dr. Paul Robertson interview as Dr. Paul Robertson interview. Helen Johns Dr. Rebecca Davis as Dr. Rebecca Davis. Sid Bennett. More like this. Watch options. Storyline Edit. Michael stumbled across a recording of mysterious underwater sounds, he launched a scientific investigation to uncover the creature responsible. In search of conclusive proof, he and his research team are called out to an unusual whale stranding in South Africa.
Here they find the part digested remains of an animal none of them can identify. As each of its body parts is autopsied, they provide new pieces of the puzzle.
As the picture builds, McCormick is drawn to an astonishing conclusion: this new marine creature is related to humans. The program aired in Australia in , and the hoax was thoroughly debunked at the time by columnists there.
Brad Newsome of The Sydney Morning Herald wrote at the time , "The version that I saw doesn't even do viewers the courtesy of admitting that it's fake until the credits are about to roll," and dismissed the "aquatic ape" theory, a real hypothesis first proposed in and presented in the show, as "rather fringe.
But it belongs on more tabloid channels that don't have any pretensions of scientific or historical credibility. Did you see the show? Did it seem realistic, or do you know anyone who believed it? Tell us what you think on Facebook. IE 11 is not supported. For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser.
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