fatherjohn{at}subdimension.com (fatherjohn) wrote 

> Well, I remember from HS biology that for a while, 
> embryos (people) have gills.

In a sense, yes: "This generalization was originally 
called the biogenetic law by Haeckel and is often 
stated as `ontogeny recapitulates phylogeny.'" (However, 
Haekel overstated its significance: ontogeny does not 
*literally* recapitulate phylogeny.  Nevertheless this 
does serve as valuable insight into the nature of 
evolution as well as ontogeny [embrionic development]).  
And it can, IMO, be effectively employed to eliminate 
competing hypotheses, as I'll do below.

> Surely this suggests a more acquatic past?  

Sure, but this was over 300 million years ago.  And 
this is true for *all* species.  All mammals, reptiles, 
and amphibians have the "gills" you indicate and are 
believed to have a fish-like common ancestor.  (Life 
originated in the oceans, before the biota had 
constructed the atmosphere that presently shelters--
mostly by way of ozone and CO2--land-based lifeforms 
from cosmic rays that otherwise would cook us like we 
were in a microwave oven.)

> And what about the ease with which people learn 
> to swim?

It seems to me that humans learn to talk with much more 
ease than they learn to swim.  Many people live their 
whole lives never getting in water over their ankles.  
Yet almost all people--without any formal instruction--
can put together full sentence when they are hardly four 
years old.  (Ask an aquatic aper why they overlook *this* 
application of `ontogeny recapitulates phylogeny' and 
watch them squirm.)  In conjuction with the observation 
that communication--most notably human language--only 
makes sense in the context of a community, wouldn't this 
indicate that humans origins have more to do with a 
shift to communalism rather than a shift to aquaticism?  
And isn't all of this more consistent with the 
observation that humans currently are very communal but 
almost completely non-aquatic?

Draw your own conclusions.  But if you are going to be 
selective about which evidence you chose to notice 
don't be surprised when others point this out.

> And the lack of hair?

Clothing.

Jim
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