William Morse wrote:
> "Anon."  wrote in
> news:cllqtv$1ttp$1{at}darwin.ediacara.org: 
> 

>>I think the best approach to this problem is through comparative 
>>anatomy.  We have to assume that the species we see today aren't in an
>>adaptive trough, and then we identify some of the intermediate forms 
>>that humans could have passed through: a bit like stepping stones 
>>between the peaks, to really mix metaphores.  Given the amount of 
>>speculation we need anyway, I think the morphologies would not need to
>>be exactly the same (and we can refine the theories later).
> 
> 
> The following link to an article in the Journal of Anatomy discusses a 
> number of the possibilities for intermediate forms - and suggests that 
> even fairly late ancestors of homo sapiens may have been partly arboreal. 
> Of course that would tend to shoot my drift theory.
> 
> 
> http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/links/doi/10.1111/j.0021-
> 8782.2004.00296.x/full/
> 
Interesting article: I don't get to read much anatomy so it's nice to 
see what those people are doing with their bones.

> 
> But I still sort of like the thought that one of the crucial changes that 
> led to the development of humans - bipedalism - may have been largely a 
> matter of luck. Rather Gouldian of me, but it does teach humility.
> 
Well, you can always fall back on the idea that changes in the climate 
were the result of luck, and these caused proto-humans to change their 
behaviour, which ultimately lead to cricket and the shooting of J.R. 
Ewing.  Who said evolution isn't a wonderful thing?

Bob

-- 
Bob O'Hara

Dept. of Mathematics and Statistics
P.O. Box 68 (Gustaf H„llstr”min katu 2b)
FIN-00014 University of Helsinki
Finland

Telephone: +358-9-191 51479
Mobile: +358 50 599 0540
Fax:  +358-9-191 51400
WWW:  http://www.RNI.Helsinki.FI/~boh/
Journal of Negative Results - EEB: http://www.jnr-eeb.org
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