[worrier]

I've just read a fascinating book - A brain for all seasons : human evolution and abrupt climate change by William H. Calvin, University of Chicago Press, 2002, ISBN 0226092011. It's Calvin's take on how intimately human evolution was tied up with natural, periodic climate change. It also talks about some of the possible models of climate change in the future, and the recent theory that reaching certain tipping points can throw the climate into abrupt climate change.

[rogerhb]

What is his take on why we sweat and why we have no hair?

[worrier]

His take on why our ape ancestors became bipedal, and why we have no hair, is that their habitat changed to include alot of wading in lakes etc., presumably for gathering food. He didn't talk specifically about sweating, that I remember. But he goes along with the aquatic ape theory, though he says the term aquatic is misleading and he thinks it more of a wading ape theory.

[UIUCstudent01]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('worrier', 'H')is take on why our ape ancestors became bipedal, and why we have no hair, is that their habitat changed to include alot of wading in lakes etc., presumably for gathering food. He didn't talk specifically about sweating, that I remember. But he goes along with the aquatic ape theory, though he says the term aquatic is misleading and he thinks it more of a wading ape theory.