Did Sweating Evolve To Keep Us Cool Or Expell Excess Salt?

Homo sapiens is an Apex Predator. We overcome the exceptional senses of our prey, by using our intelligence, and tools.

Who said it's excessive? Clearly it works rather well, or we would not be the successful species we are. It works in arid areas, because again, we use our intelligence, and tools, to find water.

It's you who isn't being very smart, failing to recognise the intelligence of homo sapiens, and their forebears.

 

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You just don't get it. Which came first: bipedallism or the spear?

 

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What are you trying to prove?

This thread was about sweating to remove excess salt. You've been proven wrong on that.

You tried to say that wiping away sweat cooled the body, it doesn't.

You've tried a few other angles, and been proven wrong.

Why don't you just try and stick to one topic, rather than be proven wrong on a variety?

 

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That non-mainstream thinking can be useful to science.

No, not proven wrong. I think that profuse sweating could have evolved as both a mechanism for expelling excess salt and as a coastal cooling mechanism.

It does to some degree. Simple everyday experience confirms this.

No.

I've made it easier for you by starting a new thread..

 

Only when it's hypotheses stay scientific. Yours haven't.

Profuse? Please, stop loading the terms.

No it does not. Your subjective experiences are overlooking the real mechanism, and this has been explained to you several times. Are you thick? Do you need it explaining again?

Yes.

I've debunked enough of your BS already, thanks.

 

lol. I've read the Aquatic Ape book, I bet you haven't. Commenting on things that you have no knowledge of..why don't you try reading a book?

 

I've read the wiki article, and I understand the criticisms of the hypothesis. Why do I need to read a flawed book?

See, I've read the dissections of the theory. That's all I need.

 

Fair enough. I agree that the book is horrendous scientifically, being full of holes etc. Her main idea is still very valid though, I think. The Wiki explanation itself isn't a wonderful piece either, and I can find problems in that too. This passage from Wiki caught my attention:

Also note:

The fear of drowning is the only phobia that we humans are born with.

Wiki Bipedalism states:

 

I've read the Savannah hypothesis and now see that the idea of profuse sweating and the ability to throw projectiles is likely to have evolved in the coastal river estuary environment and been unique to our line of ancestors. Bipedalism evolved long before this, due to the increased ARIDITY increasing the distance between trees. The early humans would have been under increasing threat from predators, and the use of branches for defence would have launched an arms race.

 

That's just not true. Babies have an innate 'diving reaction' and stop breathing when immersed, but do not exhibit any stress as would be related to a phobia.

Four long kegs, and a long neck like a Giraffe has, is an even better advantage. Bipedalism is a bit weak by comparison. Water dwelling dinosaurs had long necks too, ....

 

i would also like to point out that sweating has been found in other animals that wouldn't probably take in too much sodium. Dogs for example. They have sweat glands on the pads of their feet.

 

That has already been covered in this thread. Keep up.

 

The 'diving reaction' is a major part of the Aquatic Ape hypothesis, so I'm well aware of it. The statement about the fear of drowning was given on TV in a professional scientific context, so I don't see any reason to disbelieve it.

 

Phlogistician; here's the article which indicates that Neanderthals didn't have a physiology which allowed them to throw spears; Humans and Neanderthals interbred?

The comments on the article are a very interesting read incidentally.

 

Sounds contradictory, that humans and Neanderthals are genetically similar enough to breed, but physiologically different, so one species cannot throw spears.

Does stuff like that not stand out, when you read these articles?

 

I agree that the evidence is certainly not conclusive. That's why I've started a new thread to see whether the assumption can be justified.

 

Interesting point Fraggle Rock. I've found some related articles to the profuse sweating adaptation in ARID conditions conundrum: Humans hot, sweaty, natural-born runners:

 

I think Expell Excess Salt

 

Hi, you are new here, so I'll clue you in, if you say something like this, you should perhaps say what evidence it is that leads you to your conclusion, especially when after five pages, and much debunking, the OP is pretty much in tatters.