User:Justin Wabscott/sandbox: Difference between revisions
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Vernix caseosa |
Vernix caseosa |
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[[File:Examples of sealion and human vernix.jpg|104kbpx|thumb|right|Vernix on sealion pup and human newborn]] |
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A repeated complaint against the Aquatic Ape Hypothesis was that it made no predictions. In 'The Descent of the Child' (1994) Elaine Morgan noted that, "Almost every human baby comes into the world smeared like a long-distance swimmer with a layer of grease. ... known to scientists as the Vernix caseosa, which is Latin for 'cheesy varnish'". In 2005, the BBC Radio 4 series "Scars of Evolution" <ref>{{cite web|last1=Attenborough|first1=Sir David|title=Scars of Evolution|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/science/scarsofevolution.shtml|website=BBC|publisher=BBC|accessdate=26 May 2018}}</ref>, presented by Sir David Attenborough, proposed a testable hypothesis: "If vernix, as suggested by Elaine Morgan, is an adaptation to entering the water at birth or immediately after, then it will not be unique to humans, as extensively reported in the scientific literature <ref>{{cite web|last1=Hoath|first1=Steven|title=Host defense proteins in vernix caseosa and amniotic fluid|url=http://www.academia.edu/4985139/Host_defense_proteins_in_vernix_caseosa_and_amniotic_fluid|website=American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology|publisher=Elsevier|accessdate=26 May 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=Singh|first1=Gurcharan|title=Unraveling the mystery of vernix caseosa.|url=https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2763724/|website=National Library of Medicine|publisher=National Institutes of Health|accessdate=26 May 2018}}</ref>, but will also be found in other animals that enter the water soon after being born." |
A repeated complaint against the Aquatic Ape Hypothesis was that it made no predictions. In 'The Descent of the Child' (1994) Elaine Morgan noted that, "Almost every human baby comes into the world smeared like a long-distance swimmer with a layer of grease. ... known to scientists as the Vernix caseosa, which is Latin for 'cheesy varnish'". In 2005, the BBC Radio 4 series "Scars of Evolution" <ref>{{cite web|last1=Attenborough|first1=Sir David|title=Scars of Evolution|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/science/scarsofevolution.shtml|website=BBC|publisher=BBC|accessdate=26 May 2018}}</ref>, presented by Sir David Attenborough, proposed a testable hypothesis: "If vernix, as suggested by Elaine Morgan, is an adaptation to entering the water at birth or immediately after, then it will not be unique to humans, as extensively reported in the scientific literature <ref>{{cite web|last1=Hoath|first1=Steven|title=Host defense proteins in vernix caseosa and amniotic fluid|url=http://www.academia.edu/4985139/Host_defense_proteins_in_vernix_caseosa_and_amniotic_fluid|website=American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology|publisher=Elsevier|accessdate=26 May 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=Singh|first1=Gurcharan|title=Unraveling the mystery of vernix caseosa.|url=https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2763724/|website=National Library of Medicine|publisher=National Institutes of Health|accessdate=26 May 2018}}</ref>, but will also be found in other animals that enter the water soon after being born." |
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Revision as of 15:53, 27 May 2018
Vernix caseosa
A repeated complaint against the Aquatic Ape Hypothesis was that it made no predictions. In 'The Descent of the Child' (1994) Elaine Morgan noted that, "Almost every human baby comes into the world smeared like a long-distance swimmer with a layer of grease. ... known to scientists as the Vernix caseosa, which is Latin for 'cheesy varnish'". In 2005, the BBC Radio 4 series "Scars of Evolution" [1], presented by Sir David Attenborough, proposed a testable hypothesis: "If vernix, as suggested by Elaine Morgan, is an adaptation to entering the water at birth or immediately after, then it will not be unique to humans, as extensively reported in the scientific literature [2][3], but will also be found in other animals that enter the water soon after being born."
The first suggestion that vernix might not be unique to humans came from Don Bowen at Dalhousie University, who observed that newborn Harbour Seals have a greasy coating, and unlike other seal species, enter the water soon after birth. In 2016 Tom Brenna at Cornell University, with the help of Judy St Leger at San Diego Seaworld, obtained samples of a vernix-like substance on California sealion pups and established that its molecular composition is comparable to human vernix, being rich in both branch chain fatty acids (BCFAs) and squalene.[4].
Brenna's data are the first to demonstrate the production of true vernix caseosa in a species other than Homo sapiens. Its presence in a marine mammal supports the hypothesis of an aquatic habituation period in the evolution of modern humans.
- ^ Attenborough, Sir David. "Scars of Evolution". BBC. BBC. Retrieved 26 May 2018.
- ^ Hoath, Steven. "Host defense proteins in vernix caseosa and amniotic fluid". American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology. Elsevier. Retrieved 26 May 2018.
- ^ Singh, Gurcharan. "Unraveling the mystery of vernix caseosa". National Library of Medicine. National Institutes of Health. Retrieved 26 May 2018.
- ^ Brenna, Tom. "Sea Lions Develop Human-like Vernix Caseosa Delivering Branched Fats and Squalene to the GI Tract". Scientific Reports. Nature. Retrieved 26 May 2018.