I have to say, and this is obviously my complete personal opinion, that some aquatic pressure during recent human evolution is the one remaining notion that makes any sense in terms of best explaining our unique origin as a species, if envisioning us being indeed a result largely of selective pressure, as laid out by e.g. Charles Darwin and Alfred Wallace. Neither the savannah or the jungles can explain the traits that make us stand out amongst the apes, at least nowhere near as well as the watersides. In my opinion.
Yes, I agree. We do have a large set of traits that appear to be adaptions to an aquatic environment.
On the other hand, we don't have the capacity to hold our breath underwater for very long. Aquatic mammals such as sea lions and whales have high levels of myoglobin in their muscle tissue, which allows them to store large amounts of oxygen, and therefore remain underwater for prolonged periods. This adaptation has obviously evolved multiple times. The fact that we aren't adapted in this way perhaps points towards a weak version of the AAH.
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Aquatic ape hypothesis
in Speculations
Yes, I agree. We do have a large set of traits that appear to be adaptions to an aquatic environment.
On the other hand, we don't have the capacity to hold our breath underwater for very long. Aquatic mammals such as sea lions and whales have high levels of myoglobin in their muscle tissue, which allows them to store large amounts of oxygen, and therefore remain underwater for prolonged periods. This adaptation has obviously evolved multiple times. The fact that we aren't adapted in this way perhaps points towards a weak version of the AAH.