Vernix Caseosa is seen in many seal & sealion newborn pups, but in Primates only in newborn humans, esp. premature (maximum is c 37th fetal week). Its presence suggest a littoral phase in human evolution, not so very long ago. IOW, it fully confirms
our view that our ancestors evolved from predom.aquarboreal to predom.shallow-diving at S.Asian sea-coasts, early-Pleistocene.

Michel Odent yesterday sent me this on the function of vernix caseosa:
"The point is to interpret the abundance of “corneocytes” in vernix caseosa. They work like sponges and are obviously protective in case of immersion in hypertonic water. As early as 2000, a team of American dermatologists wanted to develop a
protective cream for premature babies: they were highly interested in the corneocytes of vernix caseosa. Don Bowen, the marine biologist from Nova Scotia who revealed that the pups of seals have vernix, noticed that harbour seals, which swim with
their mothers within minutes of being born, have more vernix than other seals: they are better adapted to sudden immersion in hypertonic water."

My hypothesis:
Miocene Hominoidea were predom.aquarboreal: frequently wading bipedally & climbing vertically in coastal forests along the Med.Sea (hominids-dryopiths) & Ind.Ocean (pongids-sivapiths) & from the coasts following the rivers/swamps inland, this explains
their vertical & centrally-placed spine, long arms, lateral arm & leg movements, broad pelvis-thorax-sternum etc.
Late-Miocene Homo-Pan was were still aquarboreal in the Red Sea coastal forests, but when the Red Sea opened into the Ind.Ocean c 5.3 Ma (according to some, caused by the Zanclean mega-flood?), they entered the Gulf. Initially both remained aquarboreal
in coastal forests, Pan at first followed the E.Afr.coasts, and Homo the S.Asian coasts.
IMO Gorilla had already been following the northern part of the E.Af.Rift (c 8-7 Ma?), and Pan, later, entered the Rift at its southern part (c 4-3 Ma):
G//P evolved in parallel: aquarboreal->late-Pliocene"gracile"->early-Pleist."robust"->knuckle-walking? e.g. Praeanthropus afarensis->boisei // Australopithecus africanus->robustus.

When did human ancestors evolve from predom.aquarboreal to predom.shallow-diving (= vernix caseosa)? early-Pleistocene or already Pliocene?
and where? at South- or SE-Asian coasts?
Had the Pleist.coolings (after c 2.6 Ma) something to do with it? e.g. more shellfish? which shellfish exactly? esp. during glacials? i.e. now 10s of metres below sea-level?

There's no doubt H.erectus c 2 Ma along the Ind.Ocean (early-Pleist.) already dived frequently, probably mostly for shellfish: brain enlargement (LC-PUFAs, iodine etc.), pachy-osteo-sclerosis, platycephaly, platypelloidy, platymeria etc.etc.

In any case, only complete imbeciles still believe their Pleistocene ancestors ran over Afr.savannas after antelopes! :-DDD

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)