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  • Re: Morotopithecus, water-stressed vegetation in open woodland

    From Pandora@21:1/5 to All on Fri Apr 14 15:29:55 2023
    On Fri, 14 Apr 2023 15:22:11 +0200, Pandora <pandora@knoware.nl>
    wrote:

    The evolution of hominoid locomotor versatility: Evidence from Moroto,
    a 21 Ma site in Uganda.

    Abstract

    Living hominoids are distinguished by upright torsos and versatile >locomotion. It is hypothesized that these features evolved for feeding
    on fruit from terminal branches in forests. To investigate the
    evolutionary context of hominoid adaptive origins, we analyzed
    multiple paleoenvironmental proxies in conjunction with hominoid
    fossils from the Moroto II site in Uganda. The data indicate
    seasonally dry woodlands with the earliest evidence of abundant C4
    grasses in Africa based on a confirmed age of 21 million years ago
    (Ma). We demonstrate that the leaf-eating hominoid Morotopithecus
    consumed water-stressed vegetation, and postcrania from the site
    indicate ape-like locomotor adaptations. These findings suggest that
    the origin of hominoid locomotor versatility is associated with
    foraging on leaves in heterogeneous, open woodlands rather than
    forests.

    Correction:
    https://doi.org/10.1126/science.abq2835

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  • From Pandora@21:1/5 to All on Fri Apr 14 15:22:11 2023
    The evolution of hominoid locomotor versatility: Evidence from Moroto,
    a 21 Ma site in Uganda.

    Abstract

    Living hominoids are distinguished by upright torsos and versatile
    locomotion. It is hypothesized that these features evolved for feeding
    on fruit from terminal branches in forests. To investigate the
    evolutionary context of hominoid adaptive origins, we analyzed
    multiple paleoenvironmental proxies in conjunction with hominoid
    fossils from the Moroto II site in Uganda. The data indicate
    seasonally dry woodlands with the earliest evidence of abundant C4
    grasses in Africa based on a confirmed age of 21 million years ago
    (Ma). We demonstrate that the leaf-eating hominoid Morotopithecus
    consumed water-stressed vegetation, and postcrania from the site
    indicate ape-like locomotor adaptations. These findings suggest that
    the origin of hominoid locomotor versatility is associated with
    foraging on leaves in heterogeneous, open woodlands rather than
    forests.

    https://doi-org.proxy.library.uu.nl/10.1126/science.abq2835

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  • From JTEM is so reasonable@21:1/5 to Pandora on Fri Apr 14 12:31:03 2023
    Pandora wrote:

    It is hypothesized that these features evolved for feeding
    on fruit from terminal branches in forests.

    This has to be true because monkeys never eat fruit. If they
    try they explode, and then herds of rampaging unicorns
    charge through the forest, trampling any monkeys they see
    attempting to so much as grab at fruit.

    "Ah, science!"

    The largest monkeys are the Mandrills. According to your Wiki
    they max out at about 66 pounds and 3 feet in length.

    Not huge.

    Of course these are outliers -- the single biggest, actually appear
    to be something of a case of parallel evolution as they are often
    mistaken for baboons -- and it's not exactly honest to base
    anything on outliers.

    It's claiming that the EXCEPTION is the rule...

    Supposedly just over 50% of their diet is fruit.

    At it's surface this might seem to support the crazy idea that the
    ancestor to humans ate fruit, and this was somehow different
    even if it wasn't. After all, this monkey eats a lot of fruit and it
    already doesn't look like a monkey!

    Oh, who am I kidding? It's dumb.

    In English it's called "Rationalizing."

    It's also called a "Circular Argument."

    They lack any means in the Out of Africa purity model to account
    for hominoids, and they CONCLUDE an African origins they are
    RATIONALIZING, inventing anything they can gasp at as an
    explanation to justify the conclusion that they already came to.




    -- --

    https://jtem.tumblr.com/post/714525062601064448

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