Snakes and Human Evolution?

[Canuckster1127]

http://reports.discoverychannel.ca/serv ... veryReport

Seems a stretch to me but it's interesting to see that theory when contrasted with the Serpent in Genesis 2 and 3 doesn't it?

[BGoodForGoodSake]

http://reports.discoverychannel.ca/serv ... veryReport

Seems a stretch to me but it's interesting to see that theory when contrasted with the Serpent in Genesis 2 and 3 doesn't it?

This is a very poor summary of the original article, however I am not sure any simplification of this paper can come out sounding right.
=)

You can see the article by checking out The Journal of Human Evolution Volume 51, Issue 1, Pages 1-112 (July 2006).

Here are a few exerpts from the abstract.

"Current hypotheses that use visually guided reaching and grasping to explain orbital convergence, visual specialization, and brain expansion in primates are open to question now that neurological evidence reveals no correlation between orbital convergence and the visual pathway in the brain that is associated with reaching and grasping."

"Mammals are conservative in the structures of the brain that are involved in vigilance, fear, and learning and memory associated with fearful stimuli, e.g., predators. Some of these areas have expanded in primates and are more strongly connected to visual systems. However, primates vary in the extent of brain expansion. This variation is coincident with variation in evolutionary co-existence with the more recently evolved venomous snakes. Malagasy prosimians have never co-existed with venomous snakes, New World monkeys (platyrrhines) have had interrupted co-existence with venomous snakes, and Old World monkeys and apes (catarrhines) have had continuous co-existence with venomous snakes."

"Raptors that specialize in eating snakes have larger eyes and greater binocularity than more generalized raptors, and provide non-mammalian models for snakes as a selective pressure on primate visual systems. These models, along with evidence from paleobiogeography, neuroscience, ecology, behavior, and immunology, suggest that the evolutionary arms race begun by constrictors early in mammalian evolution continued with venomous snakes. Whereas other mammals responded by evolving physiological resistance to snake venoms, anthropoids responded by enhancing their ability to detect snakes visually before the strike."