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Thursday, 26 July 2012

"We are tied to the ocean," said the late US President, John F Kennedy. "And when we go back to the sea ... we are going back from whence we came."

This is a sentiment with which Winthrop Professor Carlos Duarte, Director of the UWA Oceans Institute, identifies. And he argues that if we ignore our close emotional attachment to the ocean, then the future is dire for the future of our species and for our planet.

A scientist who knows more about the sea than almost anyone, Professor Duarte contends that the view that humans evolved in the African savannah does not explain the major deviations in morphology, anatomy and physiology between us and other terrestrial mammals, including closely-related apes.

The alternative hypothesis, supported by Professor Duarte, is that humans evolved in coastal environments. This is consistent with the positions of the oldest human dwellings and evidence of seafood in early human diets, he believes.

"The oceans have continued to play a key role in human culture and history as well as on our psyche," he said.

"Our fascination with the ocean can be best explained through the long evolutionary history of the relationship between humans and the sea.

"But the rupture of this relationship has important consequences for our health. Whereas our emotional and psychological attachment to the oceans is strong enough to provide the impetus to initiate a returning pathway, this pathway will be most effective if illuminated by scientific knowledge."

Professor Duarte led the 2010 Malaspina Expedition, a Spanish circumnavigation that sailed the world's oceans to explore their biodiversity and examine the impacts of global change.

In 2011 he received the Prix d'Excellence, the highest honour awarded by the International Council for the Exploration of the Seas. He has published more than 500 scientific papers and two books and has been associate editor for many journals.

Professor Duarte talked about the importance of the relationship between humans and the oceans in a free public lecture, The Role of the Ocean in Human Evolution, History and Future , last week at UWA . The lecture was presented by UWA 's Institute of Advanced Studies as part of the Ocean Solutions for Humanity's Grand Challenges series.

Published in UWA News , 23 July 2012

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