Emily read and liked Nicole's review of The Descent of Woman:

"While written primarily as an amusing rebuttal to the poor reasoning of the book, The Naked Ape, it also turns to review an older hypothesis concerning the evolutionary pressures that shaped the hominins.
Morgan has some points she makes well b...more While written primarily as an amusing rebuttal to the poor reasoning of the book, The Naked Ape, it also turns to review an older hypothesis concerning the evolutionary pressures that shaped the hominins.
Morgan has some points she makes well but she is not trying to pretend she is a physical anthropologist. Her arguments are flawed but the basic concept is sound and has acquired a great deal of supporting evidence for hominins having spent a great deal of time in and around the shore for hunting food.
The idea that the pressure to remain broadly general in physical ability was so the inland regions could be hunted in rainy seasons and the shores steady food supply could be exploited during the dry season would encourage tool use and an increase in cerebral function. Movement between environments allowed hominins to exploit peak food sources inland and reliable shore resources so suffered less risk of seasonal hunger. Complex and varied situations selected for the brain's complex range of responses and the steady food supply supported the increased demands a larger brain makes in nutritional needs.
While no longer the best source of information on the subject the Descent of Woman served a purpose when it was published.

The Amphibious-Generalist Hypothesis of Human Evolution is the new synthesis.
http://www.geocities.com/gdvbqz/intromhh...
Omega-3 fatty acids, necessary for encephalizatin & brain health, are the best argument for coastal habitation having impacted hominin evolution as shore based foragers. The selection acted long enough to shape the basic structure and developmental pathways of the enlarging brain.
http://yannklimentidis.blogspot.com/2007...
http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/A730531
http://www.riverapes.com/
http://users.ugent.be/~mvaneech/Morgan.h...
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Emily read and liked Sariah's review of The Descent of Woman:

"Morgan's theory on how human's evolved and how bipedalism developed are contraversal but her writing style is great. Even if you don't agree with her, or accept any of her arguments, the book is still informative and enjoyable to read. "