Human Evolution is a topic that is always fascinating and frustrating. We can ask interesting questions and try to find answers (Why we have belly buttons? Why we need to sleep?), but as for why Homo sapiens evolved into how we look like today but not like other creatures, there is no single theory that we could agree on.
Here I represent infographics of two major contenders of human evolution theory -- the Aquatic Ape Hypothesis (AAH) and the Endurance Running Hypothesis (ER). The ER is popular among the scientific community and marathoners. The AAH, although evolved into something more scientific called Waterside Evolution, is still extremely controversial, loved by some and hated by others.
Dispite the disagreement, I believe the two models are not mutually exclusive but are both part of the truth. After all, we enjoy hanging out on both grasslands and beaches, we love both marathon and water sports, and our physiology / anatomy is pretty well adapted to both activities of long-distance running and apnea diving, among others.
The AAH poster won a 3rd prize in the “Human Evolution – Past, Present and Future” conference in London and was award by the great naturalist Sir David Attenborough. It's an honor to meet him in person.
