Is the reason we have such little hair on our skin because we once were swamp-creatures?

Question

I'm pretty sure I read this in Michael Crichton's Next, but I'm not positive...

I've heard the reason we have no "fur" like the other great apes is because for a period of time in humanity's past we began to adapt to water. We started streamlining and then, for some reason or another, we grew out of it and came back on land.

As for the hair on our heads, I would think we still had that just because we had to resurface for air so it was not as lost. I have no idea why we still have hair on our groins, however, but that's another story. xD Plus I don't even know if this is true!

So /is/ it true? And if not, does anybody know why we lost our fur?

Answer 1

Your questions relate to the "Aquatic Ape Hypothesis." This is an unproven and somewhat controversial hypothesis. While it might explain some characteristics of humans that other primates don't possess it's not universally accepted by biologists. (see first link)

You might also be interested in reading about the Toba Catastrophe Theory. (see second link)

And here is an interesting forum discussion on Richard Dawkin's (father of the Selfish Gene Theory) web site. (third link)

Answer 2

Some also say that breath control, which is needed for talking, also came from ancestor association with water.  

Answer 3

To answer your overall question, nobody knows for sure, and we probably never will.

Both of the theories you have given are somewhat popular in the scientific community.  Another popular one is that we're hairless to make s*x, well, sexier.  s*x is so important to human being in creating long term pair-bonds between males and females.  These long term bonds are what enable both parents to be involved in rearing children.  Human children have a childhood much longer than any other animal, and during that time they're learning how to build the world of the next generation.  That is, of course, just paraphrased and there is much more to it, but again, it's just a theory.

If you're really interested in questions such as this, I would definitely suggest reading Jared Diamond's "The Third Chimpanzee".