Reviewing dogmas about the origin of the human species
Danilo Anton

The Aquatic Ape theory
From the 1930's, and for the next 5 or 6 decades the couple of Louis and Mary Leakey and later several members of their family, discovered pre-human fossils which were called Australopithecus and along with other anthropologists developed the theory of the origin of human species in Eastern and Southern Africa.
The basic hypothesis was that these anthropoids lived in a savannah environment where they had evolved from the original forest. This hypothesis became a dogma that was taken by the anthropological elite as an indisputable fact.
Other researchers developed a different theory: humans had an amphibious phase which give them several very specific physiological characteristics typical of marine animals. They were Allister Hardy (English marine biologist who for many years did not disclose his theory for fear of losing his university post) and later Elaine Morgan, a writer from Wales, who published several books on the subject (including "The Descent of Woman" and "The Aquatic Ape").

These books included a thorough analysis of an amphibian origin of the human species and were "best seller" in Europe and North America. The academic hierarchy of anthropology ignored or despised this work despite the existence of the strong evidence developed by Morgan and others, including the famous biologist David Attenborough.
Elaine Morgan, who died two years ago was scorned for being "foreign" to the anthropological discipline but his brilliant work allowed to rethink the human origin with a radically different approach and strong scientific bases. Today dogmatic "anthropologists" continue to dominate the subject and try to ignore the "aquatic ape"  but this is becoming increasingly difficult because the hard data of science are showing that we, humans, are who we are, because our distant ancestors lived on the shores of lakes and seas, feeding on aquatic organisms, swimming and diving, for hundreds of thousands of years.

It's worth reading the work of Elaine Morgan, fundamental works of paleoanthropology.
(See also daniloanton.blogspot.com, and the book "Peoples Drug and Snakes" of D.Antón, Piriguazú editions.)