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Elaine Morgan

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Author

The Resume

    (November 7, 1920-July 12, 2013)
    Born in Hopkinstown, Wales, United Kingdom
    Birth name was Elaine Floyd
    Television screenwriter turned author of books on evolutionary theory
    Known for supporting the 'aquatic ape hypothesis' that ancestors of modern humans spent a period adapting to a semiaquatic existence
    Wrote 'The Descent of Woman' (1972), 'The Aquatic Ape' (1982), 'The Scars of Evolution' (1990), 'The Aquatic Ape Hypothesis' (1997) and 'The Naked Darwinist' (2008)
    Named an Officer of the Order of the British Empire for services to literature and education (2009)

Why she might be annoying:

    Fellow students at Oxford urged her to run for Parliament, but she declined since she wanted to have children and felt that motherhood and politics were both full time jobs.
    She was a poor cook, with her oldest sons saying that for years they thought all food was brown.
    The scientific community's reaction to the aquatic ape hypothesis essentially boiled down to 'Interesting, but lacks supporting evidence.'
    She has been accused of 'sloppy and unscientific writing techniques' and inaccurately quoting scientists to support the aquatic ape hypothesis.

Why she might not be annoying:

    She was married to Morien Morgan for 52 years until his death.
    She won two BAFTAs and two Writers Guild Awards for her TV screenplays.
    'The Descent of Woman' became a best-seller for pointing out how prevailing theories about the evolution of man were literally 'of man' and ignored women.
    Several popularizers of science, such as Desmond Morris and David Attenborough, felt that the case she presented for aquatic ape hypothesis was at least worthy of more serious scientific examination.

Credit: C. Fishel


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    For 2024, as of last weekly ranking, Out of 1 Votes: 0% Annoying
    In 2023, Out of 2 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2022, Out of 4 Votes: 75.00% Annoying
    In 2021, Out of 151 Votes: 49.67% Annoying
    In 2020, Out of 4 Votes: 75.00% Annoying
    In 2019, Out of 10 Votes: 40.0% Annoying
    In 2018, Out of 3 Votes: 0% Annoying
    In 2017, Out of 4 Votes: 75.00% Annoying
    In 2015, Out of 170 Votes: 52.35% Annoying
    In 2014, Out of 93 Votes: 43.01% Annoying
    In 2013, Out of 98 Votes: 66.33% Annoying