Erich Von Daniken - The Gold Of The Gods

2 - The War Of The Gods
most suitable. "Now two legs seem to be the ideal prerequisite for the
development of a large brain, and with two pairs the necessary
transformation of one pair into arms for the change over to life in the
trees is made possible and the use of tools in the initial stage made
easier." It is illuminating that the transition from amphibious to
terrestrial Life necessitated such an alteration of the "chassis."
If it was so with us, it was the same else-where in the universe. There
is no longer any doubt that all life is of oceanic origin-on that point
there should be general agreement. But still further modifications in
the construction of the "chassis" proved to be necessary. With the
beginning of an active way of life as beasts of prey with two-sided
sym-metrical figures, the muzzle was placed at the front and the
backside at the rear of the body. These two locations proved to be the
most suitable for feeding and excreting in the case of hunting animals
(and not only in their case!). In all beasts of prey the most important
sensory organs and prehensile limbs are at the foremost part of the
body near the muzzle. So it is no wonder that the brain, the biggest
bundle of nerves, is also located there, for then orders from the brain
can travel to the prehensile organs by the quickest route. Growing up
on terra firma initiated a refinement of the nervous system that
gradually produced the ability to formulate ideas.
It is well known that dolphins "have a sizeable brain, although they
live in water. But the ability to formulate ideas seems only to emerge
in connection with life in a community, with language and the use of
tools." As the use of even the simplest tools under water is "extremely
difficult, it is "unlikely that a brain capable of conceptual thought
could develop under these conditions, for the process requires a social
environment and a certain form of objective speech."- Professor
Puccetti also excludes the possibility that intelligent beings elsewhere
could be bird-like, be-cause flying creatures must be light, whereas a
large brain is heavy and needs a copious supply of blood. He mentions
these variant forms of life to lead fantastic speculations about