Born to Run
by Steve Matusch
So we finally have scientific confirmation of what we already
intuitively knew - that even at the dawn of humanity, runners
were smarter and sexier (and therefore reproduced more) than
all of our knuckle-dragging relatives and friends!
From today’s Globe and
Mail – November 18th.
Humans – Born to Run
By OLIVER MOORE
Globe and Mail Update
The need to run was crucial to the evolution
of the modern human body, a pair of researchers in the United
States proposed Wednesday.
According to their theory, the human body is
different from its progenitors in a number of ways —
including strong buttocks, long legs, shoulders "decoupled"
from the skull and a general lack of body hair — because
these traits allowed our ancient forebears to run long distances.
This ability let them hunt animals or scavenge
carcasses, giving them access to more protein-rich meat than
Australopithecines who could walk upright but not run. That
access to protein in turn allowed humans to grow the large
brains that help define our species.
"These esoteric anatomical features make
humans surprisingly good runners. Over long distances, we
can outrun our dogs and give many horses a good race,"
Harvard anthropology professor Daniel Lieberman said in a
statement Wednesday.
"Running made us human, at least in an
anatomical sense," University of Utah biology professor
Dennis Bramble argues. "We think running is one of the
most transforming events in human history. We are arguing
the emergence of humans is tied to the evolution of running."
The research, published Wednesday in the journal
Nature, suggests that Bruce Springsteen may have been right
all along — humans really were born to run. But the
trade-off was that the humans are less capable of climbing
trees and swinging from their branches.
The researchers argue that the genus Homo (which
over time included Homo habilis, Homo erectus and, eventually,
Homo sapiens) is rooted in a breakaway group of Australopithecines
whose characteristics were more suited to running. Natural
selection perpetuated and extended those traits, leading to
the human features that make long-distance running possible.
"We explain the simultaneous emergence
of a whole bunch of anatomical features, literally from head
to toe," Dr. Bramble said. "[Our theory] gives a
functional explanation for how these features are linked to
the unique mechanical demands of running, how they work together
and why they emerged at the same time."
Dr. Bramble and Dr. Lieberman began their research
13 years ago, curious why pigs were such poor runners. They
noticed that swine lack the nuchal ridge at the base of the
skull which allows stronger runners, of both the human and
animal variety, to keep their heads steady as they rush along.
Study of fossils showed that the earliest pre-humans
did not have this ridge, and nor did chimpanzees.
"As we started to think more about the
nuchal ridge, we became more excited about other features
of bones and muscles that might be specialized for running,
rather than just walking upright," Dr. Lieberman said.
Other features that allow strong running include
the Achilles tendons which store energy between strides, a
mostly hairless body that allows for sweat evaporation and
muscular buttocks which stop the forward momentum of a run
from getting out of control.
"Have you ever looked at an ape?"
Dr. Bramble asked. "They have no buns."
