Re: endurance running

"Lee Olsen" <paleocity@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:1126413602.575825.225960@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Stephen Munro:
> > I've recently reread the ER paper. I agree, it is very short on
evidence, mainly comparing human walking with human running, and looking at
Homo erectus as opposed to earlier australopiths. Some major limitations of
the paper IMO are: The paper assumes walking and endurance running were the
only types of locomotion and therefore makes assumptions such as: "a few
derived features of Homo that improve ER capabilities (notably forearm
shortening and decoupling of the head and pectoral girdle) are unrelated to
walking, but would have hindered arboreal locomotor capabilities." The
paper also unquestionably accepts the prevailing paradigm of the "open,
semi-arid environments apparently inhabited by early Homo." In fact,
according to a very limited study I conducted for my Honours thesis last
year, Homo remains are found in areas that could have been within the
vicinity of open, arid habitats (Camels, Gazella sp. and Oryx sp.), but
there are of course also many taxa indicating large, permanent water bodies
(fish, hippos, bivalves etc.). In other words, this assumption of open
habitats is at best, IMO, based on ambiguous evidence, but very difficult to
prove that open, arid areas didn't exist (camels?). The authors admit that
".humans are mediocre runners in several respects." "Even elite human
sprinters are comparatively slow." ".running is more costly for humans than
for most mammals." ".human runners are less manoeuvrable and lack many
structural modifications characteristic of most quadrupedal cursors such as
elongate digitigrade feet and short proximal limb segments." The methodology
of the paper is limited because the authors compare early Homo only to Homo
sapiens and not to other animals. They naturally conclude, therefore, that
since Homo sapiens can endurance run, early Homo, with many similar
features, must have been an endurance runner too (the same, of course,
AFAICS, could be said about swimming and diving). The authors ask "whether,
when and why long-distance running may have played a role in human
evolution." They also ask "whether long-distance running was an important
behaviour in human evolution or merely the by-product of enhanced walking
capabilities." They might have also asked if it was a by-product of long
distance swimming (stamina) IMO. They ask "Why would early Homo run long
distances when walking is easier, safer and less costly?" They could just as
well have asked: Why would early Homo travel long distances? In fact they
admit that "ER is not common among modern hunter-gatherers." They also admit
that endurance running based hunting, although occasionally seen in modern
humans, might have been "too energetically expensive and low-yield for the
benefits to have outweighed the costs." They conclude by speculating: "If
early hominids were regularly scavenging marrow, brain and other tissues
from carcasses, then ER would have helped hominids to compete more
effectively for these scattered and ephemeral resources." And they say: "ER
may have made possible a diet rich in fats and proteins thought to account
for the unique human combination of large bodies, small guts, big brains and
small teeth" They fail to explain, however, why we lost our olfactory
skills, and why we evolved smaller teeth (hyaenas and dogs have large
teeth). Moreover, there is no evidence that the human gut is fundamentally
different to any of the other great apes AFAIK. Hyaenas aren't large bodied
and nor are human marathon runners (Homo erectus had denser bones than Homo
sapiens making it heavier). Hyaenas and dogs do not have very large brains,
like humans. Furthermore, if this "diet rich in fats and proteins" could
only be procured through endurance running, are we therefore to assume that
not only did they run long distances to gain first use of scavenged
carcasses, but that they then had to transport it equally long distances to
feed the infants, elderly and frail who would certainly not have been
capable of long distance endurance running?

> http://tinyurl.com/dcxyw 6 February 2002 Man triumphs in race against
horse - Much of the UAE is featureless desert - By the BBC's Julia Wheeler
in Dubai - A long-distance runner has beaten a leading endurance racehorse
over a distance of 80 kilometres in the United Arab Emirates. 42-old Tom
Johnson from the US won by about 10 seconds despite his four-legged
opponent, Al Barraq, galloping the final 16 km of the course flat out.
Rules say horses should have two 40-minute breaks - The runner and jockey
had always said it was going to be a close-run thing but neither had
predicted there would be only a few seconds between them after a race of
five hours 45 minutes. The plan was for the horse to take two 40-minute
breaks for food and water - as specified by rules ensuring the fair
treatment of animals in endurance competitions - giving Johnson an effective
head start of 80 minutes. Unlike the horse, he could eat and drink while on
the run. In the event, even though the second of the horse's breaks was cut
in half, Al Barraq and his jockey, Jennifer Nice, failed to catch the
runner. This is believed to be the first competition in the Middle East,
where endurance racing is becoming ever more popular. Sheikhs of the
ruling families compete both in the Emirates and abroad and take great pride
in their home-grown Arabian horses being able to demonstrate such prowess.
But on Wednesday it seems it was human spirit and determination that won the
day. On Thursday, Johnson will be helping on the course in a different way
when his wife, Marcia Smith, takes part in the prestigious President's Cup
endurance horse race over 160 km. This time it is just for horses.


??
- head start of 80'
- unlike the horse, he could eat+drink
- horse+jockey

You're not claiming I hope that this contradicts what Stephen said??

Marc Verhaegen
http://www.onelist.com/community/AAT


.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: endurance running
    ... > Homo erectus as opposed to earlier australopiths. ... The paper assumes walking and endurance running were the ... Why would early Homo travel long distances? ... > horse - Much of the UAE is featureless desert - By the BBC's Julia Wheeler ...
    (sci.anthropology.paleo)
  • Re: endurance running
    ... >> evidence, mainly comparing human walking with human running, and looking ... >> Homo erectus as opposed to earlier australopiths. ... The paper assumes walking and endurance running were ... Why would early Homo travel long distances? ...
    (sci.anthropology.paleo)
  • Re: The upright ape
    ... to be adaptations for more efficient endurance running in arid open ... Homo is not other animals, ... wading, swimming or underwater foraging, yet humans are regular waders & ...
    (sci.anthropology.paleo)
  • endurance running
    ... mainly comparing human walking with human running, and looking at Homo ... They ask "Why would early Homo run long distances when walking is easier, ... They also admit that endurance running based hunting, ...
    (sci.anthropology.paleo)
  • Re: Q for Lee O, desert running
    ... We can outrun a horse on the desert? ... he (Homo e) walked and ran with better mechanics than we ... part about the human taking advantage of the horse's rule-imposed water ...
    (sci.anthropology.paleo)