Endurance running hypothesis

The endurance running hypothesis is a series of conjectures which presume humans evolved anatomical and physiological adaptations to run long distances[1][2][3] and, more strongly, that "running is the only known behavior that would account for the different body plans in Homo as opposed to apes or australopithecines".[4]

The hypothesis posits a significant role of endurance running in facilitating early hominins' ability to obtain meat. Proponents of this hypothesis assert that endurance running served as a means for hominins to effectively engage in persistence hunting and carcass poaching, thus enhancing their competitive edge in acquiring prey. Consequently, these evolutionary pressures have led to the prominence of endurance running as a primary factor shaping many biomechanical characteristics of modern humans.

  1. ^ Carrier, David R. (August–October 1984). "The Energetic Paradox of Human Running and Hominid Evolution". Current Anthropology. 25 (4): 483–95. doi:10.1086/203165. JSTOR 2742907. S2CID 15432016..
  2. ^ Bramble, Dennis; Lieberman, Daniel (November 2004). "Endurance running and the evolution of Homo" (PDF). Nature. 432 (7015): 345–52. Bibcode:2004Natur.432..345B. doi:10.1038/nature03052. PMID 15549097. S2CID 2470602.
  3. ^ Krantz, Grover S. (1968). "Brain size and hunting ability in earliest man". Current Anthropology. 9 (5): 450–451. doi:10.1086/200927. S2CID 143267326.
  4. ^ Zimmer, Carl (17 November 2004). "The Evolution of Endurance: Physiologic adaptations may have made humans better runners". Science.