The Incredible Human Part One

Human evolution has resulted in our total domination over most of the plants and animals of the world. There are many reasons for our success as a globally dominant species, and I will start covering them in future posts. But in part one, I will focus on our superior hunting skills and our adaptations for them, that rank among the best explanations for our success. Brute strength, speed, and size are not our strong suit. Instead, our unique hands and our two-legged locomotion are two critical reasons for our better-than-expected hunting skills. For example, researchers have proven that we even hunted apex predators like the cave lion possibly to extinction through skill, not strength, claws, or fangs. (1) More recently, domesticated dogs may have also increased our success.

Throwing

In 1975, P.J. Darlington surmised that throwing might have been decisive in more efficient hunting and fighting. He states that it shifted emphasis from brute force to skill. Darlington also imagined that it required bigger brains to help calculate striking a moving target from a distance. Only humans can throw objects accurately to regularly kill. He observed that no other animal throws as well as man and that those that can, do it poorly. Since throwing enables us to kill from a safer distance, it enhances our survival in procuring more food and surviving encounters with wild animals. (2) In support of Darlington's theory, Neil Roach and Brian Richmond determined in 2014 that high-speed throwing dates back nearly two million years. (3) 

The Hand

Richard Young believes that adaptation for throwing and clubbing began to influence hand structure at or very near the origin of the human lineage and continued for millions of years. The hand underwent many evolutionary changes for precision grasping objects, and gripping club handles with sufficient strength to withstand a violent impact. J. R. Napier named them the precision grip (for throwing) and the power grip (for clubbing). (4) No other animal has comparable skills.

The wrist

Changes in the human wrist are adaptations for throwing and clubbing. In throwing, the wrist moves from extension to flexion. During clubbing, it moves from radial to ulnar deviation. According to Napier, "these movements in humans far exceed the capabilities of the chimpanzee wrist." (5)

Evolutionary Positive Feedback Loops

The enhanced yet still primitive fighting and hunting capabilities of throwing and clubbing gave early humans better survival. In time, those who survived by better gripping and throwing passed their traits along to subsequent generations. Females were more likely to select such males for mating. The shape of the hand and the brain capacity to calculate throwing continued to improve over vast amounts of time, making us the most dexterous, most intelligent, and best throwers in the animal kingdom. As I mentioned earlier, our ability to hunt and kill predators would have resulted in more prey for us, significantly improving the survival of the fittest. Modern humans are the result.

Standing

F. C. Fifer and others observe that throwing obviously requires standing on the hind legs. They claimed that a bipedal stance preceded bipedal walking. They argue that for stone-throwing to become effective, modifications to the skeleton and musculature and the brain are required, including developing a low center of gravity. Early humans and modern man exhibit all of these traits. They are more consistent with the throwing hypothesis than with the interpretation that the changes were directed initially and principally towards bipedalism. (6)

Bipedal Walking

It follows that if we stalked prey intending to throw projectiles at them, walking was needed to carry the throwing implements. Comparisons with four-legged mammals of the same weight show that human walking is relatively economical of metabolic energy. (7) Dan Leiberman and others contend that there would have been a strong selection for heat-loss mechanisms (sweating), for tracking prey. (8) Additionally, an upright posture reduces the angle at which the sun heats us, reducing heat build-up. Leiberman and others have noted that people can keep animals on the move until they overheat in the sun, making kills much more effortless. He notes how sweating is more effective than the panting that most of the animals we pursue do. (9) Bramble suggests that endurance running originated about 2 million years ago and may have been instrumental in the evolution of the human body form. (10) Many researchers believe that bipedalism goes back at least four million years. (11)

Dogs

There is considerable archaeological evidence for the vital role of hunting dogs working with humans in the distant past. We domesticated dogs about 23,000 years ago, and some suggest that they simultaneously domesticated us. Dogs certainly benefit significantly from our arrangement. (12) With trained hunting dogs as companions, hunters exhibit return rates that compare favorably to hunting with projectile weapons, including modern firearms. The importance of hunting dogs in small-scale societies declined with the transition to agriculture. As an additional benefit, dogs only require modest amounts of food, care, and shelter. 

Dogs Help With More Than Hunting

Dogs have helped us in many ways. Given their much more powerful sense of smell, dogs are instrumental in assisting hunters in locating game. Dogs are also valuable pack animals, helping us extend the range of a hunting group or speed up the movement of families changing their dwelling sites. Sled dogs made it possible for hunters to travel farther and bring back large amounts of the hunted game to their families. (13) Dogs can surround a large animal and hold it in place by growling and charging while hunters move in. Hunters working with dogs catch more prey, have a higher intake of protein and fat, and have a lower energy expenditure; their reproductive rate is likely to rise; the same goes for dogs. (14)  Lastly, dogs are amazing companions. Modern dog owners are healthier and happier. (15) 

 The Human Body and Mind Are Not Intended For Neglect

Since we evolved to survive by standing, throwing, and walking, not doing so causes problems. Not doing what our genetics expect causes genetic mismatches. Genetic mismatches cause disease. Our procurement of food has removed the necessity of those activities. It is interesting to note their almost instinctive presence in children. Running around, hide-and-seek, and throwing stones at targets, or playing catch are expected behaviors for the young. Not doing so can cause imperfect development like low muscle tone, stiffness, less coordination, obesity, etc. Obviously, adults suffer equally from sedentary lives. (16,17,18,19,20, 21) Nobody is surprised when their car won't start after not using it for months. When we don't use our bodies as intended, they won’t function correctly either.

What You Can Do Starting Today

Regaining activity levels is not as hard as you may believe. You don't have to join a gym or start hunting. Instead, increasing your daily activity levels of normal behaviors (non-exercise activity thermogenesis, or NEAT) is highly beneficial because it prevents you from being still, and that is the name of the game. For more information on NEAT, read my previous post on it. Three cheers for the incredible human mind and body; let us honor them by using them as intended!