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The evolution of human fatigue resistance
Frank E Marino1, Benjamin E Sibson2, Daniel E Lieberman2
1School of Allied Health, Exercise and Sport Science, Charles Sturt University, Bathurst, NSW, 2795, Australia. fmarino@csu.edu.au.
Summary
Human evolution favored fatigue resistance for endurance, enhancing locomotion and survival. This adaptation, crucial for long-distance running and hunting, involved neurological, metabolic, and thermoregulatory changes.
Area of Science:
- Human Evolution
- Paleoanthropology
- Physiology
Background:
- Habitual bipedalism marks a key divergence in hominin evolution.
- Locomotion efficiency and upright feeding are proposed drivers for bipedalism.
- Early hominins walked long distances, with endurance selection intensifying in genus Homo.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore the hypothesis that fatigue resistance was a significant selective advantage for Homo.
- To investigate the role of fatigue resistance in enabling endurance activities like foraging and persistence hunting.
- To examine the trade-offs between strength, power, and stamina in human evolution.
Main Methods:
- Review of existing literature on hominin evolution and physiology.
- Analysis of selective pressures favoring endurance capabilities in genus Homo.
- Hypothesizing adaptations in neurological, metabolic, and thermoregulatory systems for fatigue resistance.
Main Results:
- Endurance capabilities evolved significantly within the genus Homo.
- Fatigue resistance is hypothesized as a crucial target for selection to enhance endurance.
- Trade-offs between strength/power and stamina likely occurred during human evolution.
Conclusions:
- The evolution of endurance in humans likely involved adaptations for fatigue resistance.
- Neurological, metabolic, and thermoregulatory systems are proposed as key areas of adaptation.
- Enhanced fatigue resistance supported long-distance locomotion and survival strategies in ancestral humans.
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