Fair point, but I was considering the fact that being bipedal allows you to constantly be doing one of those things. Simply being able to carry things around over long distances seems like a bigger advantage than throwing.
Of course this is all speculative, and I suspect that the point of the Nautilus article was to entertain the thought, so in that respect it's a great article.
>Long-distance running (for "endurance" hunting, where you just tire out the thing you're chasing)
I've recently read claims (though I forget where -- primary sources, if memory serves) that directly contradict this point (which I'd also heard). From memory:
- foot structure is ill-adapted to continuous running (stress fractures, I believe)
- knees are also problematic
- some physiology / metabolitic arguments
I must also admit that this hypothesis seems fishy if only because I can't think of many tasty animals that man can actually keep up with...
> I can't think of many tasty animals that man can actually keep up with
"Long-distance" doesn't have to imply "in a straight line", keep in mind. If we can herd prey in arbitrary directions, we can have other members of our tribe stationed where we're herding them, turning the marathon into either a pincer trap or a relay race.
Cool, would love to read through that. I feel like I got a solid understanding of this sort of topic based on the position that was popular a decade or so ago, and then haven't really kept up with the debate since then.
Of course this is all speculative, and I suspect that the point of the Nautilus article was to entertain the thought, so in that respect it's a great article.
>Long-distance running (for "endurance" hunting, where you just tire out the thing you're chasing)
I've recently read claims (though I forget where -- primary sources, if memory serves) that directly contradict this point (which I'd also heard). From memory:
- foot structure is ill-adapted to continuous running (stress fractures, I believe)
- knees are also problematic
- some physiology / metabolitic arguments
I must also admit that this hypothesis seems fishy if only because I can't think of many tasty animals that man can actually keep up with...