The Evolution of Hunting Strategies – Were We Born to Run?

Please note:  This is a discussion about how ancient humans hunted and killed animals.  If you find these ideas disturbing, it is probably a good idea to skip this post.   

Last week I exchanged several comments with my friend Sean at Prague Stepchild about his post The Myth of Persistence Hunting.  Persistence hunting is a strategy where an animal is chased (hunted) until it collapses from heat exhaustion.  Let’s just say that there is a good bit of debate about the relative importance of persistence hunting as a survival strategy for our earliest human ancestors (2.5 million years ago until the invention of stone weapons).

Quick Thoughts and Recent Reads – April 7, 2011

Here are a few quick comments and several links to things that I have been reading (or watching) recently:

• Yesterday we harvested our first asparagus spear of the season.  Yum!
• CrossFit -  It was pretty tough to get up and down the stairs yesterday (after two workouts).  Clearly I have not been doing proper squats (need to go much deeper).  This morning I can actually walk without pain which is encouraging.
• This is probably the most awe-inspiring track performance I have EVER seen.

(hat tip to CrossFit Local ) 

• Speaking of running – After reading Born to Run, I was hungry for more information about human evolutionary adaptations specific to running.  This paper, Endurance running and the evolution of Homo, provides a lot of compelling evidence on the topic.
• Lastly check out Chris Masterjohn’s new article on “Fatty Liver Disease.”  Eating high fructose corn syrup (drinking sodas) combined with not getting enough choline (eggs and liver) can produce a condition that damages your liver in a way similar to consuming too much alcohol.