The Insane Biology of: Humans

Images Courtesy of Getty Images

Credits:
Narrator/Writer: Stephanie Sammann
Writer: Lorraine Boissoneault

References
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[bok..]

People don't believe me when I say humans are 'designed' to run. We are amazing runners, and everyone has the ability to if they trained. Humans were able to catch prey due to our endurance and ability to span difficult terrain.

[Kiwi]

It's so rare nowadays to find content that makes you feel proud of being a human, instead of shaming you for being one

[Michaelonyoutub]

One of the greatest Canadian heroes was Terry Fox. He tried to run across Canada to raise money for cancer research after cancer took his leg. He averaged almost a marathon a day for 143 days on one leg, before his cancer came back and he was forced to quit halfway. Truly a legend.

[jordithefox]

Humans are such fascinating creatures, i wonder what it must feel like to be one

[kennethlacewell]

We think of animals that have freakishly extreme adaptations; like cheetahs and giraffes; but we've taken brains to that extreme level of adaptation. One of the reasons human childbirth is so difficult is the size of babies brains. And they're still born so early they are utterly helpless. We literally have 'bet the farm' on brains.

[Gilgamesh_Prime]

One thing people often overlook about humans when comparing to other animals is our acrobatic ability. While there are some animals that obviously have much more power in their jump, good luck finding an animal that can do a 60 foot gainer off a cliff into perfect water entry, to say nothing of gymnastics routines on springboard floors, or a precision side flip onto a 10 inch ledge. Peak human aerial prowess is undefeated.

[JohnnyTortel]

And yet by far the most impressive fact about humans is how good we are at endurance running. It's just insane that we can run for days on end and still be fine. Endurance hunting was a big part of our evolution, you run after your prey until it can't walk anymore and then kill it. Some tribe in Africa still do it

[vicioussalta]

I work at a lithium mining project in the Andes at 4500 m of altitude. I've been doing it for years and still get some headaches the first day when I get there. It's amazing all the hard work the locals can do without even sweating, when I try doing half of what they do I end up panting like a race dog in a heat wave. But if I go to Buenos Aires at sea level and play a football game felt like I had the endurance of a semi pro. That's neat.

[MistahFox]

I live in Colorado at 6, 000 ft above sea level, where the oxygen is just 16 percent but I've never felt physically strained or short of breath because of it. I only realized how different it was when my friends from Missouri couldn't keep up when we went running the first day before they adjusted. It just goes to show how incredibly adaptable our bodies are for different environments!

[Grivian]

Imagine how scary humans must have been to the animals. Hunting always in groups, throwing projectile after projectile until it hits you. Then you run for your life, you run and run and run until you physically can't go any further. But they are still there chasing you.

If you by chance kill one of them you must feel pretty good about yourself. Your instincts tell you to fear this creature walking on two legs, but you were hungry, you sneaked up and you got the kill. The next day while you are resting and digesting you hear the sound of a pack of humans, there must be at least 10 of them. You run until you feel a sharp stick penetrating your body. The last thing you feel is the sharp point of two other sticks.

[MrSkillns]

I've heard one of the big reasons we have flexible wrists was due to clubs. To properly wield a weapon like that we needed more elastic wrist ligaments, which contributed to our abilities in using tools and weapons.

[Daehawk]

Almost drowned twice in my life. Once I jumped into a place called Blue Hole in a local river. It was a large deep clear spot in an otherwise dry river. I decided to go to the bottom as it looked close. It wasn't. I was fit then too and could hold my breath underwater across a large public pool at the time. But this was deeper than it looked and near the bottom I realized my breath was gone and started up. On the way I was forced to release my breath and I was only half way up. I wanted SO bad to breath in and almost did but would have drowned so I just kept going and calmed myself and started a better faster yet easier non panic way of swimming up. Made it ...barely. Scared the crap out of me. Never tried that again.

[ASPromitus]

The greatest human trait is our wonder. " I wonder what happens if That phrase has changed the world.

[jinngeechia]

Check out the Tour de France. Sure the speed is multiplied by the bicycle but if you listen to Mohoric who won stage 19, you get the idea we are totally overpowered when it comes to endurance. The ability to suffer this kind of cardiovascular intensity will make any prey give up and beg us to bludgeon and eat it.

[dy]

"It is a shame for a man to grow old without seeing the beauty and strength which his body is capable of."
~ Socrates

[cantingmoss]

I'm surprised you didn't mention the benefits (especially as they pertain to our origins in Africa) of humans' ability to sweat! We are perhaps the best sweaters of the animal kingdom–if I remember correctly, horses are the closest competitors to us in this field. It's sweating that truly makes us elite runners (although obviously bipedalism, foot shape/joint setup, and other factors contribute). The ability of a human to run 26.2 miles in under two hours is perhaps one of the greatest distance feats in natural history!

[zawwin]

Don’t forget the greatest adaptation, a beautiful singing voice. Music is the heart and soul of being human.

[holymosey]

three things I tell myself:

1. there's always room for improvement
2. question everything, even yourself
3. change is the only constant

[JahBreed]

Run everyday for two weeks. The first 5 days, you'll feel like you're dying. It'll get easier after that. By the two week point, you'll likely be able to do the same run that made your lungs burn while just straining above resting heart rate. It's an amazing feeling.

[InsidiousClouds]

As a person that walks all day for their job (15, 000+ steps a day) I can attest that human endurance is incredibly efficient, and so easy? Like I went from 1, 000 steps a day to 15, 000, and after only two weeks of my feet hurting I got used to it. Humans are incredible!!