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I'm not sure that I wish CMAH gene back: > Interestingly, the evolutionary loss of the CMAH gene appears to have produced other significant changes in human ph
by ordu 7y ago
I'm not sure that I wish CMAH gene back:
> Interestingly, the evolutionary loss of the CMAH gene appears to have produced other significant changes in human physiology, including reduced human fertility and enhanced ability to run long distances.
Reduced fertility doesn't seem for me important, we have a contraception for that. But enhanced ability to run long distances seems very convenient. I can ride a bicycle or walk for hours just for fun of physical exercise, and I'm not going to lose that.
- moccachino 7y agoI read somewhere that running very long distances is basically the only physical thing humans can do better than any other animal.
- ordu 7y agoPretty close. I heard that humans are second after dogs.
- maxerickson 7y agoDepends on the weather. If it is hot, the sweaty human will win.
- barrkel 7y agoPer https://www.quora.com/What-animals-are-better-long-distance-runners-than-humans https://www.quora.com/What-animals-are-better-long-distance-... humans are best in hot arid places, horses are best in cooler temperate zones as the only other sweating animal, and dogs are best in cold climates, where their breathing isn't as badly affected by panting as it would be in hotter climates.
- chimprich 7y agoThere's a few others. We have phenomenal dexterity and throwing ability, for example. We're also very competitive in other areas that are arguable whether they're "physical" abilities, such as visual acuity and ability to make sounds.
- rossy 7y agoHumans have pretty good visual acuity, but unfortunately birds of prey have us beat.
- lawlessone 7y agoSame, i heard it was so we could just run down prey we had injured.
- DennisP 7y agoLots of animals can walk long distances just fine. If you don't run long distances, I'm guessing you wouldn't notice any difference.
- ordu 7y agoI believe you would. Anyone would. Body didn't just stop working when you run faster or longer, body gradually develops pain. When you start to feel it, it feels not as a pain, but as a discomfort, which gradually becomes stronger, then it becomes pain, then it grows to an unbearable level. If your running/walking abilities were lower than they are, you would walk slower, to keep the same level of discomfort. > Lots of animals can walk long distances just fine. Not like humans. Humans walk faster than most of animals. As I understand it, it is due to aerobic ability mostly, human could absorb more of oxygen per minute and use it to oxidize glucose or fats to get ATP to power muscles. Other animals could absorb less oxygen per minute, so their body could output less power for a long time. Horse have 1 hp, but for relatively short amount of time. Then it needs to rest. Human could catch up with a horse before it managed to process all the lactic acid accumulated while horse moved (it needs oxygen to process lactic acid into ATP). This way human could outrun (or even outwalk) horse. (Maybe not the modern human with a car spending most of his day in a chair, but modern human have a car, so he could move faster than horse and for longer distances. So it does not counts.) Though maybe it is not just aerobic ability, I think. Horse eats plants with a limited density of energy, it increases mass of horse, making it less energy efficient than human who eats foods with higher Kcal/gramm.