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Interesting. I would think that pre-modern humans would be unlikely to strike each other with very much force, simply because they were so strong that one or tw

Interesting. I would think that pre-modern humans would be unlikely to strike each other with very much force, simply because they were so strong that one or two blows would debilitate if not kill the opponent. The Neanderthals are thought to be many times stronger than modern humans, judging by the thickness of their bones and the size of the muscle attachment sites, as well as their likely lifestyles in the brutal Pleistocene era. If one male were to strike another with full force, it would more than likely cause concussion if not death. In those days, you couldn't afford to lose a healthy male from the tribe, even one you're pissed off at for wanting to mate with your woman. Probably ditto for other ancestral variants such as homo erectus. They weren't exactly sophisticated, but you have to logically assume that a population that tolerated high levels of violence would be more likely to die out. A population that tended to resort to symbolic confrontations like shouting and gesturing and jumping would be more successful.

thefreeman 12y ago
Wouldn't their increased strength and size also offset the increased force of the blows to make it about the same as the current situation? In my head I'm comparing it to something like: If a 250 lb NFL linebacker tackled me at full speed I am pretty sure I would break multiple bones. But NFL running backs take that kind of beating 40-50 times a game, 20 games a year.
- baddox 12y ago
  Not everything scales the same. I suspect that heavyweight boxers, for example, can hurt each other a lot more than featherweight boxers.
  - Swizec 12y ago
    In fact, professional heavyweight boxers usually develop parkinson's whereas that's virtually a nonexistent problem in welterweight and lower.
  - aResponder52 12y ago
    Can confirm. Getting hit by a 200+ pounder sucks. Getting hit by a 130lber makes you wonder if they're even trying.
  - gamegoblin 12y ago
    This is actually why I much prefer watching lower weight MMA fights to the bigger guys. The fights tend to go on longer and are more dynamic. With the bigger guys, one solid punch to the head and it's often game over. http://fightnomics.com/blog/ufc-finishes-by-weight-class-2013/ http://fightnomics.com/blog/ufc-finishes-by-weight-class-201...
    - zarify 12y ago
      Interesting stats. I'm not sure it completely explains the higher weight divisions though, since if you look at the rate at which the heavier fighters get tired and start lowering their guard, it's much higher than in the lower weight divisions, leaving them more susceptible to the KO/TKO.
- wingerlang 12y ago
  Maybe on the body? But wouldn't the head still be (relatively to the strength of the body) fragile?
- GhotiFish 12y ago
  It's the cube square law in action. Elephants can seriously injure themselves from falling over. If I fall over I get a sore butt. Yet if you were to scale me to the kind of weight an elephant has, I'd have a far larger fall, so obviously scale has a real effect. I think the thing is, NFL running backs are trained to survive that kind of abuse.
  - aResponder52 12y ago
    They're on some painkillers, too, and have short careers.
- dfc 12y ago
  Do RBs get the ball that many times per game? I am genuinely curious. I rarely/never watch football so that could be a low number.
  - thefreeman 12y ago
    Depends on the back, but feature back's of run heavy offenses definitely get 40-50 touches.
    - Pinatubo 12y ago
      This is an exaggeration -- if they were getting 40-50 touches per game they'd never survive the season. 300 carries per season is regarded as a heavy workload, and that works out to about 20 carries per game. Of course, running backs can also catch passes, but they guys that are the featured backs in a run heavy offense rarely catch more than a pass or two per game. Edit: I found a list of the highest numbers of rushing attempts in an NFL game since 1960. The record is 45. http://www.pro-football-reference.com/leaders/rush_att_single_game.htm http://www.pro-football-reference.com/leaders/rush_att_singl...

thefreeman 12y ago

Wouldn't their increased strength and size also offset the increased force of the blows to make it about the same as the current situation? In my head I'm comparing it to something like: If a 250 lb NFL linebacker tackled me at full speed I am pretty sure I would break multiple bones. But NFL running backs take that kind of beating 40-50 times a game, 20 games a year.

baddox 12y ago
Not everything scales the same. I suspect that heavyweight boxers, for example, can hurt each other a lot more than featherweight boxers.
- Swizec 12y ago
  In fact, professional heavyweight boxers usually develop parkinson's whereas that's virtually a nonexistent problem in welterweight and lower.
- aResponder52 12y ago
  Can confirm. Getting hit by a 200+ pounder sucks. Getting hit by a 130lber makes you wonder if they're even trying.
- gamegoblin 12y ago
  This is actually why I much prefer watching lower weight MMA fights to the bigger guys. The fights tend to go on longer and are more dynamic. With the bigger guys, one solid punch to the head and it's often game over. http://fightnomics.com/blog/ufc-finishes-by-weight-class-2013/ http://fightnomics.com/blog/ufc-finishes-by-weight-class-201...
  - zarify 12y ago
    Interesting stats. I'm not sure it completely explains the higher weight divisions though, since if you look at the rate at which the heavier fighters get tired and start lowering their guard, it's much higher than in the lower weight divisions, leaving them more susceptible to the KO/TKO.
wingerlang 12y ago
Maybe on the body? But wouldn't the head still be (relatively to the strength of the body) fragile?
GhotiFish 12y ago
It's the cube square law in action. Elephants can seriously injure themselves from falling over. If I fall over I get a sore butt. Yet if you were to scale me to the kind of weight an elephant has, I'd have a far larger fall, so obviously scale has a real effect. I think the thing is, NFL running backs are trained to survive that kind of abuse.
- aResponder52 12y ago
  They're on some painkillers, too, and have short careers.
dfc 12y ago
Do RBs get the ball that many times per game? I am genuinely curious. I rarely/never watch football so that could be a low number.
- thefreeman 12y ago
  Depends on the back, but feature back's of run heavy offenses definitely get 40-50 touches.
  - Pinatubo 12y ago
    This is an exaggeration -- if they were getting 40-50 touches per game they'd never survive the season. 300 carries per season is regarded as a heavy workload, and that works out to about 20 carries per game. Of course, running backs can also catch passes, but they guys that are the featured backs in a run heavy offense rarely catch more than a pass or two per game. Edit: I found a list of the highest numbers of rushing attempts in an NFL game since 1960. The record is 45. http://www.pro-football-reference.com/leaders/rush_att_single_game.htm http://www.pro-football-reference.com/leaders/rush_att_singl...