Researchers argue that long-distance running helped shape human evolution. Stating that the skill is a by-product of enhanced walking while others say humans evolved to run farther explains our sturdy knee-joints and prominent butts.
Man's Evolution to Walk Upright
Walking upright on two legs, according to the Smithsonian Magazine, defines the lineage of hominids. Bipedalism, or walking on two legs, separates the first hominest from the four-legged apes.
During the beginning of the 20th century, scientists concluded that big brains separated hominids from other species, such as the case of Neanderthals and Homo erectus. However, in the 1920s, when anatomist Raymond Dart in South Africa discovered remains, it became evident that the foramen magnum, a hole where the spinal cord leaves the head, was positioned far away under the skull compared to apes. This indicated that the remains, known as Taung Child, held its head erect and likely walked upright.
In 1974, discovering nearly complete australopithecine remains dubbed Lucy, whose small biped anatomy with broad pelvis and thigh bones angled to the knees demonstrated the human evolution of walking upright.
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How a 10 Minute Quick Joh Boosts Brain Function and Mental Skills
In a recent study published in the journal Scientific Reports, titled "Benefit of human moderate running boosting mood and executive function coinciding with bilateral prefrontal activation," authors reveal a biological advantage to quick jogs. The study finds that a 10-minute moderate-intensity jog can enhance a person's mood and mental skills and significantly improve a person's memory, thinking flexibility, and self-control.
Hideaki Soya, the lead author and director of the Laboratory of Exercise Biochemistry and Sport Neuroscience at the University of Tsukuba, Japan, tells Inverse that the minimal exercising period required to induce emotional and cognitive improvements is ten minutes. The lab researches how exercise activates the brain and helps people overcome stress. He says that running is the ideal low-cost, high-gain sport.
Soya further explains that the study's findings are valuable in supporting the moderate running effects on mental health, especially since it is easily accessible, requiring minimal equipment and sport structures.
In the study, 26 young adults with no background of neurological or psychiatric disorders were tasked at random to complete a 10-minute run and rest session on a treadmill. After both the run and control experiments, researchers tested the participants via a Two-Dimensional Mood Scale and another measuring the participant's executive function.
As a result, all participants had improved mood and performed better on cognitive taste after their 10-minute runs. Running was also seen to change the participant's blood flow in the brain. Scans showed increased blood flow in the brain's bilateral prefrontal cortex, which plays a vital role in mood control and executive functions.
In the study, the phenomenon is described as neurovascular coupling. As of now, scientists aren't sure why the effects occur; however, they argue that evolutionary it holds merits for ancient people since they began as hunter-gatherers that had to have daily locomotive activities.
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