The secret evolutionary weapon of humans is the ability to run in the heat! Awesome explanation from Dr. Lieberman.
Humans are efficient hunters because we humans can do persistence hunting, especially during the hot time of the day when most animals would suffer from heat stroke. Humans are marathoners compared to most animals who are just sprinters. Most animals would overheat and lie helpless from the persistent hunting humans.
Me and my nephews found this out by experience with our dog. Our playful beagle dog likes getting chased around the garden. She flaunts her speed and agility. But pit her against us humans who can hunt her persistently for many minutes without end, it is the dog that eventually gives up and just lies down helpless in the face of long distance running humans.
From the article at softpedia:
“…this may explain our hairlessness. “Humans have several adaptations that help us dump the enormous amounts of heat generated by running. These adaptations include our hairlessness, our ability to sweat, and the fact that we breathe through our mouths when we run, which not only allows us to take bigger breaths, but also helps dump heat. We can run in conditions that no other animal can run in. While animals get rid of excess heat by panting, they can’t pant when they gallop,” Lieberman said.”
When I was on the common food pyramid with a majority carbs diet, I could run for long stretches. But now that I’m on high fat and low carb, I know I can run much longer. Lately I have been able to test this with hiking. It is time I tested myself on long distance running or playing next time.
Read the whole article on Softpedia:
http://news.softpedia.com/news/Why-Humans-Are-Hairless-and-Sweaty-52233.shtml