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Humans Born to Run

Posted by michael on from the from-richard-dawson dept.

chia_monkey writes "This article in MSNBC says humans were born to run. From tendons and ligaments in the legs and feet that act like springs and skull features that help prevent overheating, to well-defined buttocks that stabilize the body, the human anatomy is shaped for running. The article also goes on to talk about our rumps: Big buttocks are also important. 'Have you ever looked at an ape? They have no buns,' said Bramble."

13 of 83 comments (clear)

  1. So..Sir Mixalot was right after all..... by venom600 · · Score: 5, Funny

    Big buttocks are also important.

    I'll be damned.

    1. Re:So..Sir Mixalot was right after all..... by Elwood+P+Dowd · · Score: 2, Funny

      That's a tempting sig replacement.

      --

      Big buttocks are also important.

      --

      There are no trails. There are no trees out here.
    2. Re:So..Sir Mixalot was right after all..... by over_exposed · · Score: 3, Funny

      Well defined buttocks my a... wait... no, nevermind.

      --
      "The object of war is not to die for your country, but to make the other bastard die for his." - Patton
  2. Anyone else notice... by oldosadmin · · Score: 2, Funny

    That the chick pictured in TFA doesn't have a big butt?

    (disclaimer: she's still cute, but that's funny)

    --
    Jay | http://oldos.org
  3. Springsteen was right by Drunken_Jackass · · Score: 5, Funny

    Damnit, baby, we were born to run.

    --
    There are 01 types of people in this world. Those that understand binary, and me.
  4. Big butts on slashdot by neosake · · Score: 5, Funny

    I'm willing to bet that most big buts reading /. aren't from running...

    ... well, at least in my case that is.

    --
    "When a ball dreams, it dreams it's a frisbee"
  5. My Eyes! by DLWormwood · · Score: 5, Funny
    Have you ever looked at an ape? They have no buns,' said Bramble.

    I've looked at apes before, but not like that.

    Ew. Off to use some mental floss.

    --
    Those who complain about affect & effect on /. should be disemvoweled
    1. Re:My Eyes! by DLWormwood · · Score: 3, Funny
      Hmmmm. I have the feeling that I just made a bad situation worse...

      Thank you, Desmond Morris! Geez...

      --
      Those who complain about affect & effect on /. should be disemvoweled
  6. Citing prior research in this area by GuyMannDude · · Score: 4, Funny

    This provides an interesting corallary to work done by Dr. Freddie Mercury and his colleagues many years ago on the relation between women with big buttocks and the rotation of the Earth.

    GMD

    --
    watch this
    1. Re:Citing prior research in this area by Neon+Spiral+Injector · · Score: 2, Funny

      From the Technology News version of this story, "nothing like the strong buttocks of Homo."

  7. The entry fees will get you by benhocking · · Score: 2, Funny
    As the article notes, while humans can be outrun by almost every mammal in the sprint, there are only a very few wild animals with comparable endurance - the horse, the wolf, and the hyena. No other mammals can run a marathon.

    I recently finished the Marine Corps Marathon, and I don't recall seeing any horses, wolves, or hyenas. Just out of curiosity, I searched for all of these (as last names), and although I didn't find any horses or hyeynas, it would appear that I ran with several wolves (or at least Wolfs). Of course, I think this has less to do with evolutionary pressure than fiduciary pressure. The entrance fee for the MCM (and most marathons) is fairly steep ($85).

    --
    Ben Hocking
    Need a professional organizer?
  8. Re:So, why don't we have tails? by ThetaPi · · Score: 2, Funny

    We do have tails, but ours are vestigial. So is our appendix. Also, remember that bipedal and quadrupedal movement is much different.

    I've always thought having a prehensile tail would be nifty, but it would make sitting down and purchasing clothing a bit more difficult.

    --
    "When God kisses Satan and the Incarnations applaud." "Death is dead. Long live Death!"
  9. T & A by PateraSilk · · Score: 2, Funny

    Another fun Desmond Morris factoid: human females have enlarged breasts to mimic the shape of their well-defined buttocks, so human-style face-to face is as exciting to males as mammal-default doggy-style.

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    Danke tres mucho, tovarishch.