Slow And Steady Won The Long-Distance Race, And Fed Our Ancestors

Running used to be an action performed out of necessity, but today, most endurance running is done for pleasure and exercise.

It turns out that while humans can’t even compare to other species when it comes to sprints, weightlifting and other physical feats, human bodies are actually equipped for running long distances.

NPR science reporter Adam Cole joins Here & Now’s Meghna Chakrabarti to talk about why running used to be so important for our ancestors thousands of years ago.

[Youtube]

Guest

• Adam Cole, science reporter for NPR and wrangler of NPR’s science Tumblr Skunk Bear. He tweets @cadamole.

Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.