Human athletic paleobiology; using sport as a model to investigate human evolutionary adaptation.

Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell Country of Publication: United States NLM ID: 0400654 Publication Model: Print-Electronic Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 1096-8644 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 00029483 NLM ISO Abbreviation: Am J Phys Anthropol Subsets: MEDLINE

Publication: Hoboken, NJ : Wiley-Blackwell
Original Publication: Hoboken, NJ : Wiley

Adaptation, Biological* ; Athletes* ; Biological Evolution* ; Physical Endurance*; Biomechanical Phenomena ; Humans

The use of sport as a conceptual framework offers unprecedented opportunities to improve our understanding of what the body does, shedding new light on our evolutionary trajectory, our capacity for adaptation, and the underlying biological mechanisms. This approach has gained traction over recent years. To date, sport has facilitated exploration not only of the evolutionary history of our species as a whole, but also of human variation and adaptation at the interindividual and intraindividual levels. At the species level, analysis of lower and upper limb biomechanics and energetics with respect to walking, running and throwing have led to significant advances in the understanding of human adaptations relative to other hominins. From an interindividual perspective, investigation of physical activity patterns and endurance running performance is affording greater understanding of evolved constraints of energy expenditure, thermoregulatory energetics, signaling theory, and morphological variation. Furthermore, ultra-endurance challenges provoke functional trade-offs, allowing new ground to be broken in the study of life history trade-offs and human adaptability. Human athletic paleobiology-the recruitment of athletes as study participants and the use of contemporary sports as a model for studying evolutionary theory-has great potential. Here, we draw from examples in the literature to provide a review of how the use of athletes as a model system is enhancing understanding of human evolutionary adaptation.
(© 2020 The Authors. American Journal of Physical Anthropology published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

J Exp Biol. 1988 Sep;138:301-18. (PMID: 3193059)
Sports Med. 2007;37(4-5):288-90. (PMID: 17465590)
Nature. 2011 Nov 09;480(7375):91-3. (PMID: 22080949)
R Soc Open Sci. 2017 Nov 8;4(11):171339. (PMID: 29291118)
J Orthop Sports Phys Ther. 2007 Sep;37(9):514-20. (PMID: 17939610)
Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci. 2010 Feb 27;365(1540):547-56. (PMID: 20083631)
Nature. 1995 Oct 26;377(6551):688-90. (PMID: 7477258)
Bone. 1996 May;18(5):405-10. (PMID: 8739897)
Am J Phys Anthropol. 1994 Jan;93(1):1-34. (PMID: 8141238)
J Bone Miner Res. 1992 Dec;7 Suppl 2:S369-75. (PMID: 1485545)
J Hum Evol. 2000 May;38(5):651-66. (PMID: 10799258)
Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci. 1991 Nov 29;334(1270):223-31; discussion 232. (PMID: 1685580)
Nature. 2013 Jun 27;498(7455):483-6. (PMID: 23803849)
Hum Nat. 2004 Dec;15(4):343-64. (PMID: 26189411)
J Appl Physiol Respir Environ Exerc Physiol. 1984 Jun;56(6):1572-7. (PMID: 6735816)
Am Nat. 2008 Nov;172(5):658-66. (PMID: 18808363)
PLoS One. 2010 Jun 09;5(6):e10984. (PMID: 20543959)
J Hum Evol. 2011 Oct;61(4):480-7. (PMID: 21839491)
Am J Sports Med. 1997 Sep-Oct;25(5):609-13. (PMID: 9302464)
J Hum Evol. 2007 Aug;53(2):191-6. (PMID: 17574650)
Biol Lett. 2008 Feb 23;4(1):31-3. (PMID: 18055406)
J Cereb Blood Flow Metab. 2001 Oct;21(10):1133-45. (PMID: 11598490)
Clin Orthop Relat Res. 1969 Nov-Dec;67:116-23. (PMID: 5361189)
J Hum Evol. 2008 Mar;54(3):383-90. (PMID: 17977577)
Am J Hum Biol. 2018 Jan;30(1):. (PMID: 28994489)
Nature. 2001 Jul 12;412(6843):178-81. (PMID: 11449272)
Neurosci Biobehav Rev. 2004 Apr;28(2):143-80. (PMID: 15172762)
Nature. 1997 Feb 27;385(6619):807-10. (PMID: 9039910)
Neurosci Biobehav Rev. 2006;30(3):319-45. (PMID: 16483890)
J Sports Med Phys Fitness. 2002 Dec;42(4):446-50. (PMID: 12391439)
Endocrinology. 2009 Nov;150(11):5119-24. (PMID: 19819951)
Lancet. 2017 Jul 29;390(10093):500-509. (PMID: 28792412)
J Exp Biol. 2006 Jun;209(Pt 12):2362-7. (PMID: 16731812)
Proc Biol Sci. 2004 Aug 22;271(1549):1693-9. (PMID: 15306289)
Am J Phys Anthropol. 2011 Nov;146(3):336-45. (PMID: 22102995)
J Exp Biol. 2007 May;210(Pt 10):1752-61. (PMID: 17488938)
Am J Phys Anthropol. 2012 Feb;147(2):169-86. (PMID: 22212891)
J Bone Joint Surg Am. 1984 Mar;66(3):397-402. (PMID: 6699056)
Calcif Tissue Int. 1992 Oct;51(4):251-4. (PMID: 1422968)
J Appl Physiol Respir Environ Exerc Physiol. 1984 Jun;56(6):1565-71. (PMID: 6735815)
Am J Sports Med. 2005 Sep;33(9):1392-9. (PMID: 16002489)
Am J Phys Anthropol. 2020 May;171 Suppl 70:42-59. (PMID: 31957878)
Am J Phys Anthropol. 2008;Suppl 47:70-99. (PMID: 19003886)
Psychoneuroendocrinology. 1999 Jul;24(5):551-66. (PMID: 10378241)
Am J Sports Med. 2002 Jan-Feb;30(1):20-6. (PMID: 11798991)
Br J Sports Med. 2006 Dec;40(12):981-3. (PMID: 17008344)
Am J Phys Anthropol. 1995 Dec;98(4):527-74. (PMID: 8599386)
Hum Biol. 1976 Dec;48(4):757-67. (PMID: 1017818)
Nature. 2012 Mar 28;483(7391):550-1. (PMID: 22460898)
Evolution. 1966 Jun;20(2):174-184. (PMID: 28563630)
Sci Rep. 2017 Oct 20;7(1):13709. (PMID: 29057922)
Am J Phys Anthropol. 2000 Dec;113(4):507-17. (PMID: 11102884)
J Exp Biol. 1999 Oct;202(Pt 20):2807-18. (PMID: 10504316)
Am J Phys Anthropol. 2011 Mar;144(3):337-41. (PMID: 21302261)
Am Nat. 2000 Oct;156(4):390-415. (PMID: 29592141)
J Bone Joint Surg Am. 1977 Mar;59(2):204-8. (PMID: 845205)
Biol Lett. 2006 Dec 22;2(4):557-60. (PMID: 17148287)
Proc Biol Sci. 2013 Dec 11;281(1776):20132876. (PMID: 24335989)
J Exp Biol. 2007 Oct;210(Pt 20):3513-24. (PMID: 17921153)
J Exp Biol. 2010 Dec 1;213(Pt 23):3972-9. (PMID: 21075938)
J Appl Physiol (1985). 2000 Oct;89(4):1403-11. (PMID: 11007575)
J Hum Evol. 2007 Sep;53(3):286-91. (PMID: 17706271)
Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2012 Jul;44(7):1335-43. (PMID: 22217565)
Am J Phys Anthropol. 2009 Jan;138(1):90-100. (PMID: 18711733)
J Hum Evol. 2009 Jan;56(1):43-54. (PMID: 18986682)
Compr Physiol. 2015 Jan;5(1):99-117. (PMID: 25589265)
Mol Biol Evol. 2000 Jan;17(1):2-22. (PMID: 10666702)
Sci Adv. 2017 Nov 29;3(11):eaao3893. (PMID: 29209662)
Lancet. 2018 Dec 15;392(10164):2606-2654. (PMID: 30528486)
J Hum Evol. 2015 Jan;78:80-90. (PMID: 25456824)
Hum Nat. 2018 Sep;29(3):283-310. (PMID: 30090999)
J Hum Evol. 2013 Apr;64(4):242-9. (PMID: 23453436)
Nature. 1997 May 8;387(6629):173-6. (PMID: 9144286)
Am J Sports Med. 1988 Nov-Dec;16(6):577-85. (PMID: 3239614)
J Hum Evol. 2006 Sep;51(3):228-43. (PMID: 16730368)
J Hum Evol. 2014 Jan;66:64-82. (PMID: 24315239)
Am J Phys Anthropol. 1953 Dec;11(4):533-58. (PMID: 13124471)
Am J Phys Anthropol. 2016 Dec;161(4):667-675. (PMID: 27561011)
Am J Phys Anthropol. 2009 Sep;140(1):149-59. (PMID: 19358289)
Sci Rep. 2019 Jan 25;9(1):820. (PMID: 30683877)
Am Nat. 2007 Dec;170(6):864-75. (PMID: 18171169)
Am J Med Sci. 1998 Sep;316(3):176-83. (PMID: 9749559)
Am J Phys Anthropol. 2003 Nov;122(3):200-15. (PMID: 14533179)
PLoS One. 2015 Jul 08;10(7):e0131354. (PMID: 26154285)
J Hum Evol. 2015 Dec;89:214-25. (PMID: 26442632)
Hum Reprod. 1998 Nov;13(11):3000-4. (PMID: 9853845)
Am J Sports Med. 2002 May-Jun;30(3):354-60. (PMID: 12016075)
Am J Hum Biol. 2015 Sep-Oct;27(5):628-37. (PMID: 25824106)
J Hum Evol. 2009 Aug;57(2):163-78. (PMID: 19615713)
J Exp Biol. 2001 May;204(Pt 10):1805-15. (PMID: 11316501)
J Clin Invest. 1971 Dec;50(12):2715-25. (PMID: 5129319)
Psychoneuroendocrinology. 2007 May;32(4):313-21. (PMID: 17400395)
J Hum Evol. 2004 Oct;47(4):253-66. (PMID: 15454336)
Am J Hum Biol. 2012 May-Jun;24(3):372-84. (PMID: 22419374)
J Biomech. 1990;23 Suppl 1:43-54. (PMID: 2081744)
J Bone Miner Res. 2001 Dec;16(12):2291-7. (PMID: 11760844)
Am J Physiol. 1981 Sep;241(3):R203-12. (PMID: 7282965)
PLoS One. 2012;7(7):e40503. (PMID: 22848382)
Best Pract Res Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2007 Sep;21(3):415-30. (PMID: 17875489)
Fam Med. 2016 Nov;48(10):822-823. (PMID: 27875612)
Horm Behav. 1992 Dec;26(4):486-504. (PMID: 1478633)
Hum Biol. 2012 Apr;84(2):139-52. (PMID: 22708818)
Curr Biol. 2016 Feb 8;26(3):410-7. (PMID: 26832439)
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2008 Dec 9;105(49):19348-53. (PMID: 19047632)
J Hum Evol. 2015 Dec;89:172-80. (PMID: 26505304)
J Appl Physiol (1985). 1994 Jul;77(1):216-22. (PMID: 7961236)
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2007 Jul 24;104(30):12265-9. (PMID: 17636134)
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1997 Nov 25;94(24):13367-73. (PMID: 9371852)
Cell Metab. 2011 Dec 7;14(6):724-38. (PMID: 22152301)
Horm Behav. 1980 Sep;14(3):236-46. (PMID: 7429441)
Am J Hum Biol. 2005 Nov-Dec;17(6):796-800. (PMID: 16254897)
PLoS One. 2013 Oct 15;8(10):e76238. (PMID: 24143181)
J Exp Biol. 2014 Jun 15;217(Pt 12):2139-49. (PMID: 24675564)
J Exp Biol. 2006 Jun;209(Pt 12):2344-61. (PMID: 16731811)
Science. 2010 May 28;328(5982):1105; author reply 1105. (PMID: 20508112)
J Hum Evol. 2012 Nov;63(5):718-22. (PMID: 22963931)
J Appl Physiol (1985). 1986 Feb;60(2):521-5. (PMID: 3949658)
Am J Hum Biol. 2008 Jul-Aug;20(4):451-61. (PMID: 18433004)
J Hum Evol. 1997 May;32(5):423-48. (PMID: 9169992)
Hum Nat. 2020 Mar;31(1):22-42. (PMID: 31838723)
J Anat. 2012 Mar;220(3):293-301. (PMID: 22257273)
Am J Phys Anthropol. 2009 Sep;140(1):160-72. (PMID: 19358297)
Am J Phys Anthropol. 2002;Suppl 35:185-215. (PMID: 12653313)
Exerc Sport Sci Rev. 2015 Jul;43(3):110-6. (PMID: 25906426)
Science. 2008 Mar 21;319(5870):1662-5. (PMID: 18356526)
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2002 Apr 2;99(7):4436-41. (PMID: 11891325)
Am J Phys Anthropol. 1976 Mar;44(2):247-61. (PMID: 816205)
Int J Sports Med. 2005 Jul-Aug;26(6):499-503. (PMID: 16037895)
Am J Phys Anthropol. 2007 Dec;134(4):472-80. (PMID: 17657784)
Bone. 2006 Oct;39(4):886-94. (PMID: 16731064)
Horm Behav. 2006 Dec;50(5):681-3. (PMID: 17046761)
Am J Hum Biol. 2007 May-Jun;19(3):416-21. (PMID: 17420996)
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2012 Sep 18;109(38):15212-6. (PMID: 22932870)
J Appl Physiol (1985). 1994 Jun;76(6):2253-61. (PMID: 7928844)
Nature. 2010 Jan 28;463(7280):531-5. (PMID: 20111000)
J Exp Biol. 2003 May;206(Pt 9):1437-48. (PMID: 12654883)
Am J Phys Anthropol. 1980 Jan;52(1):103-6. (PMID: 6768300)
Physiol Behav. 1998 Aug;65(1):59-62. (PMID: 9811365)
Am J Sports Med. 2002 May-Jun;30(3):347-53. (PMID: 12016074)
Am J Phys Anthropol. 2008 Oct;137(2):188-200. (PMID: 18470890)
Scand J Med Sci Sports. 2011 Dec;21(6):e82-90. (PMID: 20626703)
Med Sci Sports Exerc. 1994 Jan;26(1):5-9. (PMID: 8133738)
Am J Hum Biol. 1990;2(1):37-51. (PMID: 28520262)
J Hum Evol. 2015 Aug;85:206-11. (PMID: 26099523)
Horm Behav. 1989 Dec;23(4):556-71. (PMID: 2606468)
J Hum Evol. 2010 Nov;59(5):484-92. (PMID: 20688357)
Sci Am. 1967 Apr;216(4):56-66. (PMID: 4859881)
J Hum Evol. 2009 Jan;56(1):1-10. (PMID: 19004469)
Am J Clin Nutr. 1998 Nov;68(5):1111-7. (PMID: 9808230)
J Bone Miner Res. 1997 Oct;12(10):1737-45. (PMID: 9333136)
Evol Hum Behav. 2001 Jan;22(1):61-69. (PMID: 11182575)
Nat Rev Neurosci. 2012 Apr 13;13(5):336-49. (PMID: 22498897)
Am J Phys Anthropol. 1997 Oct;104(2):245-58. (PMID: 9386830)
Curr Sports Med Rep. 2017 Nov/Dec;16(6):448-458. (PMID: 29135646)
PLoS One. 2015 Apr 08;10(4):e0121560. (PMID: 25853679)
Sci Adv. 2019 Jun 05;5(6):eaaw0341. (PMID: 31183404)
J Bone Joint Surg Am. 1981 Jun;63(5):780-7. (PMID: 7240300)
Acta Orthop Scand. 1975 May;46(2):256-68. (PMID: 1146518)
Naturwissenschaften. 2010 Mar;97(3):241-63. (PMID: 20127307)
J Exp Biol. 1982 Apr;97:1-21. (PMID: 7086334)
Horm Behav. 2006 Apr;49(4):545-9. (PMID: 16403410)
Am J Hum Biol. 2002 Sep-Oct;14(5):547-50. (PMID: 12203810)
J Hum Evol. 2004 Jul-Aug;47(1-2):95-109. (PMID: 15288526)
PLoS One. 2013 Aug 28;8(8):e72269. (PMID: 24015229)
Praxis (Bern 1994). 2005 Mar 9;94(10):371-7. (PMID: 15794360)
Evol Hum Behav. 2000 May 1;21(3):163-183. (PMID: 10828555)
Ann Hum Biol. 1981 Mar-Apr;8(2):99-107. (PMID: 7247349)
Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2006 Jan;38(1):21-6. (PMID: 16394949)
Am J Sports Med. 1998 Mar-Apr;26(2):247-53. (PMID: 9548119)
Pers Soc Psychol Rev. 2012 May;16(2):143-53. (PMID: 21896791)
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1922 Jun;8(6):147-51. (PMID: 16576642)
J Exp Biol. 2005 Apr;208(Pt 8):1513-24. (PMID: 15802675)
J Theor Biol. 1975 Sep;53(1):205-14. (PMID: 1195756)
J Hum Evol. 2006 Jul;51(1):91-101. (PMID: 16549104)
Am J Phys Anthropol. 1998 Aug;106(4):483-503. (PMID: 9712477)
Evol Hum Sci. 2019 Dec 13;1:e16. (PMID: 37588394)
PLoS One. 2013;8(2):e55909. (PMID: 23409086)
J Hum Evol. 2008 May;54(5):568-90. (PMID: 18068214)
Nature. 2004 Nov 18;432(7015):345-52. (PMID: 15549097)
Folia Primatol (Basel). 1984;43(2-3):113-56. (PMID: 6440837)
Am J Physiol. 1993 Sep;265(3 Pt 1):E380-91. (PMID: 8214047)
PLoS One. 2012;7(7):e40349. (PMID: 22815742)
Trends Endocrinol Metab. 2011 Oct;22(10):421-8. (PMID: 21757369)
Mayo Clin Proc. 2010 Dec;85(12):1138-41. (PMID: 21123641)
Am J Phys Anthropol. 2007;Suppl 45:191-222. (PMID: 18046751)
Exerc Sport Sci Rev. 2012 Apr;40(2):63-72. (PMID: 22257937)
PLoS One. 2017 Nov 15;12(11):e0188200. (PMID: 29141022)

Keywords: adaptation; human athletic paleobiology; human evolution; plasticity; sport

Date Created: 20200121 Date Completed: 20201217 Latest Revision: 20240729

20240729

PMC7217212

10.1002/ajpa.23992

31957878