Short toes are much better for running. I’m not talking about people with particularly short toes, but it may explain more about the evolution of our feet and why our toes are so much shorter than chimps’.
A recent study published in the Journal of Experimental Biology studies the importance of this and Wired spoke to the authors. “Humans are well-adapted for endurance running. That’s much of what makes the human body what it is,” said Lieberman. “We’re actually terrible sprinters, but the world’s best long-distance runners.”
“According to study co-author and Harvard University anthropologist Daniel Lieberman, many modern anatomical features make sense in the context of savannah marathons. Achilles tendons act as springs to store energy. Our hind limbs have extra-large joints. Our buttocks muscles are perfect for stabilization, as are regions of the brain uniquely sensitive to the physical pitching generated by the motion of running.”
“Toes may belong to this class of adaptations.”
Read the full Wired article. I’m off on my toes.
