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The human body is built for running (and Richard Dawkins develops a crack in his misotheist armor!)
Science Literature Blog ^ | October 29, 2009 | David Tyler, Ph.D.

Posted on 10/30/2009 7:49:53 PM PDT by GodGunsGuts

Alongside all the public interest in sporting prowess, recent research has added significantly to our knowledge of how the human body actually works. Many characteristics we take for granted now appear to be critical success factors. Take, for example, our toes. We do not need long toes, like monkeys and apes, because our toes are not used for grasping branches. But are they vestigial - withered remnants of once-grand appendages? The answer is: most definitely not! Whilst it is possible to walk comfortably with longer toes, running is different. Increase toe length by just 20% and there is a doubling of the peak digital flexor impulses and the mechanical work required.

It emerges that the human body has numerous traits that all support the ability to run...

(Excerpt) Read more at arn.org ...


TOPICS: News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: anatomy; anthropology; belongsinreligion; catholic; christian; creation; divideandconquerfr; evangelical; evolution; godsgravesglyphs; intelligentdesign; judaism; notasciencetopic; philosophy; propellerbeanie; protestant; science; spammer; sports
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1 posted on 10/30/2009 7:49:54 PM PDT by GodGunsGuts
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To: metmom; DaveLoneRanger; editor-surveyor; betty boop; Alamo-Girl; MrB; GourmetDan; Fichori; ...

Ping!


2 posted on 10/30/2009 7:54:07 PM PDT by GodGunsGuts
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To: All

I must not be human. I was definitely not born to run. I try hard not to even walk very fast.


3 posted on 10/30/2009 7:57:47 PM PDT by KarinG1 (Please excuse any grammatical errors, as I was slobbering mad when I posted this.)
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To: GodGunsGuts
I recommend people read the whole article so they can see all of the errors in it!

And some is just plain silly logical fallacies and hopes that people don't think when reading. For example, I wonder if the author doesn't believe that engineers used trial and error during their "intelligent design" of the robot, and if they think that no non-working prototypes are sitting around the marketplace proves that no non-working prototypes could have been made and failed.

4 posted on 10/30/2009 7:58:00 PM PDT by Gondring (Paul Revere would have been flamed as a naysayer troll and told to go back to Boston.)
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To: GodGunsGuts
Would you agree that, in a purely hypothetical situation, faster runners might have a slight advantage? I mean you don't have to out run the tiger, just one person in your group to survive the attack......Would you then concede, in a purely hypothetical situation, that the faster runner would be able to pass his genes on to his offspring while the slower runner would spend eternity as tiger poop?
5 posted on 10/30/2009 8:01:10 PM PDT by Natural Law
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To: Gondring
Seeing how the technology of life far surpasses anything that humans are capable of (or even capable of understanding at this point), I doubt you would find very many IDers who would agree with your analogy to human-level trial and error.
6 posted on 10/30/2009 8:10:36 PM PDT by GodGunsGuts
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To: GodGunsGuts

I see an inherent problem in this hypothesis. Different people have different proportions of short and long fiber muscle tissue in their legs and bodies. Long fiber musculature lends itself to broad, repetitive muscle motions found in endurance and stamina exercise, like running; but shot fiber muscle tissue is used for raw strength and power used in a short period of time, like weightlifting and heavy load carry.

This would have made a good division of labor in a hunting tribe, as those with stamina and endurance would go ahead with their canine companions to hunt, while strength and power brought up the rear. Then after the kill, both would prepare the kill, which would take days, then the strength and heavy load carry would transport the prepared kill back to the tribe.

Strength and heavy load carry might have even preceded the use of pack animals in Europe.


7 posted on 10/30/2009 8:19:01 PM PDT by yefragetuwrabrumuy
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To: GodGunsGuts

ping too!


8 posted on 10/30/2009 8:19:23 PM PDT by Bellflower (If you are left DO NOT take the mark of the beast and be damned forever.)
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To: Admin Moderator; Jim Robinson

This post was moved from News to Bloggers. The source was renamed by the mods “The New York Times via Science Literature blog”, when in reality it is ARN’s Intelligent Design publication “Science Literature” doing a literature review on the Journal of Experimental Biology (the New York Times is only briefly mentioned).

Jim Robinson has granted Creationists and IDers to post ARN, Science Literature, Uncommon Descent, CMI, Answers in Genesis, Creation Safaris, CEH, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, in the News/Activism section of FR. Is there really a single mod that doesn’t know this by now???


9 posted on 10/30/2009 8:20:39 PM PDT by GodGunsGuts
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To: GodGunsGuts

Holy cow Batman! Primates that adapted to hunting in the Savannah of Africa are adapted to RUN and not climb trees! Amazing.


10 posted on 10/30/2009 8:21:21 PM PDT by Kozak (USA 7/4/1776 to 1/20/2009 Reqiescat in Pace)
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To: Bellflower

Are you saying you want to be on the HMS Creation ping list?


11 posted on 10/30/2009 8:21:56 PM PDT by GodGunsGuts
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To: Admin Moderator

How many times to we have to go through this. Can you please move my post back to New/Activism, and could you please change the source title back to they way it was. Thank you.


12 posted on 10/30/2009 8:23:19 PM PDT by GodGunsGuts
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To: Natural Law

You are confusing sprinting and marathon running. The human foot and leg is NOT optimized for sprinting ahead of a tiger nor for sprinting ahead of another human. It is optimized for running at a slower pace, non stop, for days. LITERALLY.

A perfect specimen of human being is unmatched in the animal kingdom for non stop running and walking. Not counting swimming and flying, a human being can traverse more miles nonstop before dropping dead than any living thing on the planet.

Very few humans are perfect, or optimum specimens. As a former long distance runner, I can tell you that competitive long distance running will expose minor defects and deficiencies in body structure like nothing else known. Things WILL fall apart if they are not perfectly in balance with each and every other component.

For instance, I learned that I have a defect in my big toes. My big toes do not bend backwards as far as they should. Also, I have a deficiency in skin thickness and pad thickness in the bottoms of my feet. In the long haul, these things created chronic problems for me when running very long distances.

Because the big toes do not flex backwards far enough, there is greatly increased pressure applied to the pads of my big toes. This causes my shoes to wear out very rapidly under my big toes. It also caused the pads on the end of my big toe to flatten and spread out and become compressed...and tendon tears just below my kneecap are easily acquired. other problems can also be attributed to the big toe defect.

feet are INCREDIBLY important. There’s a reason why the army used to ban folks with flat feet from serving.


13 posted on 10/30/2009 8:24:54 PM PDT by mamelukesabre (Si Vis Pacem Para Bellum (If you want peace prepare for war))
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To: mamelukesabre
"You are confusing sprinting and marathon running."

I didn't confuse them, but for hypothetical purposes would you agree the survival advantage would exist for the human that could chase a deer for hours until it collapsed from exhaustion as opposed to a human who crapped out after a few minutes and died of hunger?

14 posted on 10/30/2009 8:30:06 PM PDT by Natural Law
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To: Gondring

Gonna stay out of the Evolution debate but found this an interesting article on human running.

All in all with the exception of horses, human males (sorry ladies) can out run anything on land. Not always short bursts but for the most part given some terrain or distance humans win. Can’t beat a bear or big feline at 30 yards but at a quarter mile the bear has no chance. 10 or 12 men in shape in concert can wear down any other animal on the planet. Even canines will stop sooner to rest than a human.
\
Take 12 men, some dogs, a few horses, and some crude spears and even TREX has no chance.


15 posted on 10/30/2009 8:30:26 PM PDT by nomorelurker
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To: GodGunsGuts; Admin Moderator

I think this is exactly where it needs to be. It isn’t news or activism.


16 posted on 10/30/2009 8:31:54 PM PDT by Natural Law
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To: All

My reply took some time so some others beat me to some points. So if it seems out of place that’s why.


17 posted on 10/30/2009 8:45:44 PM PDT by nomorelurker
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To: GodGunsGuts

First this:

To: GodGunsGuts I repeat, stop hitting the abuse button. 210 posted on 10/22/2009 3:29:31 PM PDT by Admin Moderator

And now banned to the blogs. What is next!


18 posted on 10/30/2009 8:50:17 PM PDT by ColdWater ("The theory of evolution really has no bearing on what I'm trying to accomplish with FR anyway. ")
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To: Natural Law

Yes, I’m sure you speak for jackbooted evos everywhere. Unfortunately for fascist evo-atheists like yourself, the owner of FR knows the score, having watched your evo-atheist ACLU minions ban Creation and ID from our schools, universities, government research, and the MSM. He has thus designated FR as a place where the Christian Right can have an equal voice with the rest of the conservative movement. So at least on this enclave of freedom and liberty in cyberspace, you are just going to have get used to us, or take your totalitarian self elsewhere.


19 posted on 10/30/2009 8:50:53 PM PDT by GodGunsGuts
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To: GodGunsGuts

But then we knew the human foot was very well designed, unlike the imaginary Ardi foot/hand/foothand.


20 posted on 10/30/2009 8:53:58 PM PDT by count-your-change (You don't have be brilliant, not being stupid is enough.)
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