近日,，國際著名雜志Journal of Human Evolution刊登了英國科學(xué)家的研究成果“Thermoregulation and endurance running in extinct hominins: Wheeler’s models revisited。”科研人員解釋,，與此前的發(fā)現(xiàn)相反,，他們發(fā)現(xiàn)早期人類的直立姿勢不太可能是為了管理人體在炎熱天氣下的熱量而出現(xiàn)的一種適應(yīng),。
此前的研究提示，早期人類進化出了兩足行走的姿勢從而幫助阻止他們的身體過熱,。Graeme D. Ruxton 和David M. Wilkinson使用一種建模分析確定了體熱控制是否可能引發(fā)早期人類的雙足行走,。這組作者根據(jù)他們的模擬，提出炎熱天氣下的熱管理可能沒有足夠的進化壓力用于鼓勵人類祖先的直立行走姿勢,。相反,，正如此前研究提出的,，這組作者證實了過度出汗和逐漸失去體毛可能對溫度控制有貢獻。
然而,，這組作者指出,，一旦為了應(yīng)對目前仍然未知的選擇壓力而進化出來的直立姿態(tài)出現(xiàn)，它可能導(dǎo)致了體毛減少,，而體毛傾向于妨礙與周邊空氣的熱交換,。因此，維持直立姿態(tài)的早期人類甚至在諸如在炎熱天氣下行走這樣的活動中也能夠維持適宜的體溫——前提是它們喪失體毛和高出汗率也已經(jīng)進化出來了,。這組作者說,，這些發(fā)現(xiàn)提示，早期人類的直立姿勢很可能是因為與體熱控制無關(guān)的原因而進化出來的,。（生物谷Bioon.com）
doi:10.1016/j.jhevol.2011.02.012
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Thermoregulation and endurance running in extinct hominins: Wheeler’s models revisited
Graeme D. Ruxton, David M. Wilkinson
Thermoregulation is often cited as a potentially important influence on the evolution of hominins, thanks to a highly influential series of papers in the Journal of Human Evolution in the 1980s and 1990s by Peter Wheeler. These papers developed quantitative modeling of heat balance between different potential hominins and their environment. Here, we return to these models, update them in line with new developments and measurements in animal thermal biology, and modify them to represent a running hominin rather than the stationary form considered previously. In particular, we use our modified Wheeler model to investigate thermoregulatory aspects of the evolution of endurance running ability. Our model suggests that for endurance running to be possible, a hominin would need locomotive efficiency, sweating rates, and areas of hairless skin similar to modern humans. We argue that these restrictions suggest that endurance running may have been possible (from a thermoregulatory viewpoint) for Homo erectus, but is unlikely for any earlier hominins.
