Humans burn far more energy daily—and also store much more energy as fat—than other apes. The work of evolutionary anthropologist Herman Pontzer shows why. Learn more: ScienceVisuals
Pontzer’s skill as a popularizer can rankle some of his colleagues. His message that exercise won’t help you lose weight “lacks nuance,” says exercise physiologist John Thyfault of the University of Kansas Medical Center, who says it may nudge dieters into less healthy habits.
Pontzer applied to a single college—Pennsylvania State University, whose football games were a highlight of his childhood. “I assumed I’d be my dad—go to Penn State, get my teaching degree, and stay in Kersey,” he says. But once at Penn State, he worked with the late, renowned paleoanthropologist Alan Walker and found himself considering grad school in biological anthropology.
But humans have an added energy expense: our big brains, which account for 20% of our energy use per day. Aiello had proposed that our ancestors had compensated for those expensive brains. Others thought humans had saved energy by evolving to walk and run more efficiently.
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