However, a central challenge of hominin paleobiology is the interpretation of the body's function from its form how do we walk, run, use tools, and move within the landscape, and how did these functions themselves evolve? Stemming from this, what is the nature of the physiological mechanisms that underpin observed variation in form and function? The fossil record provides evidence about the form and physical characteristics of the human or hominin body, and their changes over time. 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.
![explanation of the introduction of the story of the human body by daniel lieberman explanation of the introduction of the story of the human body by daniel lieberman](https://i1.wp.com/readingraphics.com/uploads/2017/06/The-Story-of-the-Human-Body_Cultural-Evolution.png)
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. 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. 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. 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. 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.
![explanation of the introduction of the story of the human body by daniel lieberman explanation of the introduction of the story of the human body by daniel lieberman](https://i1.wp.com/readingraphics.com/uploads/2017/06/Summary-Bundle_The-Story-of-the-Human-Body.png)
This approach has gained traction over recent years. 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.