Did humans trade weakness for precision?

[Sayonara]

I doubt it very much. I would bet that the strongest human is still weaker than your average fully grown male orangutan or gorilla.

But then muscular strength alone is not the only factor. Believe me, there are plenty of people who could remove an ape's limbs. What you doubt or would bet on is not really relevant - it has to do with the mechanics of joints as well as strength. Apes are not made of stone.

 

What I have been trying to demonstrate is that the claim "apes can rip off your arms, omfg!" doesn't really tell us much about comparative anatomy when it's the only thing being considered.

 

Even Geoff Capes types (far stronger than so-called bodybuilders) can't crush coconuts in one hand with ease, and they could never unscrew 'industrial' bolts without tools - unlike the big apes.

The question in the OP is firstly whether or not we ever could do that, and - if so - whether we sacrificed that ability for precision of movement. Blunt comparisons don't answer that. In fact, I have already stated that they are off-topic.

[Dark Photon]

Humans are naturally weaker than gorillas in terms of natural strength, and yes we do have higher precision or control over our limbs.

 

As said on page one, fast and slow twitch fibers both have different properties.

I agree that maybe humans have evolved to make use of their "explosive power" associated with fast twitch fibers. I believe that humans could achieve much more in terms of physical ability than gorillas, as humans have got to where they are by relying on a combination of mental and physical activity.

 

After all, most humans are a product of modern living and are physically unconditioned, unlike gorillas that live by nature’s survival of the fittest policy and are therefore much more conditioned.

 

In the past, humans have lived in harsh conditions where their survival is based on their immediate actions, and have emerged in a very impressive physical condition.

 

One example is Mas Oyama, a most established name in martial arts. The founder of kyokushin karate. He retreated to the mountains where he lived for a number of years. Upon returning to civilization after this training, he was able to fight 52 bulls, breaking of their horns and instantly killing some of them. He fought 300 kyokushin black belts one after another, until there were no more opponents to fight. even though this is an extreme example, i belive it shows that not only are the humans comparisions made above biased, humans didnt loose physical ability, but adapted to a different kind of physical ability.

 

 

i believe that humans have "traded" strength for control in order to adapt to thier increasingly complex lifestyle.