Unique gene mutation allows humans to become long-distance runners

Humans can be such long-distance runners, compared to other members of the animal kingdom, thanks to a single genetic mutation. This is according to new research.

The team at the University of California at San Diego, behind the study, discovered a gene called CMAH, or not. About 2 to 3 million years ago, a genetic mutation caused the functional loss of CAMH in our ancestors.

This coincided with early hominids that adapted to life away from forests and moved to arid savannahs in Africa. The evolution of the physiology and skeletons of our ancestors, which distinguished us from primates, led us to develop big feet, strong buttocks muscles and long elastic legs. Our new sweat glands helped our bodies cool down more efficiently.

As a result, early hominids could run for longer distances and until exhaustion – known as persistence hunting – while facing the heat of the sun, while other animals dozed off.

Scientists believe that humans have lost the function of CAMH in response to an old disease, which has changed the way future generations treat the sugar molecules that cover animal cells. This unique change is thought to have affected everything from increased risk of cancer and type 2 diabetes to improved immunity.

The researchers studied the role of the CMAH gene in long distance running. Getty Images

Dr. Ajit Varki, author of the study and eminent professor of medicine and cellular and molecular medicine at the University of San Diego School of Medicine, said in a statement: "The consequence of a single gene the human biology and abilities going back to our origins. "

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In their article published in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B, researchers showed how this mutation has also allowed us to become champion runners.

The team designed mice prone to muscular dystrophy for lack of CMAH and monitored the animals as they ran on treadmills and wheels.

The researchers noted that mice without CMAH were less rapidly fatigued than control mice, that their mitochondria breathed more efficiently and that their hind limb muscles were larger.

The researchers studied mice without the CMAH gene to study how the functional loss of this gene affected human evolution. Getty Images

Jon Okerblom, first author of the study and a graduate student at the University of San Diego, explained, "We evaluated the exercise capacity. [of mice lacking the CMAH gene], and noted increased performance during treadmill tests and after 15 days of voluntary rolling.

Since the study was conducted on mice, scientists can not ensure that the results are for humans. However, they think that their study clearly indicates that the loss of CMAH could have given a selective advantage to our ancestors as we became hunter-gatherers.

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Varki said Newsweek: "The study was a long work based on intuition derived from multiple different clues from different sources."

Exploiting our genes in this way could help scientists develop new approaches to understanding what promotes cardiovascular health and the ability to run in humans, Varki said.