Anthropologists study the energetics of uniquely human subsistence strategies

Among our closest living relatives -- the great apes -- we humans are unique: We have larger brains, reproduce more quickly and have longer life spans. These traits are obviously valuable, but the extra energy required to sustain them is quite significant. So how did we manage to afford them? A Tsimane woman harvests rice from her field [Credit: Michael Gurven] A group of anthropologists from UC Santa Barbara, the University of Utah and Duke University have teamed up on a...