A review of Herman Pontzer's contribution to the science of metabolism and its implications for human evolucion

Javier Ruiz-Castillo

UC3M Working papers. Economics from Universidad Carlos III de Madrid. Departamento de Economía

Abstract: This paper reviews the contributions of Herman Pontzer and his coauthors to the science of metabolism with applications to (i) the differences between humans and other great apes, (ii) the origins of the genus Homo, and (iii) the subsistence strategies of the hunter-gatherer mode of production. A series of publications from 2012 to 2025 have established three findings that challenge prevailing positions in the literature on biological anthropology. Firstly, some unique human traits have been made possible by a “metabolic revolution”, according to which humans burn more calories per day than other great apes. Secondly, given the lack of correlation between metabolism and physical activity among sedentary and nomadic populations of contemporary Homo sapiens, the origin of this metabolic revolution can be traced back to the first hunter-gatherers of the genus Homo who appeared in Africa around 2.5 million years ago. This is consistent with the nature of the transition from Australopithecus to early Homo. Thirdly, relative to other apes, the subsistence strategies practiced by human hunter-gatherers consist of high-intensity, high-cost extractive activities and expanded daily territorial ranges which, although they lead to no increase in energy efficiency (energy acquired/energy spent), provide more energy per unit of time for both adult subsistence and the provisioning of offspring during an extended development period.

Date: 2025-10-29
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-env, nep-evo and nep-his
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