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Elastic energy storage in the shoulder and the evolution of high-speed throwing in Homo | Nature

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Humans are able to throw projectiles with high speed and accuracy largely as a result of anatomical features that enable elastic energy storage and release at the shoulder; features that first appear together approximately 2 million years ago in Homo erectus, possibly as a means to hunt.

Subjects Biological anthropology Biological physics Musculoskeletal system Palaeontology Abstract Some primates, including chimpanzees, throw objects occasionally 1 , 2 , but only humans regularly throw projectiles with high speed and accuracy. Darwin noted that the unique throwing abilities of humans, which were made possible when bipedalism emancipated the arms, enabled foragers to hunt effectively using projectiles 3 . However, there has been little consideration of the evolution of throwing in the years since Darwin made his observations, in part because of a lack of evidence of when, how

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