New Study: Prehistoric Women Hunted like Men

The limestone cave painting, which was found on the island of Sulawesi, depicts hunters chasing wild animals. Reuters
The limestone cave painting, which was found on the island of Sulawesi, depicts hunters chasing wild animals. Reuters
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New Study: Prehistoric Women Hunted like Men

The limestone cave painting, which was found on the island of Sulawesi, depicts hunters chasing wild animals. Reuters
The limestone cave painting, which was found on the island of Sulawesi, depicts hunters chasing wild animals. Reuters

Historians and anthropologists believed for decades that prehistoric men were responsible for hunting, while women formed groups to collect preys. However, two recent studies found that not only did prehistoric women engage in the practice of hunting, but their female anatomy and biology would have made them better suited for it.

According to the Science Daily website, the two studies, which physiologically evaluated prehistoric women based on fossil remains, found that prehistoric females were quite capable of performing the arduous physical task of hunting prey and were likely able to hunt successfully "over prolonged periods of time."

The researchers found that the female body is better suited for endurance activity, "which would have been critical in early hunting because they would have had to run the animals down into exhaustion before actually going in for the kill."

Two huge contributors are the estrogen and adiponectin hormones, which are typically present in higher quantities in female bodies than in male, and play a critical role in enabling the female body to modulate glucose and fat, a function that is key in athletic performance.

Estrogen, in particular, plays a major role in fat metabolism, helps women going longer and can delay fatigue. Researchers added that with the typically wider hip structure of the female, women are able to rotate their hips, which lengthen their steps.

“The longer the steps they take, the less metabolically costly they are, the greater the distance they can travel, and the faster they can go,” they added.

"When you look at human physiology this way, you can think of women as the marathon runners versus men as the powerlifters," said Cara Ocoboc, co-author of the study from the University of Notre Dame.



Nagasaki Atomic Bomb Survivor, Who Devoted His Life for Peace, Dies at 93

Shigemi Fukahori is interviewed at the Urakami Cathedral in Nagasaki, southern Japan, on July 29, 2020. (Kyodo News via AP, File)
Shigemi Fukahori is interviewed at the Urakami Cathedral in Nagasaki, southern Japan, on July 29, 2020. (Kyodo News via AP, File)
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Nagasaki Atomic Bomb Survivor, Who Devoted His Life for Peace, Dies at 93

Shigemi Fukahori is interviewed at the Urakami Cathedral in Nagasaki, southern Japan, on July 29, 2020. (Kyodo News via AP, File)
Shigemi Fukahori is interviewed at the Urakami Cathedral in Nagasaki, southern Japan, on July 29, 2020. (Kyodo News via AP, File)

Shigemi Fukahori, a survivor of the 1945 Nagasaki atomic bombing, who devoted his life to advocating for peace has died. He was 93.

Fukahori died at a hospital in Nagasaki, southwestern Japan, on Jan. 3, the Urakami Catholic Church, where he prayed almost daily until last year, said on Sunday. Local media reported he died of old age.

The church, located about 500 meters from ground zero and near the Nagasaki Peace Park, is widely seen as a symbol of hope and peace, as its bell tower and some statues and survived the nuclear bombing.

Fukahori was only 14 when the US dropped the bomb on Nagasaki on Aug. 9, 1945, killing tens of thousands of people, including his family. That came three days after the nuclear attack on Hiroshima, which killed 140,000 people. Japan surrendered days later, ending World War II and the country's nearly half-century of aggression across Asia.

Fukahori, who worked at a shipyard about 3 kilometers (2 miles) from where the bomb dropped, couldn’t talk about what happened for years, not only because of the painful memories but also how powerless he felt then.

About 15 years ago, he became more outspoken after encountering, during a visit to Spain, a man who experienced the bombing of Guernica in 1937 during the Spanish Civil War when he was also 14 years old. The shared experience helped Fukahori open up.

“On the day the bomb dropped, I heard a voice asking for help. When I walked over and held out my hand, the person’s skin melted. I still remember how that felt,” Fukahori told Japan’s national broadcaster NHK in 2019.

He often addressed students, hoping they take on what he called “the baton of peace,” in reference to his advocacy.

When Pope Francis visited Nagasaki in 2019, Fukahori was the one who handed him a wreath of white flowers. The following year, Fukahori represented the bomb victims at a ceremony, making his “pledge for peace,” saying: “I am determined to send our message to make Nagasaki the final place where an atomic bomb is ever dropped.”

A wake is scheduled for Sunday, and funeral services on Monday at Urakami Church, where his daughter will represent the family.