
Humans evolved to use water much more efficiently than apes
March 5 (UPI) -- The story of humans' descent from the trees -- the journey from ape to early human -- often focuses on the development of big brains, dextrous hands and bipedal gait, but new research suggests another difference may have been equally important: water efficiency. In a first-of-its-kind study, published Friday in the journal Current Biology, researchers were able to show that humans process water much more efficiently than our closest relatives. Advertisement The trait may have allowed early humans to venture farther and farther from water sources, exploring and adapting to new environs. Until now, scientists didn't have the necessary data to compare the water conservation capabilities of chimpanzees and gorillas with those of modern humans. "Getting real data on this requ...