Experts in Sport: The power of human evolution in sporting success

In the latest episode of the “Experts in Sport” podcast, host Martin Foster sits down with ultra-endurance athlete and multiple world-record holder Dr Danny Longman, to discuss his research on the role of sport in understanding human evolution, adaptation, and function in challenging environments.

This episode tackles Longman’s world records, experiences, research, as well as topics such as the “Life History” theory, the “Selfish Brain” hypothesis, and the relationship between sport and human adaptation.

Dr Longman is a Physiology Lecturer at Loughborough University, having graduated from the University of Cambridge with a BA (Hons) in Natural Sciences, as well as receiving a PhD in Human Evolution. Danny then remained at Cambridge as a Post-Doctoral researcher, before joining Loughborough University in 2019.

Away from work, Danny is a keen sportsman, with a passion for ultra-endurance sport, exploration and travel. Holding multiple world records to his name, Danny and his crewmates recently rowed across the Black Sea in rapid time, covering the 1,200km distance between Romania and Georgia in nine days and 18 hours, surpassing the previous record of 11 days and six hours.

Listeners of the podcast can subscribe and download the latest episode by visiting iTunes, Spotify, and TuneIn. All subscribers will receive an alert once new episodes are published.

The Experts in Sport podcast is a regular series that brings together experts from across Loughborough University with external thought leaders to discuss the latest research and hot topics in sport and academia with new episodes launched regularly.