Rex Roberton wrote: > I believe George Dyson wrote an article for one of > the science journals (does anyone have this information? I think it was > Scientific American) in which he describes the bone structure of the Aleut. > The muscle attachment locations on certain bones in the upper body were > larger than normal which was an indication of larger upper body muscles. Hi Rex, the George Dyson article is in the April 2000 issue of Scientific Amercian, however I don't think it is on-line on the web, and you are correct - the article has a picture showing the upper-arm bones of an Aluet hunter and of a Russian non-kayaking male. The comment below the picture states that the Aluetian's arm bone is both larger and densier than the Russian's and that this so-called "rugosity" indicated that the Aluetian had more muscle attachment points and therefore a greater muscle mass. Bottom line - the comment attributed the strenth and stamina of the typical Aluetian as responsible for their speed in a kayak. Stating that some were capable of paddling at eight knots (or faster)for long distances. But did the kayaking develope the muscles or were the kayaks designed to match the strenth of the people who built and used them? the article is about 8 pages long and worth a trip to the library to read - as it discusses more than Aluetian humerus bone mass. Discussing culture, use and design (three part keels etc)of the baidarka. Regards, David *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************Received on Sat Mar 03 2001 - 14:32:30 PST
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