Final answer:
The ability to sweat is one advantage that enabled early humans to become effective persistent hunters, as it helped regulate body temperature during long hunts. In combination with the ability to communicate and create effective weapons, these traits contributed to their hunting prowess.
Step-by-step explanation:
One advantage that allowed early humans to be effective persistent hunters is the ability to sweat. This biological adaptation provided early humans with an effective means to regulate body temperature during long hunts, especially under the hot sun. Compared to other predators who primarily cool themselves through panting, sweating allowed humans to engage in endurance hunting, tirelessly tracking prey over long distances without overheating. This trait, combined with cognitive skills to solve problems and to create improved tools and weapons, significantly contributed to the success of early humans as hunters.
Another key element in the success of early humans was their ability to communicate complex hunting strategies, an evolutionary milestone that could organize collective efforts efficiently. Additionally, the use of weapons to kill at a distance, such as spears and arrows, provided the means to safely hunt larger game. However, it was not early humans' ability to outrun other predators that gave them the upper hand in persistence hunting; it was their unique physiological traits like sweating and their intellectual capabilities.