First Steps: How Walking Upright Made Us Human

Humans are the only mammals to walk on two, rather than four, legs. From an evolutionary perspective, this is an illogical development, as it slows us down. But here we are, suggesting there must have been something tremendous to gain from bipedalism.

Auteur

Jeremy DeSilva is an associate professor of anthropology at Dartmouth College and a paleoanthropologist, specialising in the fossilised remains of the first apes (hominoids) and early human ancestors and extinct relatives (hominins). Through his particular anatomical expertise-the foot and leg-he has made major contributions, many featured in the international media, to our understanding of the origins and evolution of upright walking in the human lineage.