The Archives

Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis (AIS) and the evolution of human bipedalism
12.26.08 | Permalink | 5 Comments

Human bipedal locomotion is arguably the most defining adaptation in the narrative of human evolution. It has altered the way our bodies dissipate heat, the way we give birth, and even the way we use our hands – to some extent it has influenced the function/morphology of every element of our anatomy. Of course, when [...]
What gibbons might teach us about the evolution of human bipedalism
12.19.08 | Permalink | 4 Comments

Recently, I posted a bit of news regarding an article that appeared in The Journal of Experimental Biology. Well, I promised I would look into that matter further, and so here I am. The article, authored by Evie Vereecke and Peter Aerts, analyzes the mechanics of the gibbon foot in hopes of better understanding the [...]
Our gibbon-footed ancestors?
12.15.08 | Permalink | Comment?

In a recent article in the Journal of Experimental Biology researchers at the University of Liverpool have hypothesized that ancestral humans possessed the ability to walk bipedally on a flat foot, much similar to the way modern gibbons do.
To understand how successful or ‘restrictive’ the flexible foot might have been for early humans we set [...]