| Contents |
Introduction -- The origin of upright walking. How we walk ; T. rex, the Carolina Butcher, and the first bipeds ; "How the human stood upright" and other just-so stories about bipedalism ; Lucy's ancestors ; Ardi and the River Gods -- Becoming human. Ancient footprints ; Many ways to walk a mile ; Hominins on the move ; Migration to Middle Earth -- Walk of life. Baby steps ; Birth and bipedalism ; Gait differences and what they mean ; Myokines and the cost of immobility ; Why walking helps us think ; Of ostrich feet and knee replacements -- Conclusion: The emphatic ape. |
| Abstract |
A Dartmouth anthropologist whose team discovered two ancient human species explores how our evolution toward bipedalism rendered us dominant, innovative, more compassionate, and more susceptible to health problems. |
| Abstract |
Human are the only mammals to walk on two rather than four legs, a locomotion known as bipedalism. This has its drawbacks: giving birth is more difficult; our running speed is much slower than that of other animals; and we suffer ailments from hernias to scoliosis. DeSilva explores how unusual and extraordinary this seemingly everyday ability is-- and shows how upright walking is a gateway to many of the other attributes that make us human. -- adapted from jacket |
| Bibliography note | Includes bibliographical references (pages 273-324) and index. |
| Genre/form | Social Science / Anthropology - Physical. |
| Genre/form | Social Science / Anthropology - Physical. |
| ISBN | 9780062938497 (hardcover) |
| ISBN | 0062938495 (hardcover) |
