Anthropology 101 - Bipedalism

Let’s talk about anthropology! More specifically, let’s talk about human evolution. Bipedalism is one of the core evolutionary traits of humans - we’re these big brains, and eyeballs, balanced on a (kind of unstable) spinal column on top of this weird, two-legged dynamic structure that acts as a big spring to keep our eyeballs stable so we can see where we’re going. In anthropology circles, the debate rages as to why we evolved to be bipedal. Theories range from energetic efficiency in gathering food in variable landscapes (the stand and shuffle), to being able to spot predators at a distance (think, meerkat). One of the most accepted theories, though, is that ancient humans (ancient hominins) needed to travel longer distances to find food due to changing environmental conditions (we don’t exist in a vacuum! If you don’t adapt to your environment, you either move or you go extinct), and bipedal walking allowed us to travel with energetic efficiency while carrying food and offspring. Each of us has an energetically optimal walking velocity that isn’t too fast or too slow (see below) - you may notice you get just as tired after walking with someone slower than you for extended periods of time as you do walking faster than you’d like to. But also we are social critters, so when we travel in groups, we try to match those around us, even subconsciously. Think about that next time you’re taking a walk with a friend. Humans are born to walk. 🧠

Energetic expenditure as a function of walking speed while carrying weight in different locations. The bottom of the U shape is optimal walking speed. 

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apergo.2004.03.008

Want to know a bit more about my background and inspiration as a founder? Check out this segment from my interview on the Tech Business Podcast with Paul Essery!