New Delhi: Researchers from the US have arrived at a conclusion on how human beings got their walk decoded.
Scientists say that human feet are more mobile than those of chimpanzees.
Researchers from New York Institute of Technology questioned some long-held ideas about the function and evolution of the human foot by investigating how chimpanzees use their feet when walking on two legs.
Most researchers studying human evolution assume a stark dichotomy between human and chimpanzee feet.
One is a rigid lever that makes walking long distances easy and efficient.
The other one is a grasping device, much more mobile and less effective at walking on two legs.
Fossil feet of early human ancestors are nearly always compared with chimpanzee feet, making knowledge of their foot biomechanics crucial for understanding how the human foot evolved.
However, prior to this research, no one has been able to actually investigate whether differences existed between humans and chimpanzees in how the foot works during walking on two legs.
To find out, researchers used high-speed motion capture to measure three-dimensional foot motion in chimpanzees and humans walking at similar speeds.
They then compared ranges of mid-foot motion between species.
Contrary to expectations, the researchers found that human feet are more - not less - mobile than chimpanzees walking on two limbs.
(With PTI inputs)
