9/5/2023 0 Comments Chimpanzee feetIs it any wonder that Leonardo da Vinci reputedly called the human foot “a masterpiece of engineering and a work of art”? 1Īrched feet are a signature feature of humans, even so-called flat-footed ones. Furthermore, as we will discuss below, new research has uncovered an additional uniquely human source of springy power that, at the last moment, energizes each step’s push forward. As our arches stretch downward and snap back, they gather and release energy into each step. With the ball as a fulcrum, we then push off, catching ourselves with the other foot. As we walk, our arches also transfer our weight around the foot’s outer edge to the ball of the foot. Our arches act like springy shock absorbers. The human foot also has another arch (the transverse arch) spanning from side to side, roughly perpendicular to the longitudinal arches. Our longitudinal arch, running front to back, has a higher part on the inside of the foot (the medial longitudinal arch) and a lower part on the outside of the foot (the lateral longitudinal arch). Arches also make bipedal locomotion natural for us. For instance, with each step, after a bone-loosening heel strike allows the foot to adjust to the surface underneath, the foot’s bones momentarily lock together, forming a rigid lever to heave us forward. Foot Form and Function: To Arch or Not to ArchĬertain features of the human foot contribute to the efficiency and balance of our upright gait. Some of these paradoxical and hitherto unappreciated features do not fit easily into conventional evolutionary ideas about our walk up the evolutionary ladder. A new study comparing the feet of humans and chimps during bipedal locomotion has revealed surprising facts about the way our feet move. They are similar, each with 26 bones, but they bend and flex in different ways while walking. When trying to parse out just how humans evolved a walk unlike that of our supposed chimpanzee cousins, evolutionary scientists like to compare our feet and ankles. Are our feet the foundational distinction between knuckle-walking apes and us? How did we learn to walk this way? Enquiring evolutionists want to know! And many evolutionists believe bipedal locomotion was the springboard for our braininess.
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