Evolution of Walking

1
Evolution of Walking

• Lucy Donnellan
• Laura Walz
• Department of Biomedical Engineering
• The Catholic University of America
• May 2, 2002
• BE 522 Human Locomotion

2
Outline

• Fossils Dating
• Footprints
• Lucy
• Bipedalism
• Timeline of evolution

3
Fossils Dating

• What is a fossil?
• Relative dating
• Stratiagraphy
• Absolute dating
• Carbon 14
• Potassium Argon
• Fission Tracks
• Electron Spin Resonance

4
Laetoli Footprints

• Found in 1978 in Tanzania, Africa
• 70 footprints in two parallel trails
• 3.7 million years old
• Credited to Australopithecus afarensis

5
Nahoon footprints

• Found 1964 in Nahoon, South Africa
• 200,000 years old
• Small size prints
• Animal prints found nearby

6
Langebaan footprints

• Found in 1995 in Langebaan, South Africa
• 117,000 years old
• Left by a woman, possibly Eve

7
Lucy

• Found in 1974 in Hadar, Ethiopia, Africa
• 40 of skeleton
• 3.5 feet tall
• Dual foot characteristics

8
Body Types

• Knee
• Carrying angle
• Aligned thigh and shin
• Pelvis
• Femur tilt
• Support of weight
• Gluteal abductors

9
Body Types

• Foot
• Weight bearing
• Arch for shock absorption
• Spine
• Increased joint surfaces
• Double curve
• Upright head
• Susceptible to injuries

10
Why bipedalism?

• Energetics
• Predator avoidance
• Tall grasses
• Deep water
• Rainforest to savana
• Body Temperature
• Surface area
• Distance from Earth
• Larger brain

11
Timeline
12
Timeline

• Homo habilis
• Man having ability
• 2.2 1.6 million years ago
• Apelike, small body, long arms
• Brain 700 cc
• Homo erectus
• Man walking upright
• 2 million 400,000 years ago
• Brain 900 - 1200 cc
• Toolmakers, controlled fire
• Migrate to Europe, Asia

13
Timeline

• Homo sapiens
• Modern man
• Homo sapiens neandrathalis
• 140,000 30,000 years ago
• Brain 7 larger than modern man
• Skilled toolmakers, observe rituals
• Unknown extinction

14
Conclusion

• Evolution has been proven
• Footprints and fossils
• Changes in body structure
• Dating shows timeline of progression from ape to
  human

15

• Thank you!