First steps : how upright walking made us human / Jeremy DeSilva.
Edition:
First edition.
Publisher:
Harperan imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers,
Copyright Date:
2021
Description:
xvii, 334 pages, 8 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations (chiefly color) ; 20 cm
Notes:
Includes bibliographical references (pages 273-324) and index.
Contents:
The empathetic ape. Conclusion: 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 -- Part II: Becoming human. Ancient footprints ; Many ways to walk a mile ; Hominins on the move ; Migration to Middle Earth -- Part III: 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 empathetic ape.
Summary:
"Blending history, science, and culture, a stunning and highly engaging exploration by an eminent paleoantrhopologist of how walking on two legs allowed humans to become the planet's dominant species. Humans are the only mammals to walk on two rather than four legs -- a locomotion known as bipedalism. We strive to be upstanding citizens, to honor those who stand tall and proud, to take a stand against injusticies. We follow in one another's footsteps and celebrate a child beginning to walk. But why and how, exactly, did we take our first steps? And at what cost? Bipedalism has its drawbacks: giving birth is more difficult and dangerous, our running speed is much slower than that of other animals, and we suffer a variety of ailments, from hernias to scoliosis. In First Steps, paleoanthropologist Jeremy DeSilva explores how unusual and extraordinary this seemingly everyday ability is. A seven-million-year journey to the very origins of the human lineage, First Steps describes upright walking as a gateway to many of the other attributes that make us human--from our technological abilities and thirst for exploration to our use of language--and how it may have laid the foundation for our species' traits of compassion, empathy, and altruism. Moving from developmental psychology labs to ancient fossil sites throughout Africa and Eurasia, DeSilva brings to life our adventure walking on two legs. Delving deeply into the story of our past and the new discoveries rewriting our understanding of human evolution, First Steps examines how walking upright helped us rise above all other species on this planet." -- From dust jacket.
This resource is supported by the Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act as administered by State Library of Iowa.