How HUMAN walked upright

An international team of researchers have discovered that human bipedalism, or walking upright, may have originated millions of years ago as an adaptation to carrying scarce, high-quality resources.

The research findings suggest that chimpanzees switch to moving on two limbs instead of four in situations where they need to monopolize a resource, usually because it may not occur in plentiful supply in their habitat, making it hard for them to predict when they will see it again. Standing on two legs allows them to carry much more at one time because it frees up their hands.

In such high-competition settings, the frequency of cases in which the chimpanzees started moving on two legs increased by a factor of four.

Storyteller:  Brian Richmond, George Washington University
Source: Humans Began Walking Upright to Carry Scarce Resources, Chimp Study Suggests

Story Research :  Design perspectives and the physiology of walking, ARN