Listen: How Come Humans Walk on Two Legs, Not Four?

Around 1.9 million years ago, human beings became fully bi-pedal – able to walk on two legs, instead of four. We may have mastered walking, but do we understand it?

Samanth Subramanian

Around 1.9 million years ago, human beings became fully bi-pedal – able to walk on two legs, instead of four. We may have mastered walking, but do we understand it?

listen how come humans walk on two legs not four

Walking on two legs might be the more energy-efficient way to do it. Credit: giuseppemilo/Flickr, CC BY 2.0

Walking, for someone like Khusbir Kaur, the national record holder in the 20-kilometre race walk event, is serious business. The rest of us generally do not give it much thought. It’s part of our daily life, but have you ever wondered why we walk the way we walk? How do our bodies ensure that we walk in the most energy-efficient manner? And, biomechanics aside, when and why did we switch to moving about on two limbs? The answers, The Intersection finds out, are fascinating, and can lead to a better understanding of the human walk, which can have major practical applications.

This is the latest episode of The Intersection, a fortnightly podcast on Audiomatic. For more such podcasts visit audiomatic.in.

This article went live on December first, two thousand fifteen, at forty minutes past eight in the evening.

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