Includes bibliographical references (pages 273-324) and index.
Formatted Contents Note:
Introduction -- 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 -- Becoming human. Ancient footprints ; Many ways to talk a mile ; Hominins on the move ; Migration to Middle Earth -- Walk of life. Baby steps ; Birth and bipedalism ; Gail differences and what they mean ; Myokines and the cost of immobility ; Why walking helps us think ; Of ostrich feet and knee replacements -- Conclusion: The emphatic ape.
Summary, etc.:
Human are the only mammals to walk on two rather than four legs, a locomotion known as bipedalism. This has its drawbacks: giving birth is more difficult; our running speed is much slower than that of other animals; and we suffer ailments from hernias to scoliosis. DeSilva explores how unusual and extraordinary this seemingly everyday ability is-- and shows how upright walking is a gateway to many of the other attributes that make us human. -- adapted from jacket