Evolution of Bipedalism

Humans are the only mammals to walk on two, rather than four legs—a locomotion known as bipedalism. But why, and how, exactly, did we take our first steps? And at what cost? This talk will take a deep dive into recent discoveries in Africa and explore how unusual and extraordinary the seemingly ordinary ability to walk bipedally actually is. In a seven-million-year journey, this talk will investigate how upright walking was a gateway to many of the other attributes that make us human—from our technological abilities to our dietary diversity-- and may have laid the foundation for our species’ traits of compassion, empathy, and altruism.

Jerry's book: https://www.amazon.com/First-Steps-Up...

Bio. Jeremy "Jerry" DeSilva is an Associate Professor of Anthropology at Dartmouth College. He is a paleoanthropologist, specializing in the locomotion of the first apes (hominoids) and early human ancestors (hominins). His particular anatomical expertise-- the human foot and ankle-- has contributed to our understanding of the origins and evolution of upright walking in the human lineage. He is the author of the 2021 book First Steps: How Upright Walking Made Us Human and editor of A Most Interesting Problem: What Darwin’s Descent of Man Got Right and Wrong about Human Evolution. From 1998-2003, Jerry worked as an educator at the Boston Museum of Science and continues to be passionate about science education.

TIES NEW BOOK:
Written by members of the Teacher Institute for Evolutionary Science who have tackled the topic of evolution in their classroom for decades, "On Teaching Evolution" offers practical advice and sample lesson plans for fellow science teachers. Learn about what inspired them to love teaching evolution and the experiences that help guide their teaching practices.

“If you can read this, thank a teacher” So runs a favorite t-shirt slogan. This book inspires me to coin a variant: “If you understand why you exist and rejoice in that understanding, thank a science teacher.” More specifically, thank a teacher of evolution." - From foreward by Richard Dawkins

Order here: https://www.youtube.com/redirect?even...