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No One Knows Why Humans Can Walk

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Re: No One Knows Why Humans Can Walk

#11

Post by bilbo0s »

sasaf5 wrote: post #7

It would be more difficult to use tools if we had to use all members for locomotion. The ones who started walking straight got an advantage for being able to fight with spears and bows.

But the spears and bows did not come along until well after the walking upright. We know that from the fossil and archeological record.

Of course, it's still possible that those who could walk upright could throw stones better I suppose? So the fundamental idea of tool use has merit. But the tools would have been far more primitive than spears and bows. And still, the walking would likely have happened before the stone throwing, so there's still a little uncertainty even with the idea that it helped us with primitive tool use.

I think it's probably more that you could see predators better and get a head start for the tree. But I have no data to back that up, it's just my gut hunch.

Re: No One Knows Why Humans Can Walk

#13

Post by bpodgursky »

bilbo0s wrote: post #11
sasaf5 wrote: post #7

It would be more difficult to use tools if we had to use all members for locomotion. The ones who started walking straight got an advantage for being able to fight with spears and bows.

But the spears and bows did not come along until well after the walking upright. We know that from the fossil and archeological record. Of course, it's still possible that those who could walk upright could throw stones better I suppose? So the fundamental idea of tool use has merit. But the tools would have been far more primitive than spears and bows. And still, the walking would likely have happened before the sto…

That's not totally true. We really have no record of anything except carved stone tools and pottery, because wood degrades. We have no real idea when humans started using wooden tools like spears.

Re: No One Knows Why Humans Can Walk

#14

Post by danans »

pandapower2 wrote: post #12
danans wrote: post #8

> Most large animals can’t run for more than about nine miles before they drop. Feels like they are implying something here ... Can't figure out if I'm offended

i genuinely have no idea what you are suggesting. can you elaborate?

it's a joke. I'm an animal who would drop if I ran 9 miles.

Re: No One Knows Why Humans Can Walk

#15

Post by quixoticelixer- »

coenhyde wrote: post #5

I like the water ape theory. ie we had a period of time in our history where we spent a lot of time in low lying water that encouraged us to stand upright. There's a few things which point in this direction. iirc we're the only primate which can control its breath; good for swimming under water. Our fingers wrinkle when we spend time in water; good for picking things up in water. And we lost our hair; hair may have g…

Except we really suck at swimming

Re: No One Knows Why Humans Can Walk

#17

Post by [deleted] »

quixoticelixer- wrote: post #15
coenhyde wrote: post #5

I like the water ape theory. ie we had a period of time in our history where we spent a lot of time in low lying water that encouraged us to stand upright. There's a few things which point in this direction. iirc we're the only primate which can control its breath; good for swimming under water. Our fingers wrinkle when we spend time in water; good for picking things up in water. And we lost our hair; hair may have g…

Except we really suck at swimming

[deleted]

Re: No One Knows Why Humans Can Walk

#18

Post by ARandomerDude »

Wonder no more.

Genesis 1:26-27 ESV

Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth." [27] So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.

Re: No One Knows Why Humans Can Walk

#20

Post by sasaf5 »

bilbo0s wrote: post #11
sasaf5 wrote: post #7

It would be more difficult to use tools if we had to use all members for locomotion. The ones who started walking straight got an advantage for being able to fight with spears and bows.

But the spears and bows did not come along until well after the walking upright. We know that from the fossil and archeological record. Of course, it's still possible that those who could walk upright could throw stones better I suppose? So the fundamental idea of tool use has merit. But the tools would have been far more primitive than spears and bows. And still, the walking would likely have happened before the sto…

Sure, there must have been a bootstraping effect, where a little better tools promoted 2 leg mobility a little, which promoted yet better tools and so on.
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