#883 Jeremy DeSilva - First Steps: How Upright Walking Made Us Human
RECORDED ON SEPTEMBER 6th 2023.
Dr. Jeremy DeSilva is a Professor and Chair 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 has studied wild chimpanzees in Western Uganda and early human fossils in Museums throughout Eastern and South Africa. From 1998-2003, Dr. DeSilva worked as an educator at the Boston Museum of Science and continues to be passionate about science education. He is the author of First Steps: How Upright Walking Made Us Human.
In this episode, we focus on First Steps. We discuss how old bipedalism is in evolution, why it is so rare, and the difference between bipedal locomotion and bipedal posture. We talk about hypotheses for the evolution of human bipedalism, and tackle the aquatic ape hypothesis. We discuss the main anatomical changes that occurred, our running endurance, and our ability to sweat. We talk about how bipedalism set the stage for human birth, human life history, and parenting behavior. Finally, we discuss the implications of bipedalism for our lives in industrialized and post-industrial societies.
Time Links:
Intro
How old is bipedalism in evolution?
Bipedal posture
Why is bipedalism so rare?
How human bipedalism evolved
The aquatic ape hypothesis
The main anatomical changes that occurred
Our running endurance, and our ability to sweat
Human birth, human life history, and parenting behavior
Implications of bipedalism for our lives in industrialized and post-industrial societies
Follow Dr. DeSilva’s work!
Follow Dr. DeSilva’s work:
Our first interview: https://youtu.be/rIugU8Oj0Kw
Faculty page: https://bit.ly/3edvmB1
Website: https://bit.ly/3wrFQDa
ResearchGate profile: https://bit.ly/3vogjcM
Amazon page: https://amzn.to/3gDfw2f
First Steps: https://amzn.to/440iIfU