3/9/2006: Quadruped humans (and international science)

[Bitman]

Originally Posted by david

Oh and by the way, while you are busy out there experimenting with how to walk on your hands

I'd like to try it myself (someplace where I won't get made fun of) but I'm more curious about running on all fours. Could you go faster than running on twos?

[glatt]

I often go up the stairs in my house on all fours. They are fairly steep, and I can go up them much more quickly that way. Almost at a run.

[mlandman]

Originally Posted by Emrikol

I'm a sick, sad person.

This is the first thing I thought of:


(If you don't know what this is about)

MP fans are bad enough, please don't tell me that picture is of some kids over the age of 14 trying to re-enact the skit in a public place.

[capnhowdy]

Looks like the UK version of the Blues Brothers.

[xoxoxoBruce]

Originally Posted by Bitman

I'd like to try it myself (someplace where I won't get made fun of) but I'm more curious about running on all fours. Could you go faster than running on twos?

Maybe, if you can learn to gallop.

[Bitman]

OK, I spent a few seconds playing with this. Walking was mildly interesting, though my head doesn't tilt back far enough, and it hurts my wrists.

Galloping shows promise, but would need much more practice, and a decent amount of arm strength. And lots of stamina. Sucks being a computer nerd. Might be an interesting trick to learn, though.

[xoxoxoBruce]

Might be an interesting trick to learn, though

Handy for crossing the theater without annoying people or checking for an empty stall.

[wolf]

I think that the guy studying this family isn't studying enough, or rather, quite the right thing.

It's no big surprise that a family, particularly one that seems to be, uh, a little more closely genetically linked than most families. I think that's only part of the story.

What would happen if one of the family members with the genetic anomaly were raised in isolation from the family? WOuld they still show the all fours walking behavior, or would they walk upright? Are the skeletal deformities the result of the genetic defect (nature) or are they the consequence of only ever walking on all fours from childhood/infancy (nuture)?

I think the smart money's on nurture.

If someone would give me a sufficiently large research grant, I would be happy to test my hypothesis.

Oh, and I'll need to borrow an infant for a couple of years ... must be genetically sound, as I'll be swapping it for one of their offspring.

[dar512]

Originally Posted by xoxoxoBruce

Might be an interesting trick to learn, though

Handy for crossing the theater without annoying people or checking for an empty stall.

Ewwww walking on your hands in a public bathroom? Hey, maybe this is the real reason we started walking upright.

"I'm not lettin' you groom me with those filthy hands. You learn to walk upright like Ug does."

[david]

Originally Posted by Bitman

OK, I spent a few seconds playing with this. Walking was mildly interesting, though my head doesn't tilt back far enough, and it hurts my wrists.

Galloping shows promise, but would need much more practice, and a decent amount of arm strength. And lots of stamina. Sucks being a computer nerd. Might be an interesting trick to learn, though.

Yes, there are a couple "bipedalism" issues here. since we are evolved primarily for upright walking, the eyes are situated accordingly. in four legged animals the eyes are positioned where the top of our head would be. So most people do struggle with the head pulling back, which not only hurts the neck, but also robs strength of the arms and thrust from the legs. So to really feel it work better one needs to think of sending the top of the head forward as if you could see through the top of the head.
and since you havn't been doing this your whole life, your wrist bones aren't developed for that kind of weight or flexion. apes of course walk on knuckles, which you can see is preferable for the wrist angle, but again, one would have to develop a different kind of bone structure to support the weight there.

I am aware of a young girl of about 12 in my city who apparently has been running on all fours her whole life. She can and does walk upright when socially appropriate, she is not retarded or inbred. but for her own fun and preference, she just loves running on all four--she is apparently quite fast at it.