Article
The Biomechanical and Energetic Advantages of a Mediolaterally Wide Pelvis in Women
Anatomical Record
(2017)
Abstract
Here, we argue that two key shifts in thinking are required to more
clearly understand the selection pressures shaping pelvis evolution in
female hominins: (1) the primary locomotor mode of female hominins was
loaded walking in the company of others, and (2) the periodic gait of human
walking is most effectively explained as a biomechanically controlled process
related to heel-strike collisions that is tuned for economy and stability
by properly-timed motor inputs (a model called dynamic walking). In the
light of these two frameworks, the evidence supports differences between
female and male upper-pelvic morphology being the result of the unique
reproductive role of female hominins, which involved moderately paced,
loaded walking in groups.
Keywords
- dynamic walking; load carrying; obstetrical dilemma; pelvis; sexual dimorphism
Disciplines
Publication Date
Spring April, 2017
DOI
10.1002/ar.23553
Citation Information
Cara M Wall-Scheffler and Marcella J Myers. "The Biomechanical and Energetic Advantages of a Mediolaterally Wide Pelvis in Women" Anatomical Record Vol. 300 Iss. 4 (2017) p. 764 - 775 Available at: http://works.bepress.com/marcella-myers/16/