The Origins and Evolution of Human Bipedality

Lesson Summary

Evolutionarily, chimps (and bonobos) are the closest living relatives to modern humans, with 99.6% of their DNA being the same as ours. How can we be so close genetically and yet so far away from being the same? This lesson helps to explain how one of our biggest differences— locomotion—might be the key to why our evolutionary paths diverged.

Upon completion of this lesson, students will be able to: 

• model and contrast the locomotor gaits of humans and chimpanzees.

• explain how the process of evolution could have led to humans having an energetically efficient gait.

• explain how the process of evolution could have led to the preservation of the less efficient chimpanzee gait.

Standards

Science and Engineering Practices:

MA Science and Technology/Engineering (2016):

NGSS (2013):

Common Core Math/Language Arts Standards:

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