Humans 1, chimps 0 in walkathon
It's official. We rule over chimps.
Researchers at UC Davis conducted a study about primate locomotion. They tested humans on a treadmill as well as chimps that were trained to walk on two legs and to "knucklewalk." (I must pause here to shed a tear for memories of my departed Uncle Spiro.)
(Credit:
Cary Wolinsky copyright)
They found that humans consumed 75 percent less energy in going from point A to point B than chimps, which use all four limbs to walk. Hence, chalk one up for the two-legged crowd.
But even more interesting, they found that two of the five chimps used less energy walking on two legs than on four. These two chimps also had skeletons that echoed fossils of early hominids. No word on how well the chimps handled a skateboard, though.
No. This is not some still from a remake of the Lance Link, Secret Chimp show. It's a legit science experiment. You can read more here.
The tests, by the way, were conducted on a treadmill. The mask is there to gauge oxygen consumption. Hopefully, the chimps wiped off the equipment when finished.
