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Ahead of the curve in the evolution of human feet

The longitudinal arch has long been considered a crucial structure that provides stiffness to the human foot. Now the transverse arch is stepping into the spotlight, with a proposed central role in the evolution of human foot stiffness.
  1. Glen A. Lichtwark

    1. Glen A. Lichtwark is at the University of Queensland, School of Human Movement and Nutrition Sciences, St Lucia, Queensland 4072, Australia.

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  2. Luke A. Kelly

    1. Luke A. Kelly is at the University of Queensland, School of Human Movement and Nutrition Sciences, St Lucia, Queensland 4072, Australia.

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Humans evolved to walk and run effectively on the ground using two feet. Our arched foot, which is not a characteristic of other primates, is a unique feature crucial for human bipedalism. The arch provides the foot with the stiffness necessary to act as a lever that transmits the forces generated by leg muscles as they push against the ground. The arch also retains sufficient flexibility to function like a spring to store and then release mechanical energy. Writing in Nature, Venkadesan et al.1 present a new view of how foot stiffness is regulated. Their finding not only has exciting implications for understanding foot evolution, but also provides a possible framework when considering foot health and how to design better footwear.

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Nature 579, 31-32 (2020)

doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-020-00472-z

References

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Competing Interests

The authors have ongoing funding from Asics Oceania, a footwear company that funds some of their research. This funding will not gain or be lost through this publication, as the research is unrelated. Asics Oceania played no role in the preparation of this News & Views article.

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