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Fetal load and the evolution of lumbar lordosis in bipedal hominins

Author

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  • Katherine K. Whitcome

    (Harvard University, 11 Divinity Avenue, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, USA)

  • Liza J. Shapiro

    (University of Texas at Austin, 1 University Station, Austin, Texas 78712, USA)

  • Daniel E. Lieberman

    (Harvard University, 11 Divinity Avenue, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, USA)

Abstract

The mother load Backache is a leading cause of workplace absenteeism — testament to the difficulties of walking upright, a distinctive feature of humans and our hominin ancestors. But women face an extra evolutionary problem, given that for most of human history and prehistory, adult females have spent much of their lives either pregnant or nursing. Pregnancy makes the instability of upright walking even worse by constantly shifting the body's centre of gravity. Whitcome et al. detail those anatomical adaptations peculiar to female spines that balance the fetal load, and find that the bipedal australopithecines — but not the non-bipedal chimpanzee — had similar adaptations.

Suggested Citation

  • Katherine K. Whitcome & Liza J. Shapiro & Daniel E. Lieberman, 2007. "Fetal load and the evolution of lumbar lordosis in bipedal hominins," Nature, Nature, vol. 450(7172), pages 1075-1078, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:nature:v:450:y:2007:i:7172:d:10.1038_nature06342
    DOI: 10.1038/nature06342
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    Cited by:

    1. Monserrat Alcahuz-Griñan & Pilar Nieto-Gil & Pedro Perez-Soriano & Gabriel Gijon-Nogueron, 2021. "Morphological and Postural Changes in the Foot during Pregnancy and Puerperium: A Longitudinal Study," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(5), pages 1-9, March.
    2. Anastasia V Pavlova & Stella G Muthuri & Rachel Cooper & Fiona R Saunders & Jennifer S Gregory & Rebecca J Barr & Kathryn R Martin & Judith E Adams & Diana Kuh & Rebecca J Hardy & Richard M Aspden, 2018. "Body mass index and waist circumference in early adulthood are associated with thoracolumbar spine shape at age 60-64: The Medical Research Council National Survey of Health and Development," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 13(6), pages 1-15, June.

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