11:50 a.m., April 24, 2007--“The Perils of Being Bipedal,” walking on two legs, is the subject of a lecture scheduled for 3 p.m., Friday, April 27, in 100 Wolf Hall. Bruce Latimer, executive director of the Cleveland Museum of Natural History, will discuss the evolution of walking in humans and the resulting pains and aches that upright walking has caused. The talk is free and open to the public.

Of all human evolutionary adaptations, perhaps the most pervasive in its anatomical influence is bipedality--the ability to walk habitually on two legs. Human bipedality is associated with a host of physical maladies that are also uniquely human. Hernias, fallen arches, broken hips, osteoporosis and back problems are just some of the concerns associated with the human condition. Latimer will discuss the anatomical adaptations that resulted in the evolutionary transition to bipedality and some of the physical ramifications of this unique style of walking.

Latimer also is an adjunct associate professor and the director of the biological anthropology program in the anatomy department at the Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine. He holds adjunct positions in the anthropology departments at Case Western Reserve University and at Cleveland State University in the school of biomedical sciences at Kent State University and in the Department of Medical Illustration at the Cleveland Institute of Art.

Latimer's primary research interests are in the fields of human evolution, biomechanics and comparative anatomy. He has conducted field research in Ethiopia, Israel, Tanzania and Siberia, is a consultant for the National Geographic Society and has been featured on its television programming. He is a highly sought after speaker and was selected as one of Cleveland Magazine's Most Interesting People of the Year 2000.

His UD talk is sponsored by the department of physical therapy and is part of the biomechanics and movement sciences program seminar series.