Showing posts with label foot. Show all posts
Showing posts with label foot. Show all posts

Thursday, 11 April 2013

Walking on 2 legs not 4 - Feet

This scene in X-Men First Class raised a brow when I first saw it. In it, Beast out runs Xavier.




What's been assumed here is that because Beast has hands for feet, he's better and faster at running than a human. Is that a correct assumption? Likely not, as it insinuates that the primate 'foot' is more adapted for running than a human foot.



The diagram above is pretty much representative of the anatomy that's at contest in the film. A chimpanzee's foot is a generalised appendage (gripping, climbing, walking, standing), the human foot has evolved into that of a specialised appendage for bipedal locomotion. We have a bony foot arch that allows for spring and the transmission of huge forces when we walk, making it more energy efficient. It is more adapted to forward propulsion and aids our gait, than that of a flat, figured hand of a chimp. Far from being faster, Beast would most likely injure himself trying to compete against human feet.