Scientists have explained mathematically why the famous “silly walks” of Monty Python’s John Cleese have never caught on in the long history of Homo sapiens. The giant, leg-twirling strides of silly walks may enable an individual to leap around swiftly but are simply too expensive in metabolic energy compared to conventional locomotion, according to a paper published on Wednesday by Britain’s Royal Society.
Manoj Srinavasan and Andy Ruina, researchers in applied mechanics at New York’s Cornell University, drew up a geometrical model of human walking and running.
So says a July 11, 2007 AFP report.
(Thanks to investigator Nick Leaton for bringing this to our attention.
Posted
Sunday, March 2nd, 2008 at 12:01 am
under News about research.
