Activities and Questions Bone Function 1: Supporting internal organs One can ima

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Activities and Questions Bone Function 1: Supporting internal organs One can imagine that, if we were to suddenly lose our skeletal systems, we would collapse into heaps of flesh on the floor like grotesque tents without poles. When you examine our skeletons more closely, youll also find many structural adaptations for supporting our organs while maintaining our upright posture. Go examine the human and the cat skeletons in the lab. Imagine that you are a team of alien paleontologists that discovered these two skeletons on a deserted future Earth. What differences between these skeletons might indicate an upright bipedal posture for human beings? Explain your answers. Notice that the human spine (when viewed from the side) is S-shaped. Notice also that the human pelvis is much broader than the cat's pelvis. To understand why, have everyone in your group perform these steps while facing each other in a circle: Step 1: Stand perfectly straight (with your feet together and your arms at your sides) and feel how your weight is distributed along each foot. Step 2: Have everyone pretend to be holding something very heavy, like a 10-kg frozen turkey. >How did your posture and foot positions change between step 1 and step 2? Explain why you made these changes. (Hint: What would happen if you tried to keep your posture from step 1 while holding a 10kg turkey in front of you?)

Explanation / Answer

Differences between cat and human skeleton which support the upright posture

Between step1 and step 2, the person will first move one step in the forward direction. The heavy object will rest exactly in straight line with the leg that is forward.

The knee cap, the wide area underneath the knee, and the thigh bone; all three of them, play a major role in maintaining the upright posture between step 1 and step 2.

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