PEOPLE naturally opt for the gait that makes walking most efficient—so
long as it’s safe, says Rodger Kram of the University of Colorado in Boulder.
His team measured the metabolic rates of 10 adult volunteers as they walked on a
treadmill with their feet wide apart, close together or normally spaced. The
most efficient gait—and the one adults usually choose—was when feet
were about the width of a foot apart (Proceedings of the Royal Society
B, vol 268, p 1985). Children and elderly people tend to walk with their
feet wide apart, however. Kram thinks they…
To continue reading, today with our introductory offers
Advertisement
More from New Scientist
Explore the latest news, articles and features
Popular articles
Trending New Scientist articles
1
Red-light therapy does have health benefits but not the ones you think
2
Man destined for Alzheimer's may have been saved by accidental therapy
3
Woman in cancer remission without treatment in highly unusual case
4
We have figured out a new way to send messages into the past
5
Huge landslide in Alaska caused 481m-high tsunami
6
Extinct relative of koalas discovered in Western Australia
7
Where has the deadly hantavirus come from and how does it spread?
8
A lost ancient script reveals how writing as we know it really began
9
Pressure from individual particles measured for the first time
10
The best new popular science books of May 2026
