From our toes to our heads, our anatomy could be the deciding factor for whether we have chronic pain or extraordinary musical prowess.
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Every part of our anatomy, no matter how inconspicuous, contributes to the effective functioning of our body. Take the arch running over the top of the foot, for example. In February 2020, scientists published a study in the UK-based journal Nature, showing that it plays a much bigger role in our mobility than previously thought.
Known as the transverse tarsal arch, it’s the horizontal curve across the top of the foot. According to researchers, it accounts for more than 40 per cent of the stiffness of the human foot. Because of it, we can push off on our feet without falling over. Those who have flat feet because of the lack of a medial longitudinal arch (the arch on the sole of our foot), are able to avoid chronic pain or injuries because they still have the arch on the top of their foot – it gives them the stiffness they need to get moving.
The study has implications for foot biomechanics and could lead to better, more accurate prosthetic and robotic feet, along with better shoe designs and more informed diagnoses of foot disorders.
Our anatomy could also have other consequences – in the case of German composer Johann Sebastian Bach, a study published in a German scientific journal found that the gifted organist had an exceptional reach at the keyboard.
The results of the study were published in a September 2019 report in National Geographic. Using photos from 1895, which historians believe show Bach’s skeleton, German anatomists were able to calculate Bach’s hand size – nearly 8.5 inches from wrist to fingertips, and its reach with the hand open wide – 10.25 inches. With those measurements, Bach could play the 12th – the name given to a position bridging 12 white keys on the keyboard. Coupled with his enormous talent, the anatomical advantage gave the musician an edge over his peers.
According to the report, that kind of reach is uncommon even today, despite people being generally bigger than they were in Bach’s time.
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