Human Trackway Parameters on Hard and Soft Substrates

This work on trails of footprints complements pre-existing research on individual prints on various substrates. Results here are encouraging for those interested in laboratory research to compare modern human trackways with those of ancient hominins. Even trackways produced on hard floors are similar to those made in softer, sandy substrates and may therefore be useful in understanding our ancient relatives' locomotion. However, because variation in parameters increases as the substrate becomes softer, some differences due to substrate may be obscured by large variances.