text: The Enigma of Walking
  The first year of life is unlike any other stage in human physical development. In a relatively short period of time, the baby changes from a helpless individual to a walking toddler. Parents never forget their baby's first steps. It is a momentous achievement. At that moment, the baby becomes a toddler and a whole new world of learning opens up.
  Walking is a complicated process, which requires many mechanical and neurological adaptations to the body and brain. Exactly why humans walk upright remains an enigma, but some scientists believe it to be an evolutionary response to changing environmental conditions during the transition from ape to hominid.
  Most scientists agree that genetic inheritance, culture, the environment, quality of care, and exercise and nutrition determine when babies take their first steps. However, there is no evidence to suggest that early walking increases intelligence. In practice, early walkers may be behind in mastering skills such as crawling, which stimulates both sides of the brain and lays the foundations for later skills such as reading and writing.