Scientists are challenging the traditional theories on why humans evolved to walk upright. They say hominins walked on two legs while still in the trees.
Read more:“To date, the numerous hypotheses for the evolution of bipedalism share the idea that hominins […] came down from the trees and walked upright on the ground, especially in more arid, open habitats that lacked tree cover,” says Fiona Stewart, a study author and anthropologist at University College London, in aIn fact, by observing the chimpanzees living in the thin, patchy forests of Tanzania’s Issa Valley, Stewart and a team could investigate whether the openness of the ancient...
“Because so many of the traditional drivers of bipedalism — such as carrying objects or seeing over tall grass, for example — are associated with being on the ground, we thought we’d naturally see more bipedalism here as well. However, this is not what we found,” says Alex Piel, another study author and anthropologist at University College London, in a press release. “Instead, trees probably remained essential to its evolution.
Using these observations, the authors compared the frequency of movements that occurred in the trees to the frequency of movements that occurred on the ground and found that the chimpanzees in Issa were not any more inclined to moving over the open terrain.
France Dernières Nouvelles, France Actualités
Similar News:Vous pouvez également lire des articles d'actualité similaires à celui-ci que nous avons collectés auprès d'autres sources d'information.
Scientists have a theory on covid loss of smell: Damage to nasal cellsWhile some have linked smell loss to the nervous system, a study suggests part of the problem could be in the nose — meaning there is potential for topical treatments.
Lire la suite »
In a first, scientists produced male and female cells from a single personScientists created male and female cells from the same person. The model could help researchers understand how sex chromosomes affect diseases and drugs.
Lire la suite »
Glass act: Scientists reveal secrets of frog transparencyWASHINGTON (AP) — Now you see them, now you don’t. Some frogs found in South and Central America have the rare ability to turn on and off their nearly transparent appearance, researchers report Thursday in the journal Science .
Lire la suite »
Scientists just mapped Hawaii’s volcanic underbelly in stunning detailFor decades, a mysterious swarm of earthquakes has rumbled beneath the small town of Pahala near the southern coast of the island of Hawaii. Now, scientists have discovered the source of this geologic ruckus
Lire la suite »
Scientists can now 'see' things without 'looking' at them using a new quantum techniqueA new technique can let scientists observe objects without firing photons at them by combining quantum and classical physics.
Lire la suite »
Glass act: Scientists reveal secrets of frog transparencyUsing light and ultrasound imaging technology, researchers discovered the secret: While asleep, the frogs concentrate, or “hide,” nearly 90% of their red blood cells in their liver.
Lire la suite »