A new study suggests the oldest known human ancestors could walk upright. Characteristics of the 7 million-year-old fossils provide evidence that the Sahelanthropus could have been the first bipedal member of our species.
August 25, 2022 / 11:25 PMNew analysis of ancient leg and arm bones found in Chad in 2001 has led researchers to conclude that one of our earliest known ancestors walked upright 7 million years ago.published Wednesday in the science journal Nature suggests that our ability to walk on two legs, or bipedalism, developed"soon after humans and chimpanzees diverged."
Scientists Guillaume Daver and Franck Guy, who authored the study, used the"previously undescribed" left thigh and forearm bones to confirm their original findings. They found that the femur bone had"human-like" characteristics and looked"more like that of a bipedal hominin than that of a quadrupedal ape," Lieberman explained.
Based on the evidence researchers gathered from studying the cranium and the femur, they determined that the ape-man most likely walked upright, but could also climb well, Lieberman wrote. "We know little else about the gait of Sahelanthropus," Lieberman said."A mixed repertoire of walking and climbing makes sense given that Sahelanthropus lived near a lake with woodland adjacent to it."
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