The theory of human evolution holds that the ancestors of the modern homo sapiens were ancient apes. This theory is confirmed by the latest research that examined a well-preserved skeleton from four million years ago. Scientists at Texas A&M University published their paper in the Science Advances talks about what their findings suggest.
The team of four scientists – Thomas C. Prang, Kristen Ramirez, Mark Grabowski and Scott A. Williams studied the skeletal remains of Ardipithecus ramidus, also known as Ardi, which date back 4.4 million years. The ancient skeleton was found in Ethiopia and one of his hands was exceptionally well preserved, which ultimately formed the basis for the research results.
By comparing the shape of Ardi’s hand to several other hand specimens of recent humans, monkeys, and monkeys measured by bones in museum collections around the world, the researchers made comparisons of the type of motor actions used by the earliest hominins or fossil human relatives. .
Speak against Texas A&M today, assistant professor of anthropology and lead author of the paper, Thomas Prang said that the bone shape provides clues to certain types of adaptation to habits or lifestyles. By establishing links between bone shape and behavior between living forms, the scientists were able to draw conclusions about the behavior of extinct species, such as Ardi, that cannot be directly observed.
Thomas went on to say that their study also found evidence of a major evolutionary leap between the type of hand represented by Ardi and all subsequent hominid hands, including that of a famous 3.2 million-year-old well-preserved skeleton found in the same area in the 1970s. .
Thomas said this “ evolutionary leap ” occurred at a pivotal time when hominins were adapting to a more humanoid form of upright walking, and the earliest evidence for making stone tools from hominids and using stone tools, such as from this time animal fossils were also discovered. The study is consistent with the classic idea that Charles Darwin first proposed in 1871 that using the hands and upper limbs for manipulation appeared in early human relatives associated with walking upright, Thomas says.
Scientists believe that the evolution of human hands and feet most likely took place in a correlated way. When studying the ancient skeleton, researchers believe it may preserve skeletal features that were present in the last common ancestor of humans and chimpanzees and, if so, could give researchers a good insight into locating the origin of the human lineage, in walking next to upright, in a better light.
The results of this study, published Tuesday, provide clues to how early humans started walking upright and made similar movements that all humans perform today.