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The theory of human evolution postulates that the ancestors of modern Homo sapiens were ancient apes. The claim of this theory is the latest research to study a well-preserved skeleton from four million years ago. Scientists from Texas A&M University published their article in Science Advances discussing 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 to 4.4 million years. The ancient skeleton was found in Ethiopia and one of his hands was exceptionally well preserved, which ultimately served as the basis for the research results.
Comparing the shape of Ardi’s hand to several other hand specimens of recent humans, apes and monkeys measured from bones in museum collections around the world, the researchers compared the type of actions locomotives used by the first hominids or fossil human relatives. .
Talk to Texas A&M todayAssistant professor of anthropology and lead author of the article Thomas Prang said the shape of the bone gives clues about certain types of adaptation to habits or lifestyles. By making connections between the shape of bones and the behavior of living forms, scientists could make inferences about the behavior of extinct species, like Ardi, that cannot be observed directly.
Thomas added that their study also found evidence of a great evolutionary leap between the type of hand depicted by Ardi and all later hominid hands, including that of a famous well-preserved skeleton that is 3.2 years old. million years ago found in the same area in the 1970s.
Thomas said this “ evolutionary leap ” occurred at a crucial time when hominids were adjusting to a more human form of standing walking, and the earliest evidence of stone tool making and the use of stone tools, such as cut marks on animal fossils, have also been discovered from this time. The study agrees with the classic idea first proposed by Charles Darwin in 1871 that the use of hands and upper limbs for manipulation appeared in early human parents in connection with standing walking, says Thomas.
Scientists believe that the evolution of human hands and feet likely occurred in a correlated fashion. By studying the ancient skeleton, the researchers believe it could retain skeletal features that were present in the last common ancestor of humans and chimpanzees and if so then it could provide researchers with excellent insight into the location of the origin of the human line, in addition to walking upright, in a better light.
The results of this study released Tuesday provide clues as to how early humans began to walk upright and do similar movements that all humans perform today.
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