Hominid children preferred not to walk

The small hominids of the genus "Australopithecus afarensis" spent most of their time hanging from their mothers or trees, according to an analysis published today of the remains of a child under 3 years old, discovered in 2002 in Dikika (Ethiopia) and popularly known as Lucy's baby.

According to a study published in the journal Science Advances, a research team at the American University of Dartmouth College found that wear and tear The foot bones of the boy's remains show that despite the ability to to walk, he spent most of his time hanging.

Various investigations, based on the remains of "Lucy", discovered in 1974 in the region of Afar (Ethiopia) and considered one of the oldest fossils of the world, with 3.2 million years, had determined that the " Australopithecus afarensis " was the first

However, the relative strength of the arms and legs of this hominid shows that it spent a lot of time laden in the trees, so scientists consider that it was halfway to development in chimpanzees. and modern humans.

The research reported today, however, is the first to focus on the ability of young hominids to walk.

"For the first time we were able to observe what it was like to walk for a little two and a half years ago, more than three million years ago," says Jeremy DeSilva , lead author of the paper and professor of anthropology at Dartmouth College.

The wear of Dikika 's small feet, especially from the base of his thumbs, they show that even his he already had the ability to walk, the boy spent most of his time hanging trees or his mother [19659008].Mining with the legs is an important step for the human being. But walking awkwardly in an environment riddled with predators is a sure recipe for extinction, "concludes DeSilva