The fossils of a recently discovered ancient monkey can give an idea of how to develop when walking on two legs. The ability to walk is directly considered a key characteristic of human being.
The monkey had arms suitable for hanging on trees, but human-like legs.
Researchers claim that he could walk on branches and even on the ground about 12 million years ago, pushing back the schedule of two-legged walking.
So far, the earliest fossil evidence of upright walking dates back to six million years ago.
Four fossils - a male, two females and a minor - were discovered in a clay pit in Bavaria from 2015 to 2018.
“Findings in southern Germany are an important milestone in paleoanthropology because they raise fundamental questions about our previous understanding of the evolution of great apes and humans,” said Professor Madeleine Böhme from Tübingen University, Germany.
She said that a monkey may be the best model for the “missing link” between humans and monkeys.
Since the day of Charles Darwin, there has been intense debate about how and when our early ancestors began to walk on two legs.
Did this key characteristic of people come about from a monkey very similar to an orangutan that lived on trees, or from an ancestor walking on his knuckles, who spent most of his time on earth like a gorilla?
A new study published in the journal Nature suggests that our vertical posture may have arisen from a common ancestor of the people and great apes who lived in Europe and not in Africa, as previously thought.
The fossils of Danuvius guggenmosi, who lived 11.62 million years ago, suggest that he was well suited for both walking upright on two legs and for using all four limbs when climbing, like a monkey.
These results show that biped walking developed on trees more than 12 million years ago, the researchers say.
“Danuvius combines the bipedal nature of humans, in which the hind limbs predominate, with ascents in which the forelimbs predominate, typical of living monkeys,” explains Professor David Begun, a researcher at the University of Toronto.
The man has the most complete skeleton, which resembles the skeleton of a modern bonobo. He was about one meter high and weighed about 31 kg. Females weighed about 18 kg, which is less than any monkey existing today.
Thanks to well-preserved limb bones, vertebrae, fingers and toes, researchers were able to restore how the animal moved.
“For the first time, we were able to examine several functionally important joints, including the elbow, thigh, knee and ankle, in one fossil skeleton of this age,” said Professor Boehme. “It was amazing for us to understand how certain bones look like humans, unlike primates.”
The structure, position and movement of the animal are unique among primates. Understanding how we came to our feet promises to answer many fundamental questions about the evolution of our species.
Walking in an upright position was a key milestone in human evolution, opening up opportunities for touching, learning and learning how to wear and use tools.
The monkey had arms suitable for hanging on trees, but human-like legs.
Researchers claim that he could walk on branches and even on the ground about 12 million years ago, pushing back the schedule of two-legged walking.
So far, the earliest fossil evidence of upright walking dates back to six million years ago.
Four fossils - a male, two females and a minor - were discovered in a clay pit in Bavaria from 2015 to 2018.
“Findings in southern Germany are an important milestone in paleoanthropology because they raise fundamental questions about our previous understanding of the evolution of great apes and humans,” said Professor Madeleine Böhme from Tübingen University, Germany.
She said that a monkey may be the best model for the “missing link” between humans and monkeys.
Since the day of Charles Darwin, there has been intense debate about how and when our early ancestors began to walk on two legs.
Did this key characteristic of people come about from a monkey very similar to an orangutan that lived on trees, or from an ancestor walking on his knuckles, who spent most of his time on earth like a gorilla?
A new study published in the journal Nature suggests that our vertical posture may have arisen from a common ancestor of the people and great apes who lived in Europe and not in Africa, as previously thought.
The fossils of Danuvius guggenmosi, who lived 11.62 million years ago, suggest that he was well suited for both walking upright on two legs and for using all four limbs when climbing, like a monkey.
These results show that biped walking developed on trees more than 12 million years ago, the researchers say.
“Danuvius combines the bipedal nature of humans, in which the hind limbs predominate, with ascents in which the forelimbs predominate, typical of living monkeys,” explains Professor David Begun, a researcher at the University of Toronto.
The man has the most complete skeleton, which resembles the skeleton of a modern bonobo. He was about one meter high and weighed about 31 kg. Females weighed about 18 kg, which is less than any monkey existing today.
Thanks to well-preserved limb bones, vertebrae, fingers and toes, researchers were able to restore how the animal moved.
“For the first time, we were able to examine several functionally important joints, including the elbow, thigh, knee and ankle, in one fossil skeleton of this age,” said Professor Boehme. “It was amazing for us to understand how certain bones look like humans, unlike primates.”
The structure, position and movement of the animal are unique among primates. Understanding how we came to our feet promises to answer many fundamental questions about the evolution of our species.
Walking in an upright position was a key milestone in human evolution, opening up opportunities for touching, learning and learning how to wear and use tools.
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