Why do the ancient ancestors of human beings walk on two legs?

Archaeologists at the University of York, UK, have recently said that our two-legged gaits can be traced back to the rugged landscape of eastern and southern Africa, shaped throughout the era. Pliocene is due to volcanoes and the movement of tectonic plates.

The hominin, our ancient ancestor, must be attracted by the terrain of the rocky uplands and these topographic canyons giving them shelter and many opportunities to trap prey. But that terrain needs our ancestors to have a vertical appearance when crawling and climbing, which makes the bipedal species begin to appear.

Research: ' York's Top Topology and Human Evolution: the Missing Link' (York's complex evolution) challenges traditional theories that our ancestors were forced to You must leave the trees and go to the ground with your feet when the environment changes to reduce the shelter on the trees. This research was developed together with the research team of the Institute of Earth Physics (Institut de Physique du Globe) in Paris.

The study of archaeologists at York University on the two-legged gait of an ancient ancestor of humanity challenged traditional theories.

Dr. Isabelle Winder, York University's Department of Archeology, one of the researchers, said: 'Our research shows that bipedal species may develop as if to respond to that terrain. , instead of responding to plant changes caused by the environment. "

' The broken, broken terrain has given many benefits to the hominin strain in terms of safety and food, but it also shows an incentive to improve motor skills by climbing, balancing, crawling. slithering and moving quickly on those broken areas - that is, movements that encourage standing postures to be more upright ".

Research shows that the hands and arms of the hominin vertical strain are free to develop more skillful hands and the ability to use the tool, which supports a key stage in the story. evolution.

The development of skeletal and foot adaptations for running is probably the result of the surrounding flat plains in search of prey and new hunting and gathering areas.

Dr. Winder added: 'Diverse terrain may also contribute to improving cognitive skills such as orientation and communication skills, which explains the ongoing evolution of their brains. we and social functions like cooperation and teamwork ".

'We offer new, feasible hypotheses to replace traditional hypotheses about plants or environmental changes. It explains all the key processes in the hominin evolution and provides a more convincing context than the traditional hypothesis. '