Solving the mysteries of short-legged Neandertals
Thursday, October 20, 2011 - 06:30
in Biology & Nature
(PhysOrg.com) -- While most studies have concluded that a cold climate led to the short lower legs typical of Neandertals, researchers at Johns Hopkins have found that lower leg lengths shorter than the typical modern humans let them move more efficiently over the mountainous terrain where they lived. The findings reveal a broader trend relating shorter lower leg length to mountainous environments that may help explain the limb proportions of many different animals.