Evolution: Human Walking Began 1.8 Million Years Earlier Than Previously Thought
Wednesday, July 20, 2011 - 01:10
in Paleontology & Archaeology
Human-like features of the feet and gait were in existence almost two million years earlier than previously thought, according to recent analysis of ancient footprints in Laetoli, Tanzania.Earlier studies suggested that the characteristics of the human foot, like the ability to push off the ground with the big toe and a fully upright bipedal gait, emerged in early Homo approximately 1.9 million years-ago but researchers now say that footprints of a human ancestor dating back 3.7 million years ago show features of the foot with more similarities to the gait of modern humans than with the type of bipedal walking used by chimpanzees, orangutans and gorillas.read more