STORY – A very detailed study concludes that Toumaï, a distant ancestor, was already walking upright 7 million years ago.
After years of scientific debates and sometimes violent controversies, a Franco-Chadian study published in the reference journal Nature brings new elements to reinforce the idea that Sahelanthropus tchadensis, better known as Toumaï, was indeed bipedal. This 7 million year old fossil discovered in Chad in 2001, which could be one of the oldest representatives of the human line, was also able to move in the trees with ease.
Whether or not this chimpanzee-sized primate was able to evolve on its hind legs alone is crucial, as bipedalism, by freeing the hands for other activities, is considered a defining characteristic of lineage members. human, and to differentiate them from other great apes which move mainly on all fours in trees and on the ground.
One femur and two ulna
The key elements that lean today in favor of bipedalism are fossil bones – a femur and two ulnae -…
This article is for subscribers only. You have 84% left to discover.
Pushing back the limits of science is also freedom.
Keep reading your article for €0.99 for the first month
Already subscribed? Login