The Ascent Of Man: Why Did Our Early Ancestors Walk Upright?
Sunday, May 26, 2013 - 13:50
in Paleontology & Archaeology
Archaeologists think they have some responses for the hypothesis that our early forebears were forced out of the trees and onto two feet when climate change reduced tree cover. Our earliest ancestors changed from tree dwelling quadrupeds to upright bipeds capable of walking and scrambling and the authors in Antiquity ('Complex Topography and Human Evolution: the Missing Link') say our upright gait may have its origins in the rugged landscape of East and South Africa, which was shaped during the Pliocene epoch by volcanoes and shifting tectonic plates. read more