The story of how humans learned to walk upright on two legs is one of the most fascinating and controversial topics in paleoanthropology.
For decades, scientists have been searching for clues in the fossil record to reveal the origins and stages of this remarkable transition from a quadrupedal ancestor.
However, the scarcity and incompleteness of the fossils have made it difficult to reconstruct a clear and definitive history of human bipedalism.
Lufengpithecus: a window into our evolutionary past
But a new study, published in the journal Innovation, has shed new light on this mystery by using a novel method: analyzing the bony inner ear region of a 6-million-year-old fossil ape, Lufengpithecus, using three-dimensional CT-scanning.
The inner ear, located in the skull between the brain and the external ear, is critical for providing a sense of balance and position when moving, and its size and shape correlate with the locomotor behavior of mammals, including apes and humans.
By comparing the inner ear structure of Lufengpithecus with that of living and extinct apes and humans, the researchers were able to infer how this ancient ape moved around its environment and how it relates to the evolution of human bipedalism.
(Photo : PEDRO PARDO/AFP via Getty Images)
Lufengpithecus is an extinct genus of ape that lived in China from about 12.5 to 6 million years ago, spanning the time period when the divergence of humans from apes is estimated to have occurred.
The fossils of Lufengpithecus are exceptionally well-preserved and abundant, making it one of the best-studied fossil apes in the world.
The researchers focused on the skulls of Lufengpithecus, which contain the inner ear region that can reveal information about the locomotor abilities of the animal.
Using modern imaging technologies, the researchers were able to visualize the internal structure of the fossil skulls and measure the dimensions of the semicircular canals, which are three fluid-filled tubes in the inner ear that detect angular acceleration and help maintain balance and orientation.
The researchers found that the semicircular canals of Lufengpithecus were similar in size and shape to those of living great apes, such as gorillas, chimpanzees, and orangutans, indicating that Lufengpithecus had a similar locomotor repertoire, which includes climbing, clambering, forelimb suspension, arboreal bipedalism, and terrestrial quadrupedalism.
However, the researchers also noticed some differences between Lufengpithecus and living great apes.
For instance, the anterior semicircular canal of Lufengpithecus was relatively larger than that of living great apes, suggesting that Lufengpithecus had a greater ability to move its head up and down, which is useful for scanning the environment and detecting predators and prey.
Moreover, the posterior semicircular canal of Lufengpithecus was relatively smaller than that of living great apes, implying that Lufengpithecus had a reduced ability to tilt its head sideways, which is associated with more agile and acrobatic movements in the trees.
These findings suggest that Lufengpithecus had a unique combination of locomotor abilities that were adapted to its specific ecological niche.
The researchers reconstructed the paleoenvironment of Lufengpithecus based on the fossil plants and animals found in the same deposits.
They concluded that Lufengpithecus lived in a lush and diverse forest, where it could exploit a variety of food resources, such as fruits, leaves, seeds, and insects.
The researchers also speculated that Lufengpithecus may have faced different types of predators, such as large cats, bears, and hyenas, which may have influenced its locomotor behavior and social organization.
The study of Lufengpithecus has important implications for understanding the evolution of human bipedalism, as it provides a glimpse into the locomotor behavior of the last common ancestor of apes and humans.
The researchers proposed a three-step model of human bipedalism, based on the comparison of Lufengpithecus with other fossil and living apes and humans.
First, the earliest apes, which lived more than 20 million years ago, moved in the trees in a style that was most similar to aspects of the way that gibbons in Asia do today, using a combination of brachiation, leaping, and arboreal quadrupedalism.
Second, the last common ancestor of apes and humans, which lived about 10 to 7 million years ago, was similar in its locomotor repertoire to Lufengpithecus, using a combination of climbing, clambering, forelimb suspension, arboreal bipedalism, and terrestrial quadrupedalism.
Third, the earliest humans, which emerged about 6 to 4 million years ago, evolved a more specialized form of bipedalism, which involved walking upright on two legs on the ground, while retaining some degree of arboreal ability.
The researchers argued that this model of human bipedalism is consistent with the fossil evidence and the molecular clock estimates of the ape-human divergence.
They also suggested that the evolution of human bipedalism was driven by a combination of factors, such as environmental changes, dietary shifts, predator pressure, and social interactions.
They emphasized that human bipedalism was not a single event, but a complex and dynamic process that involved multiple adaptations and innovations over millions of years.
The study of Lufengpithecus demonstrates the power of using the inner ear as a window into the evolutionary history of ape locomotion.
It also highlights the importance of integrating multiple sources of evidence, such as fossils, genetics, anatomy, ecology, and behavior, to unravel the mystery of human origins.
By studying the fossils of our ancient relatives, we can learn more about ourselves and our place in the natural world.
