人間が足首で歩く祖先から進化した証拠です
1Department of Anthropology, The George Washington University, Washington, DC 20052, USA. brich@gwu.edu
Nature
|April 4, 2000
まとめ
アウストラロピテクス・アナメンシス (Australopithecus anamensis) やアウストラロピテクス・アファレンシス (Australopithecus afarensis) などの初期のヒト類は,足首で歩く祖先から進化した可能性が高い. これは,霊長類の運動に関する以前の理論と二足の起源に異議を唱える.
科学分野:
- 古人類学は,古人類学である.
- 霊長類の進化について
- 機能的形態学 機能的形態学
背景:
- 二足歩行はヒト類の特徴であり,少なくとも410万年前に遡る証拠がある.
- 双脚の進化的起源とそれ以前の運動の起源はよくわかっていない.
- 既存の化石と解剖学的データは,初期のホミニドの動きに関する限られた洞察を提供します.
研究 の 目的:
- 初期のヒト類化石の手首の形状を調査するために.
- ホミニドの双足主義に先立つ祖先の運動を決定する.
- アフリカ類人猿とヒトの進化的関係を再評価する.
主な方法:
- アウストラロピテクス・アナメンシス (KNM-ER 20419) と アウストラロピテクス・アファレンシス (AL 288-1) の化石における遠端放射性形態の分析.
- 後期の人類類と手首で歩かない霊長類の人類類の腕形態との比較分析.
- 化石の証拠に基づいた先祖の運動行動の再構築.
主要な成果:
- アウストラロピテクス・アナメンシス (Australopithecus anamensis) とアウストラロピテクス・アファレンシス (Australopithecus afarensis) の化石は,手首の特殊な形状を示しており,足首で歩いていることを示している.
- この形質は,後のヒト類や他の類人猿類の形質と大きく異なっています.
- この発見は,足首歩行がアフリカの類人猿と人間の血統から派生した特徴であることを示唆しています.
結論:
- ホミノイドの双脚は,足首で歩く祖先から進化した可能性が高い.
- この祖先は,すでに部分的に地上の生活様式に適応していた可能性がある.
- この研究は,独特なパンゴリラ群の重要な証拠を否定し,初期のヒト類の進化に関する理解を再考する.
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