Humans would have adopted upright posture due to natural obstacles

One question that has always aroused great debate among scientists is what would have caused our ancient ancestors to stop moving on four legs, to stand upright and to become bipeds.

Some theories are based on the hypothesis that climate change that occurred 2.5 million years ago would have caused the decline of forests and led our ancestors to leave the trees and begin to roam the African savannas. However, this possibility is also disputed, as there is evidence that bipedal primates emerged before this major change in climate.

New hypothesis

According to The Christian Science Monitor, a new study by archaeologists at York University suggests that geological changes may have motivated this dramatic transition, causing our ancestors to become bipeds to overcome terrain obstacles. .

Image Source: Reproduction / The Christian Science Monitor

According to the study, volcanic eruptions and the movement of tectonic plates made the landscape of eastern and southern Africa more rocky, making locomotion in this region increasingly complicated. These geological changes would have encouraged the region's former inhabitants to develop new locomotor skills, improving aspects such as balance and climbing over rough terrain.

Evolution

As archaeologists have explained, these movements are best performed from an upright position, and it was this change in the landscape - not the climate - that caused the transition from four-legged to two-legged locomotion. The researchers also argue that geological changes may have contributed to the development of cognitive skills such as navigation and communication among group members.

In turn, this evolution may have been one of the factors that led to the development of larger brains and the emergence of social functions such as teamwork and cooperation. Obviously, only with a time machine would it be possible to prove which of the two hypotheses is correct, and it is possible that we will never have a definitive answer to this question.