Bones of ape living 12m years ago point to genesis of upright walking

[Judi Lynn]

Bavarian fossils of likely common ancestor of humans and apes ‘put back start of bipedalism by millions of years’

Ian Sample Science editor

@iansample
Wed 6 Nov 2019 13.38 EST

The distinctive human habit of walking upright may have evolved millions of years earlier than thought, according to researchers who uncovered the remains of an ancient ape in southern Germany.

Excavations from the Hammerschmiede clay pit in Bavaria turned up fossilised bones belonging to a previously unknown baboon-sized ape that lived nearly 12m years ago, long before humans split from their modern-day cousins, the chimpanzees and bonobos.

Analysis of the bones shows that the animal, named Danuvius guggenmosi, had an unusual mix of anatomical features. While its long forearms, curved fingers and powerful, grasping thumbs were hallmarks of life spent dangling from branches, the hips, knees and feet were more human-like and better suited to walking upright, the scientists said.

“It was astonishing for us to realise during the process of research how similar certain bones were to humans, as opposed to great apes,” said Madelaine Böhme, who led the study at the University of Tübingen. The fossils, which include remains from two females, a male and a juvenile, were excavated between 2015 and 2018.

More:
https://www.theguardian.com/science/2019/nov/06/bones-of-ape-living-12m-years-point-to-genesis-of-upright-walking