Laetoli footprints preserve earliest direct evidence of human-like bipedal biomechanics.

<h4>Background</h4>Debates over the evolution of hominin bipedalism, a defining human characteristic, revolve around whether early bipeds walked more like humans, with energetically efficient extended hind limbs, or more like apes with flexed hind limbs. The 3.6 million year old hominin...

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Autores principales:	David A Raichlen, Adam D Gordon, William E H Harcourt-Smith, Adam D Foster, Wm Randall Haas
Formato:	article
Lenguaje:	EN
Publicado:	Public Library of Science (PLoS) 2010
Materias:	Medicine R Science Q
Acceso en línea:	https://doaj.org/article/87cc558ca34e476598b685cf9891ea91
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spelling	oai:doaj.org-article:87cc558ca34e476598b685cf9891ea912021-11-25T06:25:17ZLaetoli footprints preserve earliest direct evidence of human-like bipedal biomechanics.1932-620310.1371/journal.pone.0009769https://doaj.org/article/87cc558ca34e476598b685cf9891ea912010-03-01T00:00:00Zhttps://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/pmid/20339543/?tool=EBIhttps://doaj.org/toc/1932-6203<h4>Background</h4>Debates over the evolution of hominin bipedalism, a defining human characteristic, revolve around whether early bipeds walked more like humans, with energetically efficient extended hind limbs, or more like apes with flexed hind limbs. The 3.6 million year old hominin footprints at Laetoli, Tanzania represent the earliest direct evidence of hominin bipedalism. Determining the kinematics of Laetoli hominins will allow us to understand whether selection acted to decrease energy costs of bipedalism by 3.6 Ma.<h4>Methodology/principal findings</h4>Using an experimental design, we show that the Laetoli hominins walked with weight transfer most similar to the economical extended limb bipedalism of humans. Humans walked through a sand trackway using both extended limb bipedalism, and more flexed limb bipedalism. Footprint morphology from extended limb trials matches weight distribution patterns found in the Laetoli footprints.<h4>Conclusions</h4>These results provide us with the earliest direct evidence of kinematically human-like bipedalism currently known, and show that extended limb bipedalism evolved long before the appearance of the genus Homo. Since extended-limb bipedalism is more energetically economical than ape-like bipedalism, energy expenditure was likely an important selection pressure on hominin bipeds by 3.6 Ma.David A RaichlenAdam D GordonWilliam E H Harcourt-SmithAdam D FosterWm Randall HaasPublic Library of Science (PLoS)articleMedicineRScienceQENPLoS ONE, Vol 5, Iss 3, p e9769 (2010)
institution	DOAJ
collection	DOAJ
language	EN
topic	Medicine R Science Q
spellingShingle	Medicine R Science Q David A Raichlen Adam D Gordon William E H Harcourt-Smith Adam D Foster Wm Randall Haas Laetoli footprints preserve earliest direct evidence of human-like bipedal biomechanics.
description	<h4>Background</h4>Debates over the evolution of hominin bipedalism, a defining human characteristic, revolve around whether early bipeds walked more like humans, with energetically efficient extended hind limbs, or more like apes with flexed hind limbs. The 3.6 million year old hominin footprints at Laetoli, Tanzania represent the earliest direct evidence of hominin bipedalism. Determining the kinematics of Laetoli hominins will allow us to understand whether selection acted to decrease energy costs of bipedalism by 3.6 Ma.<h4>Methodology/principal findings</h4>Using an experimental design, we show that the Laetoli hominins walked with weight transfer most similar to the economical extended limb bipedalism of humans. Humans walked through a sand trackway using both extended limb bipedalism, and more flexed limb bipedalism. Footprint morphology from extended limb trials matches weight distribution patterns found in the Laetoli footprints.<h4>Conclusions</h4>These results provide us with the earliest direct evidence of kinematically human-like bipedalism currently known, and show that extended limb bipedalism evolved long before the appearance of the genus Homo. Since extended-limb bipedalism is more energetically economical than ape-like bipedalism, energy expenditure was likely an important selection pressure on hominin bipeds by 3.6 Ma.
format	article
author	David A Raichlen Adam D Gordon William E H Harcourt-Smith Adam D Foster Wm Randall Haas
author_facet	David A Raichlen Adam D Gordon William E H Harcourt-Smith Adam D Foster Wm Randall Haas
author_sort	David A Raichlen
title	Laetoli footprints preserve earliest direct evidence of human-like bipedal biomechanics.
title_short	Laetoli footprints preserve earliest direct evidence of human-like bipedal biomechanics.
title_full	Laetoli footprints preserve earliest direct evidence of human-like bipedal biomechanics.
title_fullStr	Laetoli footprints preserve earliest direct evidence of human-like bipedal biomechanics.
title_full_unstemmed	Laetoli footprints preserve earliest direct evidence of human-like bipedal biomechanics.
title_sort	laetoli footprints preserve earliest direct evidence of human-like bipedal biomechanics.
publisher	Public Library of Science (PLoS)
publishDate	2010
url	https://doaj.org/article/87cc558ca34e476598b685cf9891ea91
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Laetoli footprints preserve earliest direct evidence of human-like bipedal biomechanics.

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