One foot in the past

97 Views

Thanks! Share it with your friends!

You disliked this video. Thanks for the feedback!

Published Apr 1, 2020

A few million years ago, our ancestors stopped climbing trees and started walking upright, on two feet. To work out how and when this happened, researchers look for fossils -- and recently they found a surprising set of foot bones in Ethiopia. The foot is about 3.4 million years old, making it roughly the same age as 'Lucy' and her species, Australopithecus afarensis. But while Lucy's species had feet much like modern humans, the new foot has an opposable big toe, like a chimp. So do the foot bones represent a new species of hominin? Watch the video and decide.

Read the original research paper: http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v483/n7391/full/nature10922.html

Category: Documentary

Be the first to comment

Sign in

Create your account

Add Video

One foot in the past

Up Next